heart of darkness 3
The framing narrative of Heart of Darkness is presented by an unnamed, undefined speaker, who is one of a group of men, former sailors, now professionals, probably middle-aged, on the deck of a yacht at the mouth of the Thames River, London England. The time is probably contemporary with the writing and publication of the novel, so around the turn of the 20th century. One among the group, Charlie Marlow, a mysterious figure who is still a sailor, tells the story of something that happened to him several years before, when he drove a steamboat up a river in Africa to locate an agent for a Belgian company involved in the promising ivory trade. Most of the novel is Marlow's narration, although Conrad sometimes brings us back to the yacht and ends the novel there. Also, as in Wuthering Heights, the technique of a framing narrative brings up questions of memory: how a story is reliable when related by someone many years after the fact, then reported by someone else.The structure of Heart of Darkness is much like that of the Russian nesting dolls, where you open each doll, and there is another doll inside. Much of the meaning in Heart of Darkness is found not in the center of the book, the heart of A
Marlow and Kurtz are two opposite examples of the human condition. Kurtz represents what every man will become if left to his own intrinsic desires without a protective, civilized environment. Marlow represents the civilized soul that has not been drawn back into savagery by a dark, alienated jungle. The book implies that every man has a heart of darkness that is usually drowned out by the light of civilization. However, when removed from civilized society, the raw evil of within his soul will be released. The underlying theme of Heart of Darkness is that civilization is superficial. The level of civilization is related to the physical and moral environment they are presently in. It is a much less stable or state than society may think. Marlow, thirty-two years old, has always "followed the sea", as the novel puts it. His voyage up the Congo river, however, is his first experience in freshwater travel. Conrad uses Marlow as a narrator in order to enter the story himself and tell it out of his own philosophical mind. When Marlow arrives at the station he is shocked and disgusted by the sight of wasted human life and ruined supplies . The manager's senseless cruelty and foolishness overwhelm him with anger and disgust. He longs to see Kurtz- a fabulously successful ivory agent and hated by the company manager. More and more, Marlow turns away from the white people (because of their ruthless brutality) and to the dark jungle (a symbol of reality and truth). He begins to identify more and more with Kurtz- long before he even sees him or talks to him. The wilderness is not a person as such, but rather an omnipotent force that continually watches the invasion of the white man. The activities of the white people are viewed throughout the book as insane and pointless. They spend their time searching for ivory or fighting against each other for position and status within their own environment. Marlow comments: "The word 'ivory' rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it . . . I've never seen anything so unreal in my life" In contrast, the wilderness appears immovable, and threatening. During Marlow's stay at the Central Station, he describes the surrounding wilderness as a "rioting invasion of soundless life, a rolling wave of plants, piled up, crested, ready to . . . sweep every little man of us out of his little existence" It is difficult to say, however, what the intentions of the wilderness actually are. We see the wilderness entirely through Marlow's eyes, and it remains always an open question. It is "an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention" . The degradation of Kurtz has implications for more than just himself. It also comments on hum
Some common words found in the essay are:
Heart Darkness, Kurtz Marlow, Consider Marlow's, Central Station, Marlow Kurtz, Conrad Marlow, Stanley Falls, Brussels Marlow, Charlie Marlow, Wuthering Heights, heart darkness, kurtz marlow, marlow kurtz, joseph conrad's heart, conrad's heart darkness, wilderness brings, book implies, savagery wilderness, character story, meaning heart darkness, darkness civilization, heart darkness civilization, white people, theme heart darkness, theme heart,
Approximate Word count = 1831
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
