Heart of Darkness 4
Every man, or woman --to be politically and socially acceptable-- has buried, within himself, beneath centuries of societal norms and restrictions, a dark side, a savage side. When a man is taken out of society, and left to create his own norms, he must rediscover those primordial instincts which have sustained his species since the beginning of its existence. Survival of the fittest, physically and intellectually, cliqued as it may be, is the foundation of these archaic yet prevalent instincts. Persons who dominate one or many through mental or physical prowess develop a sense of superiority. This feeling, if fostered by the environment, and intensified to the extreme, produces a sense of having god-like powers. A man believing himself to be a or the God is seen, by the society from which he was taken out of, as a monster. Since monsters can not be allowed to roam the civilized world, someone must be sent to destroy it. To find the monster, the person selected must take the same path as the monster. This path is a journey into one's own mind, soul, or true-self. The person on this path will never see evil so singularly personified as in the face looking back at him. In taking this path, the person runs the risk of becoming the
darkness, symbolizing the savage part of man, and foreshadowing death; ". . .into the depths of darkness. . ." (29). The readers are first introduced to the protagonist, Marlow, as he is being commissioned --by the "Company"-- to hunt down the monster, Kurtz, who is considered by some to be the main character. Marlow, a boat captain, almost nomadic in his need to travel, is also a man of simple morals, simple to the point of religious, the most prevalent commandment seen in his character is "thou shall not lie." Marlow, after spending a little time in London, embarks on his journey. The purpose of this journey is to find Kurtz, a man who is also employed by the "Company" --which is in the ivory business, and has its greedy hand spread over Africa like a malignant tumor (Gatten). Having lost control of Kurtz, the "Company" choose to relieve him of his post and had, before Marlow, already employed another man --who eventually joined Kurtz-- to retrieve him. With hopes of a successful recovery, of both the monster and the ivory which he guards, Marlow makes the journey down the Congo, which is never named as such, into the heart of Africa --the heart of darkness. Darkness, meaning literally, a country where the inhabitants are themselves dark. Darkness, meaning symbolically, the savage part of a man's soul. that soul satiated with primitive emotions. . ." (116). The war between good and evil Of the many techniques used in this novella, archetype, symbolism, and foreshadowing are the most predominant. The first technique, archetype, being the age old battle between good and evil, is see from beginning to end --on every page. The second and third techniques, symbolism and foreshadowing use similar descriptions of myriad objects and ideas: the river --the serpent-- with its colors and actions; ". . .a mighty big The readers, reaching the midpoint of the story, find Marlow encountering one delay after another. Months of delays force him to observe his environment and the mentality of the people who surround him, both foreign and domestic. Marlow realizes that Kurtz is entrenched within a society which has few rules. Of these few rules, which direct the savage African society surrounding him, Kurtz is the creator and enforcer of the majority. Unrestricted by society, human nature is left to itself in its purest form. Kurtz, a far superior being mentally than the savages who surround him, suffers from a god-complex. With this mental disorder in full effect, he is left unopposed to claim his position because he was hollow at the core. . ." (98). After his death, Marlow ponders the monster's last words, whispered on a breath, knowing the truth of the words; ". . .it was a victory" (120). Even after death, his loyalty to
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1850
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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