Heart of Darkness

While “Apocalypse Now” is based loosely on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, there are many key differences that contrast the two works. The differences in “Apocalypse Now”, however, highlight the main points of Heart of Darkness. Heart of Darkness is set in the European imperialism era, whereas “Apocalypse Now” is set during the Vietnam war in Cambodia. This difference makes the reader think of the moral justification of both settings, bringing out one of the controversial aspects of the book. The main characters in each work differ slightly, and because of this we see Marlow as more of a self-seeker whereas Willard is the dutiful green beret. These differences bring out characteristics of Heart of Darkness that we as a reader might not have noticed otherwise.
The first difference, visible from the beginning, is the two different settings. Wether it’s the Vietnam War or imperialism, the characters have the sense that they can do whatever they want in the ...