Author’s Bio
Joseph Conrad was a novelist born on December 3, 1857 in Berdychiv, Ukraine. He had a tragic childhood. His mother died of tuberculosis in 1865 and his father died after his imprisonment for his attempts to regain Polish independence from the Russian Empire. Conrad was taken in by his uncle and took an interest in geography, something that Marlow from Heart of Darkness takes a liking to as well with his interest in maps and unemployed territories. When he was just seventeen, he got a job as a merchant-marine and sailed ships for the next couple of years in his life. His job as a sailor is parallel to Marlow’s job in the novella. In 1890, he got a job with A Belgian trading company and was given command of a trip into the Belgian …show more content…
On the forefront, the title serves as a comment about the cruelty of imperialism. The titles suggest that in the heart of any imperialist effort, there exists darkness which takes the form of the ability of humans to degrade and dehumanize others. This is depicted throughout the novella as the imperialists in the novel have intentions to civilize the natives of the Congo but their efforts lead to the dehumanization of the people they intend to help. They are put to work through harsh conditions and are stripped of their humanity as they become subjects to and are oppressed by the white men. Kurtz likewise has pure intentions to civilize them and although they worship him, he also rules over them through the use of terror and violence. The title also further suggests that in the heart of every man, darkness and evil exist. We see this through Kurtz as he was unable to resists change in the …show more content…
Kurtz’s last words- As Kurtz is dying in the ship on his way back from the Congo, he utters his final words, “the horror, the horror.” This leaves a very bleak and dismal lasting impression of the character of Kurtz. His final words hold a lot of weight and allude to what he witnessed in the wilderness of the Congo. The horror is a reference to the cruelty of imperialism and the dehumanization of the natives it leads to. The “horror” also references to the corruption of Kurtz own life, and his realization of what his life has become. He has become lost in the face of the natives and was unable to carry out his intentions to help civilize them. As a result, he himself succumbs to savagery and succumbs to the
Joseph Conrad was a novelist born on December 3, 1857 in Berdychiv, Ukraine. He had a tragic childhood. His mother died of tuberculosis in 1865 and his father died after his imprisonment for his attempts to regain Polish independence from the Russian Empire. Conrad was taken in by his uncle and took an interest in geography, something that Marlow from Heart of Darkness takes a liking to as well with his interest in maps and unemployed territories. When he was just seventeen, he got a job as a merchant-marine and sailed ships for the next couple of years in his life. His job as a sailor is parallel to Marlow’s job in the novella. In 1890, he got a job with A Belgian trading company and was given command of a trip into the Belgian …show more content…
On the forefront, the title serves as a comment about the cruelty of imperialism. The titles suggest that in the heart of any imperialist effort, there exists darkness which takes the form of the ability of humans to degrade and dehumanize others. This is depicted throughout the novella as the imperialists in the novel have intentions to civilize the natives of the Congo but their efforts lead to the dehumanization of the people they intend to help. They are put to work through harsh conditions and are stripped of their humanity as they become subjects to and are oppressed by the white men. Kurtz likewise has pure intentions to civilize them and although they worship him, he also rules over them through the use of terror and violence. The title also further suggests that in the heart of every man, darkness and evil exist. We see this through Kurtz as he was unable to resists change in the …show more content…
Kurtz’s last words- As Kurtz is dying in the ship on his way back from the Congo, he utters his final words, “the horror, the horror.” This leaves a very bleak and dismal lasting impression of the character of Kurtz. His final words hold a lot of weight and allude to what he witnessed in the wilderness of the Congo. The horror is a reference to the cruelty of imperialism and the dehumanization of the natives it leads to. The “horror” also references to the corruption of Kurtz own life, and his realization of what his life has become. He has become lost in the face of the natives and was unable to carry out his intentions to help civilize them. As a result, he himself succumbs to savagery and succumbs to the