Compare Themes of Heart of Darkness and Tess of the D'Urbervilles

A nation of tortured slaves with bodies so emaciated one could count the ribs, death lingering in every corner as overworked natives line the ground with their lifeless forms, a people so scarred that evil men are allowed to rule as gods. Unfortunately, the gruesome description reigns true for African tribes that fell victim to the cruelty of colonialism. Pointing out the abhorrent evils of the imperial tradition, Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness to expose the possibility of malevolence in a human being. Throughout the novella, Conrad illustrates sickening images of the horrendous effects of colonizing African tribes while incorporating themes such as a reversal of black and white imagery, the “fascination of the abomination”, and the

The selfishness from the crowd prevents themselves from assisting Tessie in her distress, realizing that helping Tessie would put their lives at risk. For example, if the audience was unselfish, they would’ve helped Tessie and the Hutchinsons were allowed to draw a different slip, then that would put them at risk of death when they were safe before because their family member could draw the marked slip. The crowd stayed quiet so that they would stay safe. Jackson states, “The crowd was quiet… the sound of the whisper reached the edges of the crowd.” If staying quiet means safety to the crowd, then the crowd would definitely stay silent. The two women’s selfishness was so strong that they even went against Tessie to keep themselves alive. Jackson adds,“ ‘Be a good sport, Tessie.’ Mrs. Delacroix called, and Mrs. Graves said, ‘All of us took the same chance.’ ” Jackson adding this reveals how Mrs. Delacroix and Mrs. Graves are selfish enough to completely eliminate their chances of death by guaranteeing someone else’s family member to death, which in this case, was guaranteeing one of the Hutchinsons to death.

A trait that stands out in the book is the symptom of bodily memories. In Melinda’s case, during a frog dissection in her science class, she remembers the opening up and even says, “She doesn’t say a word. She is already dead. A scream starts in my gut – I can feel the cut, smell the dirt, feel the leaves in my hair.” (81). One of the other symptoms that Melinda has is self-harm. The first time that this is shown in the book, Melinda says this, “I open up a paper clip and scratch it across the inside of my left wrist. Pitiful. If a suicide attempt is a cry for help, then what is this? A whimper, a peep?” (87). Melinda also has a hard time talking to her parents about the rape to which she says, “How can I talk to them about that night? How can I start?” (72). Some victims recover from such a traumatic experience, while others don’t and live a lifetime of depression and must undergo intense therapy. In Melinda’s case, she finds redemption by talking to her parents and the guidance counselor, and putting her faith into her teachers, friends, and her art project at school. Because rape can affect anybody anywhere, everyone should be aware of the circumstances, and how to deal with it.

In the novel Legend, by Marie Lu, Tess has always been an optimistic and caring friend to Day. When Day was about two years into his life as a street boy, he found Tess, an orphan. After breaking into the hospital, Tess tends his wounds. “She’d needed my help so much in the early years that sometimes I forget how much I rely on her,” pg 55. This shows just how much Tess cares for Day, sending taking the time to care for his wounds. Furthermore, Tess, being like a younger sister to Day, doesn’t desire to become another burden for him to carry. “I’ve dropped it off... along with our gift bundle,” pg 52. In this situation, even though Day was out cold for two days, she managed to find shelter, drop off the stolen pain suppressants, and manage to care for for his injuries as well. Lastly, another example of Tess expressing her kindness and optimism, was after a ‘government official’ otherwise known as June, told him he would never be able to buy a plague cure with the limited amount of Republic notes he had. “You still have time...we’ll find the plague medicine before then, I’m sure of it,”pg 82. This shows another side of her optimistic personality, despite their situation. Overall Tess’s friendship is priceless.

Joseph Conrad 's Heart of Darkness is both a dramatic tale of an arduous trek into the Belgian Congo at the turn of the twentieth century and a symbolic journey into the deepest recesses of human nature. On a literal level, through Marlow 's narration, Conrad provides a searing indictment of European colonial exploitation inflicted upon African natives. By employing several allegoric symbols this account depicts the futility of the European presence in Africa.

It is arguable that Tess’ passive nature renders her responsible for her suffering. Tess is ‘asleep at almost every important part of the plot, for example when Prince is impaled when she rides in place of her father . This mistake foreshadows later events between Tess and Alec. When Alec seduces, or rapes Tess, Hardy writes that ‘his cheek was upon hers. She was sleeping soundly’. Tess is acted upon, and does nothing herself. Tess’ lack of aggresion is further shown in her relationship with Angel. When Angel embraces her, and she is said to have ‘yielded to his embrace’, Tess allows herself to be loved opening herself to Angels hidden crueltys. Tess essentially sells herself to Angel saying: “you know best what my punishment should be” . There

Tess also struggles between the proper course and her own desires. She was born poor and, as a woman in a rigid social hierarchy, is expected to remain poor. Her heart, however, chooses to reject normal conventions as Tess falls madly in love with the wealthy Angel Clare. Angel himself has broken away from orthodoxy and, rather than being repulsed by her lowly status, becomes enamored by Tess’s beauty and humble charm. Unfortunately, the couple finds their love is not enough as the relationship is at the mercy of Angel’s parents’ opinion. As influential members of the

She uses her strength to change the meaning of her sin, and questions the hypocritical morals of the townspeople. At the beginning of the novel, she determines that she must carry her burden forward and her strength is the only thing that sustains her. " But this had been a sin of passion, not of principle, nor even purpose." Chapter XVIII, 'A Flood of Sunshine’. In Chapter

Although the controversy-inducing novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad displays strong tones of racism and dehumanization of an entire race, it is a story that forces readers to alter their perspectives on the beliefs and preconceived norms of society. Referred to as a ‘minor work’ by critics of his time, by the 1960’s, Conrad’s novella had risen to become a standard reading in many high schools and colleges. Many modern critics, including Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe and American literary critic J. Hillis Miller, have regarded this novel as either deserving of close intellectual reading or a novel that should not even be read at all. Heart of Darkness should be taught in the 21st century, as a part of the Western literary canon, not

The heart of darkness is a novella written by joseph Conrad that depicts the way many of the British imperialists dealt with the natives, how wealth and fortune triumphs over compassion and morality. Conrad’s work contains many forms of evidence proving the point that Conrad might have had some negatively charged racial views. In the novella Heart of Darkness Conrad uses the character of Marlow to express his views on the topic of racism. Conrad’s childhood shaped him for the rest of his life showing that it might have had some negative impacts on him. The views expressed were common for the time period.

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Toni Morrison’s Beloved chronicle tragic journeys of the self and soul. Heart of Darkness explores one man’s quest into the Heart of Darkness, where he uncovers the truth of human nature. Mr. Kurtz, a remarkable man who represents all of Europe, deteriorates into a beast after being isolated from the rest of society in the depths of the jungle. Beloved comments on the atrocities of slavery and the perpetual dehumanization of black people. Sethe, an escaped slave, slits her daughter’s throat to save her from a life of slavery. Sethe’s resolve renders her an animal in that moment. Both Mr. Kurtz and Sethe are forced to grapple with this fundamental truth of humanity, that a jungle resides within the souls

Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, effectively exposed the racism that was common during his lifetime. Through the harsh behavior and word choice of the characters and narrator, Conrad displays the uncivilized treatment of nonwhites that occurred during the period of colonization. Edward Garnett, an English writer and critic, summarized the plot of Heart of Darkness as being “an impression… of the civilizing methods of a certain great European Trading Company face to face with the “nigger” (145 Heart of darkness backgrounds and Criticisms). Conrad use of harsh language and terrifying situations, which were based off of his own experiences, capture the audience’s attention and helps them see the cruelty of the European

Tess D’Urberville, the protagonist of Tess of the D’Urbervilles, must ask herself this very important question as she navigates the complexity of her life. Although she must provide for her family by running errands, taking care of her younger siblings, and managing her unruly parents Tess is a product of her culture. She is unintentionally passive in dire situations – such as when she drifted into a reverie and killed the family horse, or when fell asleep and was raped. Tess is also a symbol of purity, innocence and fertility like many other women of the time. Although social stigmas and her immoral social status are hindering, Tess’s burdensome past is the problem that truly prevents her from escaping her fate and developing a sense of

As a result of this, the people she needs forgiveness from aren’t her neighbors or the general public, but are rather Howard, Bulgar, and most importantly, Beloved herself. Despite sinning against society and everything motherhood should stand for, the most atrocious sin she committed was against her own children, which is why their forgiveness is the only one that truly matters. Furthermore, while certainly not being noble or courageous, Sethe’s actions are indeed maternalistic—she chose to kill her children because it was the only way she felt she could protect them from the schoolteacher. In her argument with Paul D, Sethe contends that, as a mother, “It’s my job to know what is and to keep them away from what I know is terrible” (Morrison 194), and she did just that. Sethe knew exactly what was in store for her children if they were to fall into the clutches of the schoolteacher, so, as their mother, she protected them from it because it was her duty as their mother to do so. However, in addition to being maternalistic, it can also be argued that Sethe’s actions were instinctual and were not as planned out as they should have been, therefore coming across as rather animalistic and barbaric. As

Written in 1899, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad conveys a story of European colonization along the Congo River in Africa. Although his work lacks central female characters, some of those mentioned hold great influence in society and the power to predict the future. Despite these abilities, women are still largely ignored by the men in their midst. Conversely, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart features a multitude of female figures, including oracles and priestesses, but much like Heart of Darkness, the majority of women in his work are belittled and viewed as unimportant. These two authors both showcase sexism in their works, as they promote stigmas surrounding females and a sense of male superiority that leads men to treat women as inferior. While the writers of Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart highlight the values certain females possess, they chose to depict sexist societies in which women are viewed as largely irrelevant and impotent.