A Comparison of Heart of Darkness and The Secret Agent Essay

The novel, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, portrays a dark and somber theme throughout the entirety of the book. Even in the end, the darkness is still there. But even so, the end is difficult to understand. The ending is very vague on certain perspectives. Conrad intentionally does this, not to detract from the rest of the novel, but to sum the entirety of his main point up.

Conrad applies an apparently crystal clear literary narrative technique in the tradition of conventional realism, a narrative method that appears deceptively simple. The Secret Agent holds great deal of the social concerns. It is considered supreme masterpieces, it is a brilliantly depicting an ironic narrative of London's seedy and dispossessed underworld of revolutionist and anarchists.

In chapter 13 Conrad gets into an argument with his mother. Beth hears from Lazenby’s mother that Conrad quit the swim team. Beth is mad because he quit and didn’t tell them about it. Conrad says that he just spends his time at the library, Conrad is getting angry and says that he would have told them if he thought they cared. Then Conrad ends up telling Beth to go to hell. I can relate to Conrad in this chapter because of him getting in arguments with his parents because I seem to do it every now and then.

The stages of grief are demonstrated in Conrad’s relationships with his family and friends. Conrad has experienced depression and a suicide attempt in response to his brother’s death. At the beginning of the book, Conrad is going through the first stage of grief, which is shock and denial. Conrad’s father, Cal, worries about Conrad’s mental health and gives him the name of a therapist. However, Conrad does not call him. Cal believes that Conrad, “ ought to stick with the plan --’” (13) However, Conrad “can’t [because he] is swimming every night…[He doesn’t] need to see anybody. [He] feels fine’ (13). Conrad is uncomfortable talking about the death, and seeing a therapist would require him to talk. Conrad is afraid to feel his emotions. He thinks if he just avoids thinking about his brother’s death, he will be okay. The second

Conrad engages in silence and violence to attempt to avoid accepting his true feelings. The first example would be when he and his mother, Beth, are arguing about him quitting the swim team, and Conrad exits the room and goes upstairs. This is a classic example of withdrawing. Instead of facing the issue head on, he abandons the scene to become extremely reclusive. Conrad missed the opportunity of creating safety. He could have clarified his true intentions of quitting the swim team, but he let his emotions get in the way of clear and level-headed thinking. If he had stated

He has friends at school, an older brother to look up to, and parents who love each other. Recovering from this tragedy is the hardest on Conrad. He blames himself, making it harder and harder to make it through each day. Therefore, this leads to his failed suicide attempt. Waking up with the feeling of horror and defeat, he truly believes there is no other way out besides death. "They laughed when they read it and he laughs now, out loud. See? Haven't lost your sense of humor after all but your sense of identity is what seems to be misplaced. No wrong. You don't lose what you never had" (Guest 26). This quote displays man vs. self conflict due to Conrad's internal thoughts. Conrad's mind becomes manipulated into thinking his life is dull and meaningless. "She was right. He lied to her at lunch. He does not believe in himself to be innocent. It has to be his fault, because fault equals responsibility equals control equals eventual understanding. How things happened. Why they happened. So where is the fault? Is it in believing that the people you love are immortal? Untouchable?" (Guest 44). In this quote, Conrad feels alienated and guilty. He wonders why all of this tragedy and loneliness happens to him. He feels as though he is not living, but rather

Marlow’s evolution renders ‘Heart of Darkness’ a remarkable work of literature, but it is not simply the budding of the narrator’s mind that makes the novel sensational. Marlow’s perception of the voyage is what truly renders the work exceptional. European expansion, as written by European writers, was generally cast in a positive light. When Conrad depicts the desolation of the journey and reveals the sanities and lives robbed through the conquest, he clearly does not conform to the writers of his time. This exposure of European expansion in such a sinister a fashion was innovative for writers of the late 17th century. This revolutionary perception is what truly allows ‘Heart of Darkness’ to be considered a novel rich in moral and detail.

As a young man, Conrad grew up in a small mining community and heard family stories, of ancestors traveling and conquering the frontier. He was amazed by the tales and the hardships they faced. When he grew older

What makes Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness more than the run of the mill adventure tale, is its moral complexity. By the end of the novel, we find a protagonist who has immense appreciation for a man who lacks honest redemption, the mysterious Mr. Kurtz. It is the literal vivaciousness and unyielding spirit of this man, his pure intentionality, which Marlow finds so entrancing and which leaves the reader with larger questions regarding the human capacity. Therefore, Heart of Darkness is profoundly different given its character complexity and ambiguous narrative technique which ultimately deliver home a message of the complex motivations and capabilities of mankind.

According to The National Aviation Hall of Fame, in 1958, Conrad was rejected by NASA when he applied to be a part of "Project Mercury". Four years later, Conrad was chosen to train for "Project Gemini" and he resulted as the pilot of Gemini 5. I think it is interesting how his application was declined, but he continued to work hard and ended up becoming a very successful astronaut. Conrad was the pilot of Gemini 5, commander of Gemini 11, Apollo 12, Skylab 2, a consultant of the Hubble Space Telescope and the third person to walk on the moon. I hope to overcome obstacles and become successful, just like Conrad did.

The characteristics of Modernism are nowhere more prevalent than in his 1899 novel Heart of Darkness. It provides a bridge between Victorian values and the ideals of modernism. It is about a British seaman, Marlow, and his journey down the long River Congo into the darkness of Africa to meet up with and bring home his employer’s local representative, Kurtz. Heart of Darkness represents as well as any novel ever written the bleakness and cynicism that are characteristic of the Modernist movement. Conrad’s observations on the effects of European colonialism provided a full-scale view to the emergence of

Although, as a society, we discourage the process of not judging a book by its cover, we have all been guilty of doing it at some point. The first item we look at when we pick up a new book is the title and the cover as a whole. These are two key components when it comes to using our heuristics to decide if a book is worthwhile reading or not. With only two items to judge by, each has to hold significant importance in order to draw a reader into reading the novel. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad represents a mysterious title to draw readers into reading the novel, but hold a much more significant underlying meaning which represents many elements in the novel, while also symbolizing external concepts in the overall plot. The title represents many important elements such as the character of Mr. Kurtz and others, to the setting of Africa in the novel, and to the concept of the evil nature of imperialism outside of the novel. Through the title, Conrad has created significance for elements of the novel creating a very large impact on readers of the book.

Beyond the shield of civilization and into the depths of a primitive, untamed frontier lies the true face of the human soul. It is in the midst of this savagery and unrelenting danger that mankind confronts the brooding nature of his inner self.  Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, is the story of one man's insight into life as he embarks on a voyage to the edges of the world. Here, he meets the bitter, yet enlightening forces that eventually shape his outlook on life and his own individuality. Conrad’s portrayal of the characters, setting, and symbols, allow the reader to reflect on the true nature of man.

Joseph Conrad was born as Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski on December three 1857 in Berdichev, Ukraine to Polish parents. He was raised and educated in Poland. After his career is the seafarer in the French and British merchant Marines, he wrote short stories which he used his experiences in remote places and combined it with an interest in moral conflict and the dark side of human nature. He died on August 3, 1924 in England.

The usage of Marlow as narrator instead of Conrad himself became important due to Conrad’s anxiety to adopt an English point of view which had been denied to him largely. His self-consciousness as a Polish émigré and therefore an outsider reflected in his attempt at anglicising his name. Also well-known was his