Heart of Darkness 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.

In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad suggest that true human existence cannot prevail productively without the dynamics of society. Throughout numerous scenes in the novel, Conrad stresses the necessity of societal restraints through Kurtz’s inability to prosper as a human being when he is removed from the expectations of civilization. In the scene above, Marlow’s myopic observations of Kurtz reveals Conrad’s theme by illustrating the annihilation of Kurtz’s essential human characteristics as he descends into a barbaric lifestyle absent of the norms of society. Not only does the above scene support Conrad’s main theme, but it portrays his writing style, characterization of Marlow, and symbolism as used throughout the novel.

    Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is full of oppositions.  The most obvious is the juxtaposition of darkness and light, which are both present from the very beginning, in imagery and in metaphor.  The novella is a puzzling mixture of anti-imperialism and racism, civilization and savagery, idealism and nihilism.  How can they be reconciled?  The final scene, in which Marlow confronts Kurtz's Intended, might be expected to provide resolution.  However, it seems, instead, merely to focus the dilemmas in the book, rather than solving them.

Some critics believe that in Heart of Darkness Conrad illustrates how ‘’the darkness of the landscape can lead to the darkness of the social corruption.” This statement means that if the environment is dark, then the people in that environment will match the surrounding feeling, which is dark and depressing. For example, if it is a gloomy rainy day, most people feel tired and not as happy. If it is a bright sunny day, the most people feel motivated to get things done and joyful. Yes, this statement is believable because I have noticed that the weather, my surroundings, and even other people’s behaviors around me affect my mood. Today, for instance, it rained all day and the sky was dark, as a result I slept throughout the whole

In the story “Heart Of Darkness” The author Conrad uses many different contrast to form the theme of the story.Three things lead to the important meaning of the novel, They are the Europeans and the savages and the evil present in every man. All of the contrasts in this story add up to one idea, No one is safe from the darkness and no one is safe from there inner evil. When people are placed in an area where greed and hate fulfill their heart, darkness will live

"I looked around, and I don't know why, but I assure you that never, never before, did this land, this river, this jungle, the very arch of this blazing sky, appear to me so hopeless and so dark, so impenetrable to human thought, so pitiless to human weakness" (Conrad 4 ). Here, Conrad essentially shows the reader his point of view that seems to be clouded with darkness. Conrad sees the world as uncontrollable and something that will always be dark, plagued by the human inability to have a more positive outlook. This is a popular opinion among scholars: “The narrator comes to believe that light does not necessarily mean something is good and pure, but is merely a tool that helps pave the way to the path of darkness” (Teen Ink 1). Conrad uses juxtaposition between light and darkness to show his prevalent belief that darkness prevails more than light, and that human nature will always lead one towards the darkness in life. The sun can be seen to a plethora of people as a symbol of light and the morality of human nature, but ultimately, even the sun leaves to eventually venter into the darkness at the end of the

After two months from that day the steamer boat is repaired, therefore, Marlow left the creek to a bank below Kurtzś station. He began his endless voyage to the inner station, which is considered the ¨the heart of darkness¨. Marlow specifically pays close attention to the ¨impenetrable forest¨. Points out the silence of the forest, does not bring peace but rather so mysterious intentions. Also, contemplated on the Congo River as a representation of time and the further he went the more similar it seemed as if he was traveling backward in time. He descriptively inspected the jungle-a prehistoric world with revenge aspects.

Marlow is ecstatic; he is close to meeting the enigmatic Kurtz, of whom he has heard much praise. He and his companions arrived at the bank below Kurtz’s station, and Marlow observed that “There was no joy in the brilliance of sunshine. The long stretches of the waterway ran on, deserted, into the gloom of overshadowed distances” (Conrad 30). Throughout the story, Marlow has heard of Kurtz’s skill in procuring ivory and his strong character. Yet as he is faced with the reality of coming face to face with Kurtz, Marlow finds “no joy” in the sunshine, which he even uses “brilliance” to describe; wondrous sights no longer hold wonder. The “long stretches” of the river are seen, “deserted,” and they continue into “the gloom of overshadowed distances.” Marlow can see the path he must take, and it is filled with shadows; it is devoid of light. Marlow’s entire journey has been building to the moment when he reaches his destination, yet to reach it, he must travel through the darkness: the path to enlightenment. Marlow sees the stillness and rejects the “brilliance of sunlight,” rejecting also anything that would hinder his enlightenment. Light therefore does not represent illumination, as the path Marlow must travel to fulfill his physical and spiritual journey is shrouded in

     Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a story about a man named Marlow and his Journey into the African Congo. By reading the novel and understanding all the imagery Conrad has inserted, we can get a better understanding of the

Characters in a novel are normally not just static. They develop in myriad ways ranging from intelligence to physical characteristics. Charles Marlow from Heart of Darkness is one of these types of characters. Marlow’s development is not like most characters. His changes are not simple they are multidimensional. These changed qualities add up to create an overall sense of enlightenment. What exactly is Marlow’s enlightenment is something very hard to distinguish as there multiple definitions for enlightenment. However, Enlightenment can be best defined as a state in which one person becomes more knowledge or more spiritually aware that is greater than themselves. Therefore, it is possible to say that there many degrees in which a person is

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness” (Tutu). This quote by Desmond Tutu speaks about how, having hope can bring light that will break through the darkness. Throughout the history, humans have been shrouded in darkness, within the darkness, they cannot see the truth of what is happening in front of them. Furthermore, in his Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, the darkness comes out from within all the characters that Conrad has created. In Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, he uses the literary elements of symbolism, characterization, and setting to illustrate the them, when humans are surrounded by darkness it can be difficult for them to see the truth.

The Congo River is the largest river in western central Africa, which makes it one of the largest rivers in Africa, other than the Nile River. The river is one of the most important elements in the novel. The Congo allows the Europeans access into the deeper

Joseph Conrad published his novel, Heart of Darkness, in 1902, during the height of European Colonization in Africa. The novel follows Marlow, a sailor, on his journey deeper and deeper into the Congo on a mission to bring the mysterious ivory trader, Kurtz, back to “civilization”. Both the topic and language of the novel elicit debate over whether or not the text is inherently racist, and specifically, whether or not the novel supports certain historical texts from around the same time period. Around 1830, G.W.F Hegel published an essay entitled “The African Character.” Hegel’s essay illustrates racial essentialism, the idea that there are certain traits that are essential to the identity of one group, or race, Hegel presents what he deems

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.

In the book, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, all the characters are pulled into a well of black despair. Conrad uses the darkness of the situation contrasted to the light of society to show man’s dependence on western morals, and how when these morals are challenged by the darkness, the light crumbles under its newly weakened foundation. The contrast between light and dark is most stark in the themes of setting, the changes in Europeans as they drive farther into the Congo, and the white man’s collapse under the ultimate darkness of the Innermost Congo.