Heart Of Darkness Essay

Submitted By CorgiMom77
Words: 710
Pages: 3
Open Document
“Heart of Darkness” written by Joseph Conrad is a tale of a man named Marlow who ventures into Africa. Having always had a yearning to explore this dark country, he takes us on his journey along the Congo River and through the trials and tribulations of imperialism in the late 19th century. Not only does Marlow get an insight to his own self but he learns how imperialism affects other people as well. From the beginning the work Darkness doesn’t just appear in the title but also in much of Marlow’s descriptions “the air was dark above Gravesend, it still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth” (Norton, 1633) giving the sense that he is embarking on deep gloomy trip. Marlow is deceiving in that the words he speaks gives a sense that he is in favor of imperialism by referencing men who ruled and controlled people and countries “the adventurers ad the settlers; kings’ ships and the ships of men on ‘Change; captains, admirals, etc.” (Norton 1635). With imperialism, war is often started and for reasons not worth fighting over. Take for instance the Captain for whose spot Marlow had taken. He had gotten in a “quarrel from a misunderstanding about some hens” (Norton, 1639) although once the kindest man he felt the need to defend himself and his self-respect. “Heart of Darkness” is an indication that imperialism was that of enslavement in your own country. You lose your sense of self and the norm is to be like and do as everyone else. Marlow is ignorant to the fact that people are all the same until he travels through this oppressed country. It was obvious from the time that he arrived at the Company station that there was no effort to make life sustainable and better in Africa. The people here were being treated like that of a slave. Houses and buildings were merely piles of rubble and people “mostly black and naked” (Norton, 1643) moved about. The people here were also losing their land and natural resources. A new rail system was being built however blasting of rocks and cliffs were being done for no reason. The “Heart of Darkness” shows that imperialism is not bad for the imperialist (Mr. Kurtz and Marlow) but the effect is on those who have been conquered (the Africans). The only positive spirits seemed to be that of the white men. The drunken white man he passed who was supposed to be supervising the improvement of the road, and his guide who was dropped by the black men had ordered Marlow to punish them show the aggressive behavior and authority over the African territory. While Marlow becomes
Show More

Related Documents: Heart Of Darkness Essay

Heart Of Darkness

Charlie Marlow’s adventure down the Congo River to Africa is essentially the entire plot of the Heart of Darkness. Marlow is telling this story on the boat to several other men of his adventure that took months. Charlie Marlow begins telling his story about traveling down the Congo to Africa as a sailor. After one of the company’s captains was killed by the natives, Marlow was hired onto a European trading company. Thus, Marlow began his trip to Africa. At Marlow’s first stop, he learns about the…

Words 491 - Pages 2

Essay on Heart of Darkness

107376 Mrs. Ingersoll English 12 AP 1 May 2013 Option Three The physical journey Joseph Conrad takes the reader in the Heart of Darkness contributes to the plot, but also parallels to a journey through Man’s inner self. The points in the physical journey in which Conrad uses to emphasize the plot are the small sailing craft, the steamboat, and the jungle. Conrad begins the journey with the narrator describing the setting of a small sailing craft. This point in the journey foreshadows…

Words 1410 - Pages 6

Heart of Darkness Essay

Guilt, disappointment and the fear behind Kurtz’s death Jordan Davis Mr. Allin ENG 4U March 3rd, 2012 Verbal statements may have multiple interpretations depending on one's perspective. In the novel, Heart of Darkness, Conrad makes the reader use his/her own knowledge to generate themes and emotions. Consistently, the theme of the horrific reality is mentioned throughout the novel. Joseph’s character, Kurtz, cries out, “The horror! The horror” (Conrad 86) during his last moments; however…

Words 1125 - Pages 5

Heart Of Darkness Quotes

Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlow comes to the Congo with great excitement to understand the great efforts done to civilize the Congo. Once he arrives, he is horrified by what he finds. He finds that darkness has taken over the colonists while in the Congo through their actions and in their minds. Their darkness and evil is a key theme in Heart of Darkness. Ultimately, Conrad parallels the theme of darkness with how it relates between civilization and the true savagery of the jungle. In Heart of Darkness…

Words 421 - Pages 2

Heart of Darkness Essay

The Visions of Light Vs Darkness When Joseph Conrad composed Heart of Darkness he created a literary masterpiece which embodied the essence of light contrasting with darkness. Throughout the novel Conrad constantly utilizes the images of light and dark and uses them to mold a vision, which the reader is then able to use to decipher the literal and metaphorical meanings of the novel. As Conrad said, " my task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word to make you hear, to…

Words 4403 - Pages 18

Women In Heart Of Darkness

Women in The Heart of Darkness To write a book when one has only learned english at the age of twenty is difficult for many to do; however, author Joseph Conrad contradicted this idea by writing a timeless, thought provoking piece of literature. Using his experience as a sailor during the time of imperialism, Conrad wrote a novel that goes beyond a normal adventure story. It became a novel that countless critics debated over on subjects such as women and the misogynistic culture that Conrad portrayed…

Words 1205 - Pages 5

Essay on Heart of Darkness

Who Had the Heart of Darkness? Thousands of scholars all throughout the twentieth century have weighed in on Joseph Conrad's infamous 1902 publication, Heart of Darkness. Confronting the devastating effects of the colonization of Africa, Conrad's novel takes it's European narrator, Marlow, through unspeakable darkness as the African jungles come alive and the colonization of the Continent's states unfolds. It's needless to say that Conrad's work remains legendary, but a great deal of its legend…

Words 1438 - Pages 6

Essay on Heart of Darkness

1. 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…

Words 1053 - Pages 5

Heart of Darkness Essay

Sir Parnell Stevenson HIST 344 Professor Curtis November 19, 2014 Heart of Darkness Paper The novel Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad has an overwhelming condemnation of imperialism. The beginning of the book describes the journey of Charles Marlow which takes him into the interior of the African continent and the fact that he was asked by the trading company to find Mr. Kurtz, who is the Inner Station Chief who is dominating the region as well as putting the natives of the Congo…

Words 1246 - Pages 5

The Heart of Darkness Essay

The Heart of Darkness In the Heart of Darkness I got lost, and no not in the reading. I got lost in general until I really started to read between the lines. The theme of this is story was one of the main things that didn’t make any sense to me until I got to the end and realized that it is a twisted mess of madness that comes from the imperialism in the story. This story is also made up of symbolism which is shown when the author writes about the rivers, frogs, and the woman. To me Joseph Conrad…

Words 1050 - Pages 5