Heart Of Darkness

In the beginning Marlow is a passionate yet occasional ignorant seaman searching the rivers of Central Africa for ivory in order to fulfil a childhood dream of adventuring the uncharted land on the maps. As the journey continues and unexpected events with the steamboat occur, unpredictable opportunities arise and the necessity to meet the wonderful Kurtz amplifies. With a new infatuation of Kurtz and his seemingly unthought of possible scenarios, Marlow met him and realized that he was not what he had imagined. In fact, he became displeased and bothered with how Kurtz thought of himself and others, along with how he treated men similar to him and the native Africans. Finally, towards the end of the novel, after Marlow experienced the unfortunate results of being deceived by Kurtz, he made the decision to lie to the Intended about his thoughts of him. When speaking to the fiancé, one may view that this is the only time where Marlow deliberately lied and deceived another; however, they are incorrect. Even though he was adamant about making sure others knew his beliefs about lying, there were minor incidents where he went against his word. Such as the time he pressured the Brickmaker about the rivets. Each event in the Heart of Darkness

He was once optimistic and innocent, now he believes men are meant to travel life alone, and so therefore you must die alone. This comes from the way he found Kurtz in the jungle a man with immense power, but no one to go enjoy with, except the power he makes for himself. Kurtz feels that being a living thing in the jungle is holding him away from civilization. “‘But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself, and, by heavens! I tell you, it had gone mad. I had—for my sins, I suppose—to go through the ordeal of looking into it myself”"(Conrad 140). The Heart of Darkness and “The Hollow Men “differ in that Kurtz was considered strong and independent for going after what he dreamed of alone in the novella, but in the poem he was thought to be only an “empty

As almost any child knows, darkness symbolizes the unknown; it gains its power from its ability to conceal things we are too frightened to face.  Numerous times in the novel Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad, we see characters afraid, not of the darkness itself, but of what potentially lies within it. Marlow's tale begins and ends in literal darkness; the setting of the novel is often dark, such as when the steamboat is enclosed by fog or when Marlow retrieves Kurtz; dark-skinned individuals inhabit the entire region; and, of course, there is a certain metaphysical darkness that pervades the work. Darkness operates in several ways through out the entire novel.

Heart of Darkness allows the reader to gain a sense of everything that is wrong with imperialism and why it should be ended. The narrator is part of the imperialist group that he condemns, which makes his views seem more authentic and balanced. Clearly, there is something wrong with the goals of imperialism if the imperials themselves are against it. Conrad also uses extremely dehumanizing descriptions of the native Africans and the women in the novella to make a point. To the reader this exposes the cruelty and unjustness of such portrayals and makes the point that this treatment of other groups is not acceptable. The novella can be seen as promoting change by showing the immorality of the problems it describes, which were commonplace at the time of its writing. A modern work that uses dehumanization to show the need for change is the collection of short stories, The Woman Warrior.

Joseph Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness, is a fictional novel based on one of his actual sea adventures. An unnamed narrator, as well as four other men is aboard on a boat on the Nellie River, listening to the stories that are being told from the unnamed narrator and Charlie Marlow. Charlie Marlow, one of the main characters is narrating his story inside this frame story. The name Krutz is often brought up. He does not say much, but he revolves around most characters in the story. Marlow or Krutz could both be argued that one of them could be the main character. One cannot possibly exist in the story without the other.

In Joseph Conrad’s famous novella Heart of Darkness, Conrad’s characterization of his alter ego Charlie Marlow is a mere mirror reflection of Conrad’s psychological, dynamic development during the course of his nautical experience at sea in the “beastly, beastly dark” Congo Free State. The Polish born English novelist, christened Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in 1857, driven by his passions to “follow the sea” received his first command—as an official British citizen and certified sea master—in the year 1888. In 1890, he “took a steamboat up the Congo River in nightmarish circumstances that permanently afflicted his health and imagination”—an experience, which is, reflected in his fictional account Heart of Darkness (Greenblatt 2404). Conrad’s

For example, Kurtz basically makes a complete turn from his all natural self which is clearly seen through his last words, “The horror! The horror!”(Conrad 64). This shows that Kurtz’s animal-like behavior and qualities had drifted away with the river as they returned to civilization. Because if this, his desires of the flesh had left him feeling how Marlow describes as say, “I think it had whispered to him things about himself which he did not know, things of which had no conception till he took counsel with this great solitude-and the whisper proved irresistibly fascinating. It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core”(Conrad 53). Not only does this quote give the reader an intricate view of Kurtz and his nature, but it also is directly attached to who Marlow had become. The same qualities Marlow saw Kurtz be consumed with were the ones he had begun to thrive on. Because of this, he too was slowly evolving his moral standards, and dismissing his humanity the farther he went into the heart of darkness, or the Congo. In conclusion, character development is a key concept Conrad uses to make a clear example of what an evaporating conscience looks like, the affect it has on the characters, and the importance of

   Kurtz's character is fully facet (in Conrad's Heart of Darkness), not because of his conventional roll of antagonist, but for his roll in a historical fiction as a character with important roll in society, influenced by those close to him. Kurtz makes some key developments in the way he interacts with others, in large part due to the words and actions of society and Kurtz's acquaintances.

Referring to the biblical snake that is related to the devil. Also, if Marlow is beginning his journey at the head and heading towards the tail, he is beginning a journey into the depths of Hell or the heart of darkness. There is also an allusion to Dante’s inferno when Marlow begins his journey to Brussels. He describes the buildings as white sepulchres, which has the connotation of death. Death, of course, goes hand in hand with hell. When Marlow reaches his meeting place with the company he sees two women knitting with black wool. This weaving of fate is a direct relation to the fates described in mythology in the description of Hell. As Marlow captains his steamboat, he is portrayed as Charion who delivers spirits to Hades. There are also a few character descriptions that could be references to Hell. For example, Kurtz’ is described as, “a vapour exhaled by the earth… misty and silent” (Conrad 119). These references to Hell add to the tone of the work. Marlow and his crew of cannibals are not merely taking a leisurely trip to see a man named Kurtz, but rather they are descending into the far reaching depths of Hell. This relates to the theme of this novella, which is the absurdity of evil. Marlow is having to choose between the lesser of two evil between The Company and Kurtz. Not only is Marlow traveling through hell, but he is also taking a trip through time as well. How might this be connected to some of the themes of the

The point of view taken by Marlow in the novella shows what people were like at the time the story takes place. How, even when sympathetic towards a different race, he is still unable to see

Joseph Conrad’s novella The Heart of Darkness has been under controversy because of racial interpretations. The race factor in this novel has made some scholars and professors question the function the novella has in the classroom. However, Joseph Conrad had another view when writing the novel; to demonstrate how prejudice and dehumanizing the European culture is towards African Americans and their culture during this time period. European’s superior authority over African Americans is portrayed through the background of the text, use of the language and the opinion’s on vermilicitude. The novella focuses on the negative aspect of the European culture, not the African culture and therefore should be in taught in school.

Marlow is the protagonist in the Heart of Darkness. He is depicted as independent-minded, idealistic, and skeptical about the people around him. Marlow is the narrative teller in the Heart of Darkness who uses his skills to be able to draw the audience to his tale. Marlow tells of his experience and the European prejudices he encountered around the world and this had has made skeptical about imperialism. Marlow has been defeated by the world, and this makes him weary, cynical, and skeptical about everything. Marlow tells the story of Kurtz, and is portrayed by the author as a frequent story teller because he narrates in the majority of the book.

     In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad presents the character of Kurtz as a man who is seen differently by all who know him depending on their individual experiences with him. His cousin knew him as a man with great musical talent, others knew him as a great leader, and his “Intended” fiance knew him as an admirable humanitarian; but all of these knew him to be a remarkable genius. When the narrator, Marlow, first hears of him, he is told that Kurtz is known as a great leader destined to hold high positions and fame. However, as he travels the river, he also learns that Kurtz has become insane during his time in the African jungle. After Marlow finally comes into contact with him, he discovers that Kurtz has

Joseph Conrad’s poetic, psychological thriller, “Heart of Darkness” presents a mysterious, enigmatic man who has an unfathomable amount of power and influence on the people around him. But during his relentless pursuit in his ideals, Kernel Kurtz has been pushed to the brink of insanity. This was the result of the uncalmable storm that was brewing inside Kurtz when he is presented a choice for his future. One part of Kurtz wants to carry out his metaphoric ideas and stay in the foreign lands of Africa, being a leader that everyone praises. The other part wants to return to Europe and run as far away as possible. This resulted in Kurtz being trapped and held captive to his own mind, exemplified by Kurtz being physically stuck in the jungle and refusing to leave because of his dilemma. Additionally, there is a reason why the savages are enforcing Kurtz’s stay – they are his prison guards. From the perspective of Jung, Kurtz has illuminated his unconscious darkness and incorporated it into the self, from this enlightenment Kurtz has liberated himself from the rest of the ivory traders - leading a post that “Sends in as much ivory as all the others put together” (Conrad 24); as a result, a new shadow stirs within Kurtz. In Jungian psychology the goal for any individual is to realize one’s true meaning of life, incorporating all one’s life

He witnesses the heart of darkness. The absolutely corrupted evil mind by greed and thirst for power. Kurtz has become an insane godlike slaver and leader in a native African tribe. He developed extremely high level of self importance and as the result he disconnected with the world and reality. Although, Kurtz started out like Marlow, as noble conqueror. However, there was nobody to check on him, he had no supervisor and as Marlow often said - Kurtz could not restrain himself from the temptation. He entered a state of mind where had no borders anymore, slaying down other tribes and killing for wealth without showing any kind of remorse. For him it became normal or even natural. Kurtz's godlike side also prevails where he claims around him