Postcolonialism in Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness

          Postcolonial theory is a method used to dissect the cultural legacies of colonialism and imperialism in order to explain human experiences. Postcolonial theory suggests that according to colonialist ideology, the colonizers were civilized; the colonized were savages. Because their technology was more highly advanced, the colonizers believed that their entire culture was more highly advanced. This theme is thoroughly played out in Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness. Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness take place on the Nung river in Vietnam and on the Congo river in Africa respectively. The Westerners with sophisticated technology choose to fight the Viet Cong or to colonize the Africans. The people always think highly of themselves and refer to the native people as “savages” or “primitives” and see them as exotic creatures who have no idea of civilization and for whom education, school, and medicine have no value. The natives are usually depicted as almost naked. On the other hand, the Westerners are always neatly dressed with uniform. The natives are not given proper language or a voice but grunts and dialects; whereas, the Westerners always speak elegantly. These depictions of the Westerners versus the natives reveal how the colonizers regard themselves as more civilized; hence, “better” than the natives. Native people are at the bottom of a society status system in the colonizers’ eyes. The film and the book represent indigenous people as incapable of progress and development. Those depictions are used as an excuse by the colonizers to justify their treatments toward the native inhabitants. Postcolonialism still echoes in modern society and it will probably take a while for people to realize that being different does not mean being inferior or less intelligent. Every country has its culture and that is the beauty of it. People should embrace their uniqueness and respect that of others.