Throughout Heart of Darkness, there are several references to blindness, darkness, and light. When literal blindness, darkness, light, and sight are introduced in a literary work, figurative seeing and blindness are often involved, as in this novel. Captain Charles Marlow sets “into the depths of darkness” in order to quench his thirst for knowledge about an unnamed river in central Africa (18). However, Captain Marlow loses this flavor of childhood innocence as he witnesses the death of his helmsman as a result of an attack by African Natives and the death of Mr. Kurtz, whose overwhelming personal need to become wealthy leads to his isolation from those closest to him, such as his fiancée, in Europe. After the steamboat is lead “swiftly out
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While they both have their own reasons for being there, Huck’s quest is the one highlighted throughout the entirety of the novel. Huck, who is the quester, serves as the narrator, describing the pair’s adventure. At the start of the novel, Huck’s stated reason for running away is to distance himself from his abusive and alcoholic father, and to try to find a place for himself in white society. However, towards the beginning of his escape after he staged his own murder, he finds Jim, a runaway slave who was the slave of Miss Watson. While Huck enjoys Jim’s company on the raft, he often questions his actions and wonders why he has yet to turn in Jim. The society Huck is raised in strongly affirms the belief that African Americans are less worthy of respect and acceptance than white people, simply because of the color of their skin. His community tells Huck that helping a runaway slave is disgusting and that he would be marked as an abolitionist. However, while Huck is tempted to leave Jim more than once, he never gives in. Huck experiences a transition from childhood to adulthood, having formed his own opinion and set his own moral footing regarding the issue of slavery. His attachment to Jim is no longer about companionship, but rather his own desire to lead Jim to a life of
While they both have their own reasons for being there, Huck’s quest is the one highlighted throughout the entirety of the novel. Huck, who is the quester, serves as the narrator, describing the pair’s adventure. At the start of the novel, Huck’s stated reason for running away is to distance himself from his abusive and alcoholic father, and to try to find a place for himself in white society. However, towards the beginning of his escape after he staged his own murder, he finds Jim, a runaway slave who was the slave of Miss Watson. While Huck enjoys Jim’s company on the raft, he often questions his actions and wonders why he has yet to turn in Jim. The society Huck is raised in strongly affirms the belief that African Americans are less worthy of respect and acceptance than white people, simply because of the color of their skin. His community tells Huck that helping a runaway slave is disgusting and that he would be marked as an abolitionist. However, while Huck is tempted to leave Jim more than once, he never gives in. Huck experiences a transition from childhood to adulthood, having formed his own opinion and set his own moral footing regarding the issue of slavery. His attachment to Jim is no longer about companionship, but rather his own desire to lead Jim to a life of