Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness Essay -- Literary Analysis

The idea of intertextuality can be seen heavily in Apocalypse Now as it found on the story and ideals within centre of Darkness. The characters of Apocalypse Now argon direct references to characters in the novella, and through their actions and ideals, serve nearly the equal role.The first mate we see between characters is that of Willard and Marlow. In the opening scene of the movie, Willard is complaining about wanting a mission and get back into the war, stating Every time I think Im gonna wake up back in the jungle. When I was home after my first tour, it was worse. Id wake up and thered be nothing. I hardly state a word to my wife, until I said yes to a divorce. When I was here, I wanted to be there when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle. Im here a week now, waiting for a mission, getting softer both minute I stay in this room, I get weaker, and every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger. Each time I looked around, the walls moved in a little tighter. (Apocalypse Now) Willard is being driven mad by his take away to be involved in the war, to the point where it is affecting his home behavior. Simply being in his room waiting for a mission is making him pay back paranoid to an unhealthy extent in which he feels the need to become intoxicated and self destructive to cope. This obsession correlates with Marlows own obsession with lam in Heart of Darkness. Like Willard, Marlows sanity also relies on his work. The first major break in his mental state we see is when he is unable to do work due to his steamer being damaged and not having the parts to repair it. Upon hearing the news that rivets necessary to repairing the steamer are on the way, the normal stoic Marlow bursts ... ...e you. And suddenly hell grab you, and hell throw you in a corner, and hell say Do you know that if is the middle word in life?If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can tr ust yourself when all men doubt you... I mean, Im no, I cant Im a little man, Im a little man, hes, hes a great man This speech is extremely similar to that of the one Marlow is greeted with, which shows how Apocalypse Now uses nearly the exact same device as Heart of Darkness to show Kurtzs effect on people.Works CitedApocalypse Now. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Pro. Francis Ford Coppola. American Zoetrope, August 15, 1979.Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York Bantem Dell 2004Comparing Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. 123HelpMe.com. 16 Dec 2010 .