Apocalypse Now The 1978 film Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is based on Conrad’s story ”Heart of Darkness.” While Conrad’s story is set in the Congo in the 1890s, and is a commentary on imperialism in the form of Belgian colonization, Coppola’s film is set during the Vietnam War in the 1960s, and…
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Heart of Darkness – Narrator – Imagery
Narrator Narrative technique is an important element of Conrad’s literary style. This story is structured as an “embedded narrative.” This means that the central story, narrated by the fictional character Charlie Marlow, is “embedded” in a “frame” narrative, whereby the ”frame” narrator introduces Marlow’s character, and presents the central story as a direct quotation from…
Heart of Darkness – Themes
Civilization and the Primitive The central theme around which this story revolves is civilization versus wilderness. The symbolism that represents this theme is the opposition of light versus darkness. As in much of European art and literature, the imagery of ‘ ‘light” is associated with Western culture, civilization, knowledge, and the conscious mind. The imagery…
Heart of Darkness – Characters
The Harlequin Russian Soldier The Harlequin Russian soldier greets Marlow upon his arrival at Kurtz’s compound. A Westerner, he seems half-crazed and maniacally obsessed with the worship of Kurtz as an exceptional being. Kurtz Kurtz is a Company employee of “unsound methods,” whom Marlow has been charged with retrieving from the depths of the Congo….
Heart of Darkness – Summary
“Heart of Darkness” begins with the “frame” narrator’s description of a group of men relaxing on a private yacht one evening. One of the men, Charlie Marlow, a sailor, commences to tell his friends a tale of one of his adventures as the captain of a steamboat going down the Congo River. The rest of…
Goodbye, Columbus – Analysis
”Goodbye, Columbus” is a coming-of-age story, in which the twenty-three-year-old protagonist, Neil Klugman, grapples with his sense of self, particularly in relation to his Jewish identity. The event that that precipitates this identity crisis is meeting Brenda Patimkin, with whom he has a relationship over the course of a summer. While Brenda and Neil are…
Goodbye, Columbus – Setting
Jewish Holidays Toward the end of the story, Neil and Brenda agree to spend the weekend of the Jewish holidays together. Specifically, it is during the Jewish High Holy Day of Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year and usually occurs in mid to late September. As the end of summer had indicated the…
Goodbye, Columbus – Literary Devices
Point of View and Narration This story is narrated from the first person restricted point of view. Neil Klugman is both the narrator and the protagonist and everything is portrayed from his perspective. This is effective because this is a story about identity and self-discovery; what is important is how Neil perceives himself and his…
Goodbye, Columbus – Themes
Love, Sex and Relationships The story centers around the development of Neil’s relationship with Brenda, from their first meeting to their final breakup. The first person narration portrays the relationship from Neil’s perspective, highlighting the class differences between the two of them. A significant element of their relationship is their sexual encounters, first in her…
Goodbye, Columbus – Characters
Carlota Carlotta is the Patimkin’s maid. That the Patimkins have a maid is an indication of their wealth. Harriet Ehrlich Harriet Ehrlich is the fiancee of Brenda’s brother Ron. Harriet arrives at the Patimkin household several days before the wedding. Neil describes her as ”a young lady singularly unconscious of a motive in others or…