Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad is dramatic tale of an arduous trek into the darkest part of Africa at the turn of the twentieth century. The story follows the protagonist Marlow, an English marine merchant, as he travels through the African jungle up the Congo river in search for a mysterious man named Kurtz. Through Marlow's narration, Conrad provides a searing indictment of European colonial exploitation inflicted upon African natives. Through his use of irony, characters, and symbolism in the novel, Conrad aims to unveil the underlying horrors of colonialism. By shedding light on the brutality of colonialism in Heart of Darkness, Conrad shows that European values have been irrevocably eclipsed by darkness.

Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, was written in 1899, near the end of the imperialism of Africa. Far from European civilization, the imperialists are without rules and ransacking Africa in search ivory and glory. One of the most significant themes in Heart of Darkness is the psychological issues catalyzed by the lawlessness of the jungle. Due to the breakdown of societal convention, the characters of Heart of Darkness are exposed to not only the corruption of imperialism, but the sickness of their minds.

Written in the late 1800’s, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a novella about one man’s travel into the Congo Free State by way of the Congo River. The title “Heart of Darkness” actually holds two different meanings. Heart of Darkness is both a metaphor for a psychological “dark side” of man, and an allusion to Africa. The title suggests both a physical and mental reference.

Edward Said, author of “Two Visions in the Heart of Darkness”, provides commentary on the work of Conrad exclaiming that Conrad provided readers a sense of humanity to the inhumane treatments regarding colonization by European powers. Said understands that the primary theme of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness lies in the dissonance of culture and purpose of these African citizens as a result of imperialism.

Throughout the brilliant novel, Conrad

   Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is, as Edward Said states a story about European "acts of imperial mastery" (1503)-its methods, and the effects it has on human nature. Furthermore I hold the presumption that Conrad incorporates much of his own experience in the Congo and his opinions about imperialism. Another recent critic also suggests: "he seems to approve of Marlow," the narrator (Achebe 1492). These revelations of the author are conveyed to the reader through Marlow's observations, descriptions, reactions, and statements.

     Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a novel about a man named Marlow and his journey into the depths of the African Congo. Marlow is in search of a man named Kurtz, an ivory trader. Though Marlow?s physical journey seems rather simple, it takes him further into his own heart and soul than into the Congo. The setting, symbols and characters each contain light and dark images, these images shape the central theme of the novel.

Joseph Conrad was a very influential writer during the 19th century. Conrad was of Polish decent; however, he was granted rights as a legal British citizen even though he did not speak fluent English until his twenties. Conrad was also a sailor experiencing many different voyages, which changed his outlook on life. One example of a voyage that changed Conrad's outlook on life was visiting the Congo, and witnessing the horrors of slavery. According to Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, “ Conrad’s life at sea and in foreign ports furnished the background for much of his writing “ . I find Joseph Conrad to be interesting because his writing was very anti-heroic, dark, and inspired by his real life experiences.

In Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, he tells the story of an adventure from Europe to Africa during the 1800’s. The narrator, Marlow, tells the majority of the story and all about his adventures while traveling to the Congo River. Many critics have commented on the novella since it was published in 1899, stating that Conrad was a racist, but there are many other things also wrong with the way he writes the short story. Despite the fact that the novella was written during a time period when only upper-class white males had rights, Heart of Darkness emphasizes the differences in races and sexes. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is filled with many male characters and very few women.

Born December third, 1857 in Berdichev, Ukraine, Joseph Conrad was a part of the noble Polish class. His parents, Apollo and Evelina Korzeniowski, were polish patriots who colluded against oppressive russian rule; consequently, they were apprehended and sent to live in the russian province of Vologda with the only four-year-old joseph. Conrad’s parents would die several years later, leaving him to be raised by an uncle in Poland. After receiving private school in Krakow, the now sixteen-year-old Conrad left Poland and traveled to the port city of Marseilles, France, where he began his years as a mariner.

Though they are seen as savages, they are actually a representation of all the cruelty in the world and Conrad is trying to pull emotion from the reader into sympathizing with the Africans and making the reader feel bad for them. Conrad is not trying to be derogatory towards the Africans. This novel was written in 1899. In this time period, this is just how the Europeans refer to the Africans. In Peter Mwikisa criticism of Heart of Darkness he explained that conrads depiction of the natives in Africa is a “delineation of the virtues that Europeans need to cultivate in order to justify extending their civilization and culture to other parts of the world.”

Joseph Conrad the writer of “The Heart of Darkness” (1899) describes as his own narrator of thoughts, the expedition and imperialism ideology that leads him through the Congo. Conrad has just taken a short ride up river to his company’s station. He was taken up by a Swede, who warned him about fellow men hanging themselves. The environment was new to Conrad, it’s noted as he observes the hills, rocky enclosures, and the naked African-Americans walking about. The specific texts begins, as Conrad’s curiosity of his new station, leads him up a hill. The books describes the new landscape to be close to rapids, the author, who is Conrad narrating her own thoughts, makes the noise and clustered groove to add confusion and unfamiliarity.

As a young boy, Conrad had a passionate desire to travel the sea; this desire was then conceded by his Uncle who took care of him when his parents died. When Conrad was around the age nine years old, he set in his mind that when he grew up he would go to Africa, the place where he once placed his finger upon on a blank space on a map that had an unsolved mystery. The main character, Marlow, is used in Heart of Darkness to reflect upon Conrad himself and his journey to the Congo in 1890. This novel, as well as the all of the others he has written, is filled with dark and gloomy encounters with

Heart of Darkness is written by Joseph Conrad and published in 1899. It is a novella written in the early modernism literary period.

It has been said that although Conrad may not have been 'the greatest novelist, he was certainly the greatest artist every to write a novel';. I feel that this is an apt description of Conrad's writing style in Heart of Darkness (1902), as he paints many verbal pictures by using expressive words and many figurative descriptions of places and people. An extensive use of words relating to colour, is evident throughout the novella. The idea of darkness (and light) is emphasized from the title of the novella, and continues to play an important role throughout in the story .