Joesph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, is set in the wild of Africa on the Congo River. Throughout Marlow’s journey, he encounters several eye-opening experiences. Pick a theme or symbol seen throughout the novella and explain its significance both in the story and its development of the universal human condition. Use textual evidence to support your explanation.
Posted by Tasha and Prutha
The theme of good vs. evil is apparent throughout the novella. Shown in the settings and the character, Conrad is able to expose the moral ambiguity with the contrast of sunlight and darkness, which both become overshadowed with overall darkness. Marlow does not accept the goodness of nature. Marlow says, “I looked around, and I don't know why, but I assure you that never, never before, did this land, this river, this jungle, the very arch of this blazing sky, appear to me so hopeless and so dark, so impenetrable to human thought, so pitiless to human weakness." (72) The contrast of the good and bad that nature can bring is overshadowed by Marlow’s view of the apparent evilness of nature. By viewing nature as only evil, Marlow cuts off the accessibility of the advantages of nature to humans. Marlow stands off against nature because he is in a world where evil prevails, which does not allow for the goodness of nature and Earth to help Marlow. With the power struggles around him, Marlow is constantly comparing good and evil. The poor universal human condition with Marlow and those surrounding him is exposed through the hate of nature. It is difficult for the human condition of these people to improve when they are constantly being faced with or surrounded by evil.
ReplyDeleteLauren, great use of quotes to support the prominent theme, good v. evil. I enjoyed how you connected a universal message with your blog.
ReplyDeleteThe overall theme in the Heart of Darkness is blaring racism and discrimination. Throughout the novella, the presence of the ideologies surrounding “the white man’s burden” is apparent. The imperialists believe that it is their “duty” to civilize to African natives. The colonists were hypocritical as they proclaimed, “they were criminals, and outraged the law.” (62). The colonists generalized the Congo natives as criminals. Ironically, the colonists were the criminals themselves. They ended up killing one another while committing unimaginable atrocities. The hypocrisies and prejudices that the imperialist seamen had against the Africans were unsubstantiated and served as a resounding theme in the novella.
ReplyDeleteAs the title suggests, in the novella “Heart of Darkness”, darkness is a prevailing theme through the work. The theme of darkness remains ambiguous, allowing the reader to have their own interpretation of exactly what darkness is. Darkness expresses the inner animal of human nature as bettering themselves instinctively drives humans. Darkness also symbolizes the unknown. Not knowing what will happen next or what one’s purpose is creates insecurity. Marlow states, "Whether he knew of this deficiency himself I can't say. I think the knowledge came to him at last--only at the very last. But the wilderness found him out early, and had taken vengeance for the fantastic invasion. I think it had whispered to him things about himself, which he did not know, things of which he had no conception till he took counsel with this great solitude--and the whisper had proved irresistibly fascinating. It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core”. The hollowness of Kurtz’s soul shows the darkness of his character. Kurtz is seen as a villain as he is evil to the core.
ReplyDeleteAn important symbol in Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, the Congo River not only represents the main transportation source in the “dark continent,” but also acts as a divider, keeping Marlow separated from the natives and the evil ways of Kurtz. For Marlow the jungle of the Congo is representative of evil that man is capable of. It seems that the further Marlow travels into the jungle, the deeper he looks into himself; however, always looking from the outside. He never realizes his true character until reaching land and releasing himself from the obscurity of the Congo. Marlow goes to find Kurtz on his deathbed and is given the choice to take over for him as a god among an African tribe; however, he picks the good over evil because he never walked the path that Kurtz did to self-destruction. He went around the jungle to avoid getting captured by evil. The fact that no one was around to keep Kurtz in check helped him succeed in becoming capable of the immense evil he became. Marlow had his shipmates there to keep him responsible. When he left the steamboat there was not anyone to restrain Marlow. He was face to face with himself and his human desires, but as he looked at Kurtz and what the evil had done to him he saw the consequences of choosing evil. It represents the shedding of layers of the soul and taking a look into the desires of the heart.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, the color of the river is also important. “The brown current” is symbolic of the natives that live in the Congo, for as the river “runs swiftly” through the “heart of darkness” the current pushes the steamboat back towards civilization. The trip back home was also much easier for Marlow because, while leaving the Congo, the river was much swifter, making travel much smoother and more rapid. This is the same for Marlow's thoughts because he overcame the temptation and could leave the Congo knowing that he had just conquered himself and made the right choice, sanity, over the choice of his famed colleague, Kurtz.
Good job to everyone who did the blog! Prutha will comment personally on each blog but overall great job with textual evidence and making a universal connection!
ReplyDelete@tyler great job...im glad you talked about imperialism because it was an important part of Heart of Darkness
ReplyDelete@Cassie....Darkness is a prevalent theme throughout the book and good job incorporating the title in your blog
@Caroline...the Congo is a very important symbol in Heart of Darkness and I enjoyed reading about your description of the color of the river
The idea of absurdity can be found throughout the novella. In Heart of Darkness the main character Marlow experiences several absurd instances which can be linked to the absurdity of the world and imperialism. The continuing of absurd happenings shows the moral standards in an imperialist world, evil being the equivalent to imperialism. When Marlow reaches the Outer Station, and sees the natives blowing up the hillside for no reason, the lack of moral standards shows through and highlights what evil, or imperialism, can do to human's condition.
ReplyDeleteInsanity related to corrupt imperialism is a recurrent theme in the novel. Kurtz is the first instance of madness, however his mental state as a dynamic character proves to be more complex as the story progresses. As a member of the Company, he gains the readers sympathy because his association is partly to blame for his state of mind. Specifically throughout the novel, dementia is a result of of introduction to a new environment along with immense power. This is evident with Kurtz, whose oligarchal power in an imperialist environment lead him to be a power hungry mad man who becomes what surrounds him.
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