Transformation in the Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now Since Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now was based on Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, it is possible to establish many parallels between the two works. Both can be interpreted as metaphors for a journey through the inner self, and each has its own message to convey. In many ways they also seem to bear similarities to Arthurian legend, particularly the quest for the Holy Grail and other allegorical travel tales. The sum of the experiences of the protagonists, Marlow in Heart of Darkness and Willard in Apocalypse Now, reveals to them how the horrors and effects of war or conquest can drive some people to madness, while others can discover the light and find the absolute. truth. Traveling on a river is often used as a symbol of a journey of self-discovery in many literary works. For example, in works such as Dante's Inferno and Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, the protagonists travel down the River Styx and the Mississippi, respectively; encounter many challenges that offer them opportunities to understand each other. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow accepts his quest to travel up the long and dangerous Congo River to transport the ivory from Kurtz's Inner Station to the Outer Station. In Apocalypse Now, Benjamin Willard, who began as a special military recruit, is sent on a mission to the Nung River to "exterminate with extreme prejudice (Apocalypse Now)" Kurtz. In each work, the protagonists witness and endure unspeakable hostilities throughout their journeys, and in order to survive and achieve their ultimate goals, both push themselves beyond their physical, spiritual, and mental limits until middle of paper. .....ard takes the role of a father and leads a young army away from the jungle, and Marlow returns to the crystal clear waters of the ocean. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Apocalypse now. New York: Norton and Company, Inc., 1988. Heart of Darkness. Real. Francis Ford Coppola. with Marlon Brandon, Robert Duvall and Martin Sheen. Paramount, 2000. Subject: Heart of Darkness vs Apocalypse Now. http://grassroots.mediacentre.com/csdsescalb1/unit5/heart_vs_apocalypse.htm. (May 19, 2002).Baxter, Gisèle. “Notes on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.” General Manager Baxter's page. October 28, 1999. http://www.interchange.ubc.ca/gmb/conrad.html. (May 20, 2002). Krall, Aaron, Aimee Lanoue and Matthew Pavesich. What is the Heart of Darkness? http://www.stfrancis.edu/en/student/kurtzweb/darkness.htm. (May 19 2002).