Imperialism In Heart Of Darkness

Submitted By Dominic-Tringali

Words: 476

Pages: 2

Open Document

Dominic Tringali
Winkler
AP Lit
October 5, 2013
In the novel “The Heart of Darkness” one of the main themes can be seen as the madness as a result of imperialism. When the character Kurtz dies, his last words were recorded as “The horror! The horror!” There have been many interpretations to what Kurtz could have been referring to as the “horror.” Some say that Kurtz is talking about Europe’s imperialism of Africa as a whole, but the horror Kurtz is referring to was his actions toward the native people
What exactly is the horror that Kurtz is talking about, was it the judgment of his actions? There is no clear answer for this, but we all have our own interpretations. Mostly everyone else in the novel besides Marlow thinks Kurtz has the potential of greatness. In the eyes of others, Kurtz is a great musician, an amazing politician, or a wonderful humanitarian. All of those opinions contradict what Marlow thinks of Kurtz. In the beginning Marlow is disgusted with Kurtz character claiming that he is “mad”, then by the end he has some sort of respect for Kurtz.
Kurtz is one of many men sent into the jungle to rape the land and its people of its natural resources. Kurtz goes into the jungle and becomes obsessed with the people and the land. Though Kurtz has an obsession with ivory this is not the only reason for him to stay in the jungle. His power over the native people kept him in the jungle for so long. If you were given that much power of a population, how could you resist. Can you really blame Kurtz for letting the power get to his head. You may say yes now, but what if you were in that same situation you might think differently. Since you are not in his shoes, you are probably thinking that if anyone who could

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