Darkness

The novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad can be considered commentaries on the themes of discrimination, obsession, exploration, and the result of the lack of understanding and responsibility. Both novels are written in a framed narrative form, comprehensive of the views, thoughts, and values of contrasting characters. Both Shelley's character, Victor Frankenstein, and Conrad's portrayal of European colonists reflect how overruling obsession can result in…

In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, there are many instances in which cruelty acts as a force driving the main theme that man is driven by greed and a lust for power. Such cruelty also serves as an additional way to view upon the actions of those in the book and how some may become corrupted by the “darkness” found deep inside of themselves. To begin, as the main focus of the story is to see how man acts when faced with no restrictions, greed and lust play a important role in how cruel some…

The “Horror” in the Heart of Darkness The Heart of Darkness is a novella that was written during the time of African imperialism. The continent was suffering moral and social sickness as it was being opened for exploration and commercial expansion. The Heart of Darkness is written through a series of different points of views, which makes the famous last words of Mr. Kurtz, “The Horror! The Horror!” so ambiguous. The author, Joseph Conrad, leaves it up to the reader to interpret the vague…

In reality, the actions taken by colonists in Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness where as simple as both burglary with violence, and conquest by annihilation. The men who work at the Company pronounce their work as a simple “Trade” and their treatment of the natives as a benevolent part of a project to “educate” them. Therefore, they were vanquishers above all else, whether it was vanquishing their soul from their actions or taking the life of another. Their strength was false and it only…

In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Marlow is tough, highly capable, and he is not afraid to be an independent thinker, but he also cannot escape the forces of darkness that he encounters during his journey. Unlike the other men, Marlow cannot forget the horrors that he has witnessed, so Marlow’s dilemma is created as he tries to hold on to his humanity while traveling through the inhumane jungle. Marlow encounters countless examples of futility, brutality, and inefficiency that characterize…

Conrad’s Purpose of Heart of Darkness Since the publication of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in 1899, it has opened the world’s eyes to the evil disposition of humans, which is exactly Conrad’s intention. In fact Conrad once said that “the belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.” Heart of Darkness is a clear representation of those words. Conrad’s novel follows the character Charlie Marlow on his journey into the depths of…

The Heart of Darkness was a novel written by Joseph Conrad and published in February 1899. The story revolves around different types of darkness such as the setting of the story, the color of one’s skin, and even the darkness that lies inside each individual. Natives are dominated by the company to do what is told in order for each ship to successfully reach each station throughout the Congo river.The darkness drives the story as the company’s evil ways start to unravel while Marlow finds the…

Marlow’s all-consuming drive to find Kurtz and search for Ivory is just that--a drive-- without it, Marlow would have never gone on his journey down the Congo. Marlow’s pursuit, going back into the Heart of Darkness, is misunderstood by the others on the ship as madness because they don’t understand or share his desire and willingness to sacrifice everything for the end result. Marlow is not mad, but instead possesses a passion which he is unwilling to relinquish. His steadfast persuit suggests…

the Congo. He found that his work in the Congo exemplified man’s true nature. He tells this to passengers on a ship anchored on the Thames, where Marlow is waiting for an interview. In Heart of Darkness; Joseph Conrad reveals how living outside the restraints of civilization exposes a man’s heart of darkness. Kurtz showed what living outside the restrictions of society can do to a man’s morality, civility, and sanity. When staying in the Congo, Kurtz lost all aspects of morality when…

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899) was written during a time period where both modernism and imperialism were societally pervasive. Inherently, these cultural contexts and epochs influenced literature and arguably Heart of Darkness. In order to evaluate how Heart of Darkness reflects and challenges the spirit of these two time periods and historical contexts, its narratological and thematic framework should be considered, to reach the synthesizing conclusion that the literary epoch of…