Theme Of Relationships In Heart Of Darkness

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Relationship is a word used in a multitude of situations. The dictionary definition states that a relationship is the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected. Relationships are vital to the narrative of Things Fall Apart, The Heart of Darkness, and Apocalypse Now. The relationships within the texts show character development and are what keeps the story moving. Relationships expand your experience as a reader, for you can compare your own experiences to that of the text. Not only can you find relationships within the texts themselves, but you can find them in the concepts and characters between each text. They have you on your toes, keeping you intrigued and guessing what will happen next. For example, in my time …show more content…

Throughout the orientation of each text you can find some similarities. The mirrored relationships that Marlow and Willard experience with Kurtz is just one example. The orientation of Heart of Darkness is when Marlow first hears about Kurtz and becomes obsessed with him His relationship with Kurtz begins to bloom, even though it is purely cognitive. He believes that Kurtz is the answer to all of the questions and problems he has been facing. For instance, he is captivated by the thought of his voice and thinks that once he hears Kurtz speak it will silence the eeriness of the jungle. He knows that it is his job to bring Kurtz back so he sets off on his mission. Whereas in Apocalypse Now, the orientation is nearly identical. Willard …show more content…

In Heart of Darkness, the men aboard the steamboat go into the jungle in constant fear of what is around them. Their apprehension is so strong that a sense of anxiety grows within them - a fear of the wilderness, with its eerie silences and addling fogs, its mysterious darkness and shadowy savages. For instance, in the beginning of the novel, the white pilgrims aboard hear sounds when they are in their sleeping quarters. "We capered on the iron deck. A frightful clatter came out of that hulk, and the virgin forest on the other bank of the creek sent it back in a thundering roll upon the sleeping station. It must have made some of the pilgrims sit up in their hovels" (Conrad 29-30). Ironically, the noise they were hearing was only a celebration of the fellow men aboard the boat. Being so far from any sign of civilization only adds to their sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Their fear makes them do foolish things on impulse, similar to that of Okonkwo. Fear also contributes to their consequent madness. It infuses the mind itself so that everything is not only terror-inducing, but morally disturbing as well. In Apocalypse Now, Chief has a prominent sense of fear and concern that something dreadful is going to happen. This affects his relationships with his fellow crew mates and eventually pushes him away from Willard, particularly after he kills the Vietnamese woman at the

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