Undergraduate Review
Volume 10 | Issue 1
Article 6
1997
Civilization and Savagery in Joseph Conrad's Heart
of Darkness and Francis Ford Coppola's
Apocalypse Now
Laura Kesselring '97
Illinois Wesleyan University
Recommended Citation
Kesselring '97, Laura (1997) "Civilization and Savagery in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Francis Ford Coppola's
Apocalypse Now," Undergraduate Review: Vol. 10: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/rev/vol10/iss1/6
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Kesselring '97: Civilization and Savagery in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness an
IE UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW
lal Academy Press, 1995.
inted with HIV." Bangkok Post 23 Feb. 1996.
at AIDS, stop Preaching." World Press Review
Civilization and Savagery in Joseph
Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Francis
Ford CoppoJa's Apocalypse Now
Laura Kesselring
In Apocalypse Now, the film adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel
Heart of Darkness, Francis Ford Coppola uses the transformation of
Captain Willard to characterize the power of the savagery inherent in all
humanity; this view contests Conrad's character Marlow, who affirms
the models of Western civilization above any primordial instincts by his
resistance to those instincts. To be civilized, according to the New
American Webster's Dictionary, is to be "educated in the usages of
organized society"; before their journey into the jungle (the "heart of
darkness"), both Marlow and Willard live according to certain standards
of value prevalent in the civilized, orderly world. These values include
morality, class, wealth, intellect, and religion, and make up the way one
sees oneself in relation to others and to the world-one's identity.
These values are challenged in the "heart of darkness," and while
Marlow retains his principles of civilized thought, Willard cannot aban­
don the truth of his origins and rejects the standards to which he once
subscribed. In departing from the book's direction, Coppola makes the
"heart of darkness" universally accessible, especially to the viewers of
his film; he suggests that any human being can be seduced like Willard
and the antagonist Kurtz, dismissing Conrad's portrayal of Kurtz as an
isolated deviant.
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Undergraduate Review, Vol. 10, Iss. 1 [1997], Art. 6
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CIVILIZATION AND SAVAI
THE UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW
In both the novel and the film, the standpoint of the narrator is
crucial to the reader's or viewer's perception of him. Conrad constructs
his novel as a tale told by Marlow in retrospect, which reveals Marlow's
physical and emotional distance from the "heart of darkness." Even
before hearing the story's conclusion, the reader knows that Marlow did
not succumb to the power of the jungle; this is established by his civi­
lized existence outside the "heart of darkness" as a storytelling seaman
in London after the fact. Coppola, on the-other hand, translates
Conrad's retrospection into an unpremeditated monologue, exposing
Willard's thoughts throughout the story. This adaptation stays true to
the novel by transforming Conrad's elaborate descriptions into a spoken
narrative, aiding the viewer in passages where the story progresses
through the main character's mental deliberation. However, the viewer
also feels the acute immediacy of Willard's journey, and there is a sus­
pense surrounding his character's outcome that is not present in Heart
of Darkness. Willard's gradual conversion to a more savage, elemental
outlook (in the present time) allows the viewer to feel what he experi­
ences; in Conrad's novel, however, the reader observes from Marlow's
distant perspective, assured of his deliverance from the "heart of dark­
ness."
Marlow and Willard begin their journeys with similar back­
grounds. Marlow, a seaman with a penchant for exploring, lives primar­
ily within European civilized standards; he tells his companions on the
Thames that after sailing on the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and
the China Seas, "I had got a heavenly mission to civilize ..." (Conrad
215). Although rather independent ("I always went my own road ..."
[Conrad 216]), he seeks ajob as captain of a steamboat for "the
Company," and submits, on paper, to its statutes: "I flew around like
mad to get ready ... show myself to my employers, and sign the con­
tract" (Conrad 218). Willard, under contract to the American military, is
a successful assassin in that his superiors trust him to complete a deli­
cate assignment, Kurtz's termination. In the same way, both Kurtzs had
subscribed to the respective maxims of the Company and the military;
upon their falls from grace, however, the Company describes Kurtz as
http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/rev/vol10/iss1/6
~-_._-------
--~-_.-
"unsound ... shows a complete want of judI
while Willard's superior accuses Kurtz of "0
restraint. ... Very obviously he has gone ins
These parallels are instrumental in establishi
Marlow and Willard originate and from whic
digresses but Marlow does not.
Marlow feels that the mystery behind)
transformation lies in the jungle, in what Co
of darkness." The "overwhelming realities c
plants, and water, and silence" (Conrad 244)
ronment, and Marlow senses that he is litera:
entering another. As he moves further away
fundamentally connected to his surrounding~
"thrilled" at the idea of a "remote kinship wi
uproar" (Conrad 246). However, Marlow is
found relationship with the "heart of darkne~
of its power. He says, "When you have to at
dents of the surface, the reality-the reality,
inner truth is hidden-luckily, luckily. But I
often its mysterious stillness watching me ..
speaks of a "truth," a connection that transce
common passion and savagery of human nat
retained throughout the ages and that here, it
common to all humanity, including Marlow;
power which drew Kurtz irreversibly toward
of mind, Marlow concludes that "he could n_
ably lost" (Conrad 279) from logic and conv
nation with Kurtz, Marlow is content to men
tal truth and existence, ultimately returning t
This satisfaction is absent from Willarc
personal justification beyond his official mili
Kurtz; searching the dossier for a glimpse in­
to know the man that first "broke from them'
himself." Conrad feels that the mystery of tI­
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Kesselring '97: Civilization and Savagery in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness an
HE UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW
ad the film, the standpoint of the narrator is
viewer's perception of him. Conrad constructs
if Marlow in retrospect, which reveals Marlow's
listance from the "heart of darkness." Even
s conclusion, the reader knows that Marlow did
:r of the jungle; this is established by his civi­
le "heart.of darkness" as a storytelling seaman
Coppola, on the-other hand, translates
Ito an unpremeditated monologue, exposing
~hout the story. This adaptation stays true to
g Conrad's elaborate descriptions into a spoken
~er in passages where the story progresses
ter's mental deliberation. However, the viewer
~diacy of Willard's journey, and there is a sus­
lafacter's outcome that is not present in Heart
~radual conversion to a more savage, elemental
me) allows the viewer to feel what he experi­
,however, the reader observes from Marlow's
red of his deliverance from the "heart of dark­
·d begin their journeys with similar backnan with a penchant for exploring, lives primar­
lized standards; he tells his companions on the
~ on the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and
ot a heavenly mission to civilize ..." (Conrad
Idependent ("I always went my own road ..."
a job as captain of a steamboat for "the
on paper, to its statutes: "I flew around like
lW myself to my employers, and sign the con­
llard, under contract to the American military, is
that his superiors trust him to complete a deli­
. termination. In the same way, both Kurtzs had
tive maxims of the Company and the military;
lce, however, the Company describes Kurtz as
CIVILIZATION AND SAVAGERY
23
"unsound ... shows a complete want of judgement" (Conrad 275),
while Willard's superior accuses Kurtz of "operating without any decent
restraint. ... Very obviously he has gone insane" (Apocalypse Now).
These parallels are instrumental in establishing a point from which
Marlow and Willard originate and from which Willard irrevocably
digresses but Marlow does not.
Marlow feels that the mystery behind Kurtz's disappearance and
transformation lies in the jungle, in what Conrad refers to as the "heart
of darkness." The "overwhelming realities of this strange world of
plants, and water, and silence" (Conrad 244) suggest a primordial envi­
ronment, and Marlow senses that he is literally leaving one world and
entering another. As he moves further away from civilization, he feels
fundamentally connected to his surroundings and to the natives,
"thrilled" at the idea of a "remote kinship with this wild and passionate
uproar" (Conrad 246). However, Marlow is not blinded by this new­
found relationship with the "heart of darkness," but is instead conscious
of its power. He says, "When you have to attend to ... the mere inci­
dents of the surface, the reality-the reality, I tell you-fades. The
inner truth is hidden-luckily, luckily. But I felt it all the same; I felt
often its mysterious stillness watching me ..." (Conrad 244). Here he
speaks of a "truth," a connection that transcends time and civilization, a
common passion and savagery of human nature that the natives have
retained throughout the ages and that here, in the "heart of darkness," is
common to all humanity, including Marlow and Kurtz. Observing this
power which drew Kurtz irreversibly toward a primitive, instinctual state
of mind, Marlow concludes that "he could not have been more irretriev­
ably lost" (Conrad 279) from logic and convention; in spite of his fasci­
nation with Kurtz, Marlow is content to merely observe this fundamen­
tal truth and existence, ultimately returning to civilization.
This satisfaction is absent from Willard's drive for truth. He seeks
personal justification beyond his official military orders for terminating
Kurtz; searching the dossier for a glimpse into Kurtz's soul, he desires
to know the man that first "broke from them" and then "broke from
himself." Conrad feels that the mystery of the "heart of darkness" in the
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Undergraduate Review, Vol. 10, Iss. 1 [1997], Art. 6
24
CIVILIZATION AND SAY
THE UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW
novel is too dangerous to. explore, citing Kurtz's fate as proof of its
power. However, Coppola paints Willard as a man obsessed with pene­
trating the conundrum of Kurtz; Willard feels that to kill Kurtz he must
first understand him, but once he permeates the mystery of the "heart of
darkness," he is unable to return to his innocence. Willard feels the
same connection to the savagery of the jungle and its people that
Marlow does. His profession as a military assassin is a civilized, rea­
soned form of killing, but these regulated limits begin to blur as he
moves deeper into the "heart of darkness" and away from military influ­
ence.
In the film, a snag in Willard's mission occurs in the form of a
wounded Vietnamese girl on a passing boat; he kills her without
remorse, determined at this point to let nothing stand in the way of his
journey. This is a sign of a fundamental change in his value system-he
sheds his morality and military conduct in favor of instinct and selfish
desire. After killing the girl, Willard himself admits that "Those boys
were never going to look at me the same way again, but I felt like I
knew one or two things about Kurtz that weren't in the dossier"
(Apocalypse Now); he is altered inwardly as well as outwardly.
In Heart ofDarkness, Marlow addresses the meaninglessness of
civilized conventions in the heart of the jungle; in the wilderness, he
says man "must meet the truth with his own true stuff-with his own
inborn strength. Principles won't do. Acquisitions, clothes, pretty
rags-rags that would fly off at the first good shake" (Conrad 247).
However, instead of permanently discarding these standards, Marlow
retains his Western value system and accepts both outlooks on life for
their applications in different situations. This balance is upset in
Apocalypse Now when Willard approaches Kurtz's end of the river.
Tossing Kurtz's dossier into the water (a symbolic rejection of the mili­
tary and their judgement of Kurtz), he leaves his prior belief systems
behind and yields to the power of the jungle and whatever lies ahead in
Kurtz's world. In the novel, the manager responds to Kurtz's actions
with proper Company procedure, declaring, "It is my duty to point
[Kurtz's actions] out in the proper quarter" (Conrad 275). However,
http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/rev/vol10/iss1/6
Company policy is meaningless to Kurtz. '
"the inconceivable mystery of a soul that k
and no fear ..." (Conrad 274); he does not
Company and civilization do, according to
forsaken.
Finally, the dichotomy in the fates of
evident from the final scenes of both the ne
Darkness, Kurtz has irrevocably retreated i:
into "the wilderness ... that seemed to dfa'
by the wakening of forgotten and brutal ins
However, Marlow is able to withstand such
enters Kurtz's realm after witnessing the co
Kurtz's fate is absolute; Marlow believes th
taken him, loved him, embraced him, got ir
flesh, and sealed his soul to its own ..." (C
vives the transition from jungle to civilizati
soul behind: "The brown current ran swift!)
... and Kurtz's life was running swiftly, tOI
heart into the sea of inexorable time" (Com
poraneity and value systems of the modem
the "heart of darkness," Conrad upholds the
survival and narration of Kurtz's story.
On the other hand, the death of Apocc
tated by the savagery of basic human natun
camp, Willard is "baptized" in rain and mUI
his kinship with them. The finality of Will.
fests itself in the instinctual, savage mannel
"termination" itself resembles one creature
ty within a group, and places Willard on the
Kurtz. Coppola places his actions on a par;
ter of the ox; Willard emerges the victoriou
.fices himself to the '~heart of darkness." Kl
primordial connection with the jungle, retu:
death; in essence, Kurtz belongs to the "he.
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[Ii
Kesselring '97: Civilization and Savagery in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness an
UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW
explore, citing Kurtz's fate as proof of its
a paints Willard as a man obsessed with pene­
Kurtz; Willard feels that to kill Kurtz he must
once he permeates the mystery of the "heart of
I return to his innocence. Willard feels the
lvagery of the jungle and its people that
sion as a military assassin is a civilized, rea­
t these regulated limits begin to blur as he
~art of darkness" and away from military influ­
n Willard's mission occurs in the form of a
on a passing boat; he kills her without
lis point to let nothing stand in the way of his
, a fundamental change in his value system-he
ilitary conduct in favor of instinct and selfish
~irl, Willard himself admits that "Those boys
at me the same way again, but I felt like I
Ibout Kurtz that weren't in the dossier"
altered inwardly as well as outwardly.
ss, Marlow addresses the meaninglessness of
he heart of the jungle; in the wilderness, he
truth with his own true stuff-with his own
es won't do. Acquisitions, clothes, pretty
I off at the first good shake" (Conrad 247).
Ilanently discarding these standards, Marlow
system and accepts both outlooks on life for
:rent situations. This balance is upset in
rillard approaches Kurtz's end of the river.
nto the water (a symbolic rejection of the mili­
of Kurtz), he leaves his prior belief systems
power of the jungle and whatever lies ahead in
vel, the manager responds to Kurtz's actions
ocedure, declaring, "It is my duty to point
he proper quarter" (Conrad 275). However,
CIVILIZATION AND SAVAGERY
25
Company policy is meaningless to Kurtz. To Marlow, Kurtz possesses
"the inconceivable mystery of a soul that knew no restraint, no faith,
and no fear .. ." (Conrad 274); he does not judge Kurtz, as the
Company and civilization do, according to the standards that Kurtz has
forsaken.
Finally, the dichotomy in the fates of Marlow and Willard is most
evident from the final scenes of both the novel and the film. In Heart of
Darkness, Kurtz has irrevocably retreated into the "heart of darkness,"
into "the wilderness ... that seemed to draw him to its pitiless breasts
by the wakening of forgotten and brutal instincts ..." (Conrad 279).
However, Marlow is able to withstand such an entrapment when he
enters Kurtz's realm after witnessing the consequences of such a choice.
Kurtz's fate is absolute; Marlow believes that "The wilderness ... had
taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his
flesh, and sealed his soul to its own ..." (Conrad 260). Marlow sur­
vives the transition from jungle to civilization, while Kurtz leaves his
soul behind: "The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness
... and Kurtz's life was running swiftly, too, ebbing, ebbing out of his
heart into the sea of inexorable time" (Conrad 282). While the contem­
poraneity and value systems of the modem world are dead to Kurtz in
the "heart of darkness," Conrad upholds their strength through Marlow's
survival and narration of Kurtz's story.
On the other hand, the death of Apocalypse Now's Kurtz was dic­
tated by the savagery of basic human nature. On his arrival at Kurtz's
camp, Willard is "baptized" in rain and mud by the natives, symbolizing
his kinship with them. The finality of Willard's transformation mani­
fests itself in the instinctual, savage manner in which he kills Kurtz; the
"termination" itself resembles one creature killing another for superiori­
ty within a group, and places Willard on the same level of "insanity" as
Kurtz. Coppola places his actions on a parallel with the natives' slaugh­
ter of the ox; Willard emerges the victorious hunter while Kurtz sacri­
fices himself to the ".heart of darkrless." Kurtz's blood symbolizes his
primordial connection with the jungle, returning to the earth after his
death; in essence, Kurtz belongs to the "heart of darkness" and has sev­
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'
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1
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Undergraduate Review, Vol. 10, Iss. 1 [1997], Art. 6
26
CIVILIZATION AND SA'
THE UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW
ered any ties to his family and to civilization. Coppola illustrates the
dominance of the savage and the instinctual over Willard's learned con­
ventions; rather than using a more convenient and logical form of assas­
sination (such as bullets or poison), Willard reverts to the savage hunter
within his being, stalking and finally "slaughtering" Kurtz. Willard's
severance from his former civilized life and values is complete; as he
leaves the camp, he turns off the radio, a construct of civilization and
the military, and departs for an unknown destination. The viewer, hav­
ing felt his transformation, knows that he will not return to the military,
nor to his place in civilized society.
In Heart of Darkness, Conrad manifests his belief in the strength
of Western value systems through the character of Marlow. Faced with
the horror of his own brutal origins, Marlow keeps a perspective that
returns him, secure in his identity, to London. This image is a contrast
to Conrad's Kurtz, whose divergence from the path of civilized reason is
attributed to emotional weakness and insanity; Marlow reports, "his soul
was mad" (Conrad 280). On the other hand, Coppola illustrates the fun­
damental need for Willard to return to jungle savagery in Apocalypse
Now; his survival in the "heart of darkness" is contingent upon the shed­
ding of constructs of both civilization and the military. In the novel,
Conrad expects his readers to relate to Marlow as a narrator and similar­
ly arrive at the same conclusions by the story's end. By drawing his
viewers into Willard's mind with the immediacy of the action, Coppola
connects them fundamentally to the "heart of darkness" and to Willard's
transformation and reassessment of values. This break from Conrad's
point of view causes the viewer of Apocalypse Now to question their
own belief systems, whereas Conrad's reader is reassured of the rele­
vance of such values.
http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/rev/vol10/iss1/6
WORKS CIT)
Conrad, Joseph. Great Short Works oflosl
Harper & Row, 1966.
Apocalypse Now. Dir. Francis Ford Coppc
6
4
Kesselring '97: Civilization and Savagery in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness an
HE UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW
y and to civilization. Coppola illustrates the
and the instinctual over Willard's learned con­
19 a more convenient and logical fonn of assas­
or poison), Willard reverts to the savage hunter
~ and finally "slaughtering" Kurtz. Willard's
~r civilized life and values is complete; as he
: off the radio, a construct of civilization and
for an unknown destination. The viewer, hav­
n, knows that he will not return to the military,
ed society.
ss, Conrad manifests his belief in the strength
, through the character of Marlow. Faced with
tal origins, Marlow keeps a perspective that
; identity, to London. This image is a contrast
~ divergence from the path of civilized reason is
'eakness and insanity; Marlow reports, "his soul
On the other hand, Coppola illustrates the fun­
d to return to jungle savagery in Apocalypse
'heart of darkness" is contingent upon the shed­
1 civilization and the military. In the novel,
rs to relate to Marlow as a narrator and similar­
~lusions by the story's end. By drawing his
ind with the immediacy of the action, Coppola
tally to the "heart of darkness" and to Willard's
~ssment of values. This break from Conrad's
viewer of Apocalypse Now to question their
~eas Conrad's reader is reassured of the rele-
CIVILIZATION AND SAVAGERY
27
WORKS CITED
Conrad, Joseph. Great Short Works of Joseph Conrad. New York:
Harper & Row, 1966.
Apocalypse Now. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. United Artists, 1979.
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