Heart Of Darkness Superego

The mind can be a very sensitive part of the brain. The slightest bit of information received, whether seen or heard, can alter your entire original perception of your beliefs. We are influenced by the daily things we see, touch, smell, taste, and hear. But there is a man who becomes influenced in a way much different than what I had expected. In the novella, Heart of Darkness, Marlow takes on an incredible adventure through the Congo. But along his journey, he became a witness to some things he never had imagined existed. The author, Joseph Conrad, divided the human psyche into three parts. Marlow transitioned through all of these psychological parts, known as the superego, the ego, and the id. Throughout the story, people are criticized by

In a way, it was kill or be killed. His surroundings grew more aggressive and dangerous, and psychologically he adapted to it and learned new tactics to survive. Marlow's mental state had become corrupt, but he wasn't too far gone. In today's society, many people are struggling to survive, constantly on guard to protect themselves from the dangers that surround them. "I will throttle you for good" (Conrad 144). But because of the neutrality of ego, it shows that he wasn't ever trying to kill anyone, he just was protecting himself. "[He] wrestled with death" (Conrad

This is what makes him so much different than all the savages. But the psychological criticism theory explains all of the events that take place in the novella. It shows that the state-of-mind that was best was the ego. Balance was the key to survive. The psychological criticism theory is self-explanatory in terms of its name. Throughout the book, characters were criticized by their different beliefs and actions, those characters being predominantly the savages. In reference to the theme of the story, Kurtz was one of those people who had his eyes open to the world itself because he took the time to learn about the savages and understand them. It was all a mind game, how you thought and analyzed things affected what people could see and couldn't see. It affects what you determine is right and wrong. What people think in today's society is that killing is wrong, but in the society the savages lived, killing was okay. That's why Marlow's aunt encouraged him to seek out the journey with hopes that he will play a role in helping the savages, because she understands what is right and wrong. "They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now -- nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom" (Conrad 83). She is a firm believer in imperialism which