Desensitization In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

"Shame on the misguided, the blinded, the distracted and the dividend. Shame. You have allowed deceptive men to corrupt and desensitize your hearts and minds to unethically fuel their greed.” (Kassem, n.d.) Imagine a world lacking all feelings of emotion, a world completely void of sympathy and regret. Desensitization is the predominant factor in the process leading towards this dark, flat world. Generally, people tend to be unaware of the callousness growing within their minds and in the society around them. However, some understand this concept and twist it to accomplish their own desires. The term desensitization delineates the processes of how individuals become immune to violence, are unhindered by cultural immorality, and lose all feelings of empathy. Through frequent exposure to suffering and killing, people increasingly grow accustomed to violence. A valid example is bodacious in Marlow when he says "...after making a frightful gash; my shoes were full; a pool of blood lay very still, gleaming dark-red under the wheel; his eyes shone with an amazing luster"(Conrad, 1990, p. 75). Marlow's staggering journey through the Congo has desensitized him in such a way that, when his helmsman is impaled by a spear and killed, he …show more content…
Society has not only accepted violence, but has encouraged it. In turn, immunity to violence ensues. Capitulation to immorality and the evils in the hearts of men has led to cultural decline. As a result, evil has spread across the world, bringing darkness to humanity. Humankind has proceeded to disconnect from sentimental feelings, becoming hard-hearted to the suffering around them. Because of this lack of emotion, people rarely display their empathy in crisis. In conclusion, desensitization refers to a negative effect occurring within the hearts and minds of individuals, crippling society and culture as a