This Is Now

of everything Marlowe and Kurtz had experienced—the exploitation of Africa, the evil and terror within humanity, and Mr. Kurtz’s own depravity caused by his abuse of power. The continent of Africa during this story was being explored by Europeans and was being opened up for commercial use. At this point, Africa was considered a “No man’s land” and the Europeans were seen as brave for taking a journey up the river “snake” into the Congo, a region of…

However, once Sal reaches Mexico and spends the night in the jungle he forms this connection with nature and his surroundings that shows him reality and strips him of his false perception on life. He transforms these warm and optimistic thoughts into more cynical and judgemental ones. Sal describes his experience with intense emotions…

It would have been too dark too dark—too dark altogether…” (Conrad 117). This quote explains how Marlow feels after working in the Congo. He found that his work in the Congo exemplified man’s true nature. He tells this to passengers on a voyage away from Britain. In Heart of Darkness; Joseph Conrad reveals how living outside the restraints of civilization exposes a man’s heart of darkness. Kurtz shows what living outside the restrictions of society can do to a man’s morality, civility, and…

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…

Conrad calls this corruption the heart of darkness because a man dark inner soul reveals when facing temptation for power and wealth. The Congo is unpleasant, dark, and foggy which symbolize man greed. Not only is the surrounding is surrounded by darkness, but the natives he encounters were suffering and deprived (p. 7-8). In the text, Marlow frequently uses the phrase, “the heart of dark” to indicate the savagery that hidden in a man’s heart. This phrase becomes symbolic in that…

In the novel Heart of Darkness Marlow and his journey prove as a guide in revealing the true intentions of European imperialism. As it becomes revealed along this journey that the men who work for the Company justify their treatment of the native Africans as a part of European imperialism. These men also mention that their treatment of the natives is a part of the idea of imperialism to “civilize” the “uncivilized”. During Kurtz’s entire stay in the Congo, he’s open about his actions/treatments…

Heart of Darkness establishes Marlow as the main character and the audience sees the story through his point of view. In the beginning, the reader is introduced to Marlow by one of the sailors’ point of view. Marlow is onboard The Nellie attempting to recount the details of his experience in the Congo to the sailors in order to prepare them for the challenges they might be face along their journey. Marlow begins telling the story of how he got the job with the Belgian company and his skepticism…

In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the narrator’s ambivalent feelings about Kurtz indicates Marlow discovering Kurtz intentions. The literary elements such as point of view, tone, diction, and paradox assist the narrator in understanding Marlow’s feelings when learning about Kurtz. Having ambivalent feelings for Kurtz was an unexpected hit of reality the narrator did not expect. From the beginning of Marlow’s journey, there had been nothing except for uplifting remarks regarding what Kurtz…

surround themselves with. This is clearly observed in the novel when he writes about Marlow and Kurtz's morals, humanity, and lifestyles. In Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, he uses the literary…

Era, focusing especially on how the natives were treated by the Europeans. In the passage from Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad portrays Marlow’s experience as he travels to Kurtz as dangerous and chaotic through syntax and aggressive-like diction. This demonstrates how people often feel overwhelmed when an intense stressor is presented to them. Conrad utilizes complex syntax to describe to the reader how unusual the native’s attack appeared to Marlow. Marlow describes the initial barrage as…