Theme Of Ambiguity In Heart Of Darkness

In relevance to _____, another idea explored in Heart of Darkness is the ambiguity of human nature. Ambiguity itself is defined as the unclearness or indefinite aspect of something, and an individual’s way of being is certainly a mysterious concept with countless blurry lines. In Joseph Conrad’s novella, the vagueness of human behavior is displayed when Marlow visits the company’s doctor before departing on his voyage into the Congo. At his appointment, which was described as “a simple formality” (Conrad, 15) by the secretary of the office, the medic asks Marlow if he can measure the size of his cranium after having completed the basic check-up. Although Marlow is a bit taken aback by this odd request, he agrees and allows the doctor to …show more content…
This shows doctor cannot resist speculating about how the jungle environment of the Congo can affect the mental health of those individuals who go out there. The whole situation ties back into the ambiguity of human nature because although this sort of research and examination is not part of the doctor’s job description, he makes it seem as if it 's valid due to his beliefs that every doctor should be somewhat interested in the human …show more content…
Isolation and alienation are described as being affected with the feeling of loneliness and diverting from the majority, respectively. There are many signs of how the characters in the novella are isolated/alienated; but the one who was most affected by this was Kurtz. Once Kurtz begins his journey and stay in the Congo, he slowly began to isolate himself from the rest of civilization. What lead Kurtz to his alienation was the environment he was in. His alienation is different from Marlow’s. Kurtz envelops himself in the newly found wealth and power he gained as he collected ivory. Because he became a Godlike image in the eyes of the natives, he began to be impacted by the vicious lifestyle the natives lead. He isolates himself from any normal category into his