Joseph Conrad’s magnum opus Heart of Darkness acts as a paradigm of late colonial fiction and is often considered one of the greatest works of the modern era. In his novella, Conrad details the story of Charlie Marlow as he descends through the Congo river, leading him deep into the unknown African continent. The story explores attitudes on colonialism and racism and consequently calls into question that which constitutes a barbaric or civilized society. Another contemporaneous thinker, Friedrich Nietzsche, also tackled the issue of primitive and civilized man through his use of the Apollonian and Dionysian in the Birth of Tragedy. In this work, Nietzsche establishes a reciprocal connection between Dionysian ekstasis and civilized Apollonian restraint, and thereafter connects the two through the Greek Attic Tragedy. While upon first reading it may seem as if the two writers construct a strict polarity between civilization and primitivism, both Nietzsche and Conrad are in fact calling attention to the ambiguity of the two designations. Therefore, what seems to be in the order of a bipolar opposition near the inception of the work begins to break down into a much more …show more content…
In it, Nietzsche describes the Dionysian as analogous with the fundamental driving force of all life; that is, the innermost unchanging essence of living things. The Dionysian is most commonly associated with darkness, unity, ekstasis, instinct, essence, and music. In Heart of Darkness, the Dionysian could be analogous to nature and people when they enter a natural environment. In humans, the Dionysian appears in the form of instincts and primordial desires. Thus, while humans transcend these primal instincts, they intrinsically carry some level of repressed
Imperialism has been a constant oppressive force upon societies dating back hundreds of years. Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, illustrates this oppression by providing an instance of its occurrence in the Congo of Africa, while simultaneously setting the stage for The Poisonwood Bible, which is essentially the continuation of the story. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, demonstrates how the Congo is still affected by modern circumstances and ideology. Conrad’s novella acts as a sort of precursor to the events later depicted in Kingsolver’s novel, and this very connection between the stories illustrates the perpetual oppression of imperialism. This oppression is shown through the characterization of the pivotal characters of each respective text.
“The only self-knowledge is to distinguish well between our self-being and non-being. We seek ourselves in the mirror of existence. ”(Leibniz, 1). “Dionysian stirrings arise either through the influences of those narcotic potions of which all primitive races speak in their hymns, or through the powerful approach of spring, which penetrates with. joy in the whole frame of nature.
Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness shows the disparity between the European ideal of civilization and the reality of it, displayed by the domination, torture, exploitation and dehumanization of the African people. Conrad often emphasizes the idea of what is civilized versus what is primitive or savage. While reading the novel, the reader can picture how savage the Europeans seem. They are cruel and devious towards the very people they are supposed to be helping.
“ The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.” (Conrad 65) So stated Marlow as though this was his justification for ravaging the Congo in his search for ivory. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness shows the disparity between the European ideal of civilization and the reality of it as is evidenced by the domination, torture, exploitation and dehumanization of the African population. Heart of Darkness is indicative of the evil and greed in humanity as personified by Kurtz and Marlow.
"I don't want to bother you much with what happened to me personally,' [Conrad] began, showing in this remark the weakness of many tellers of tales who seem so often unaware of what their audience would most like to hear" (Conrad, 9). Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad's best-known work, has been examined on many bases more than I can possibly list here, but including imperialism, colonialism, and racism. I would reason that all bases of analysis are perfectly acceptable through which to critique Conrad's novella, or any piece of writing. I would reason this, were some of these bases mainly, racism not taken to an extreme level. In arguing racism, many critics seem to take Heart of Darkness as Conrad's unwavering view on Africa, Africans, life, or whatever else one may please to take it as. I, therefore, propose that Heart of Darkness be taken for what it truly is: a work of fiction set in late 19th century Europe and Africa.
Nietzsche cringes before the civilization of Europe and seeks a man unencumbered by moral principles, principles that he believes form from the stifling existence of being surrounded by weaker beings. Nietzsche’s cry for a superhero is realized in the quest of Marlow in Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness. Marlow travels up the Congo River in Central Africa, driven by curiosity that morphs into raving monomania to find the premier Belgian ivory trader, Kurtz, a man seemingly distinguished from the hollow men of the Company, a man to make Nietzsche proud. But the average reader is not proud, as through Heart of Darkness Conrad displays for him the horror that lurks within his own soul through the flow of the story ever inward from the mouth of the Congo, to the Belgian ivory stations, to the innermost darkness, Kurtz himself. Conrad’s narration is as smooth as a stream with a barely perceptible current bearing readers along with his story in blissful contentment, only to be jostled suddenly by waves of uncomfortable fact, then let down into lethargy and sweet beautiful language again.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is one of the most widely recognized and acclaimed novellas written. But with fame and recognition comes controversy, which is clearly demonstrated by the broad interpretations of the book. Many people believe Heart of Darkness is racist, while others believe the book is perfectly civil. Chinua Achebe, one of Africa's most renowned novelists, strongly believes that the book is dehumanizing and racist; I agree with him, to a certain extent. Three of the most prominent ways that Achebe discusses Conrad’s racism is by the way the African people are portrayed, the African culture, and the comparison of Europe to Africa.
Although being the owner of a business can often give you a lifestyle of freedom and flexibility compared to other jobs as you can work out your own working hours, you also are faced with a variety of responsibilities to handle compared to other jobs. When talking to the owner of Preet Sports Canada, he made it clear on how difficult it was financially to get the business started, Preet Sports Canada required a bank loan to get the business started so that they could buy the items necessary for the business to grow. It is then the owners responsibility to not obtain too large of a loan so that they are able to pay back the loan at a later stage. Another huge responsibility the owner of Preet Sports Canada had to deal with was
...o, while the novella’s archetypal structure glorifies Marlow’s domination of Kurtz. These two analyses taken together provide a much fuller and more comprehensive interpretation of the work. Conrad presents the idea that there is some darkness within each person. The darkness is is inherited and instinctual, but because it is natural does not make it right. He celebrates – and thereby almost advises – the turn from instinct. By telling Marlow’s tale, Joseph Conrad stresses to his audience the importance of self-knowledge and the unnecessity of instinct in civilization.
Civilization is not as advanced as first assumed. Joseph Conrad asserts this disheartening message in his novel, Heart of Darkness. The novel follows a European man reliving his journey to the Congo through story telling to his shipmates. Through Marlow’s journey, Conrad reveals the stark contrasts between European civilization and African savagery. Heart of Darkness explores the struggles of different societies with an intention to expose the weaknesses of a complicated imperialistic ideal.
In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the attempt to define the cultural line leads to the corruption, greed, and evil of the white man. Even when knowledge would seem to counteract lines of hatred, the enlightenment only provides a striking reminder of the inescapable darkness that can still reside in the hearts of man. Throughout the novel, the white man is plagued by his comprised definition of culture. In the Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad sheds light on how ignorance destroys the balance between nature and culture.
So that t... ... middle of paper ... ... hrough the confident and mediating narrative account the reader receives through Marlow and the unnamed First narration Conrad is able to interrogate the theme of the corruption and economic motivations behind colonids praxis in the novel Heart of Darkness. It is, however, unconsciously, also made clear that this text, its narrator and its author are products of their time and ideology, as it consistantly represents characters and situations in racist and patriarchal terms, so that the reader is also aware of the Eurocentric and ethnocentric themes running through the novella. Bibliography Conrad, J. Heart of Darkness.
A masterpiece of twentieth-century writing, Heart of Darkness exposes the tenuous fabric that holds "civilization" together and the brutal horror at the center of European colonialism. Joseph Conrad's novella, Heart of Darkness, describes a life-altering journey that the protagonist, Marlow, experiences in the African Congo. The story explores the historical period of colonialism in Africa to exemplify Marlow's struggles. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is most often read as an attack upon colonialism. Marlow, like other Europeans of his time, is brought up to believe certain things about colonialism, but his views change as he experiences the effects of colonialism first hand. This essay will look at Marlow's negative view of colonialism, which is shaped through his experiences and from his relation to Kurtz. Marlow's understanding of Kurtz's experiences show him the effects colonialism can have on a man's soul.
Whether or not Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness is strictly racist has become a serious, controversial debate. Since its events are inspired by Conrad’s experience in Africa, critics are quick to assume that any negative connotations towards Africans are based on his own racist opinions. While some critics, such as Chinua Achebe, feel that this novel was written in order to blatantly disrespect Africa and its inhabitants, others believe that Conrad’s intentions were not so cruel. Any content that undermines Africans was not to simply be arrogant, rather it was included to enhance the purpose of this story. With the repeated dehumanization of Africans by Europeans, emphasis on African-European relationships and distinction between
"Heart of Darkness" is the most famous of Joseph Conrad's personal novels: a pilgrim's progress for a pessimistic and psychological age. After having finished the main draft of the novel, Conrad had remarked, "Before the Congo, I was just a mere animal." The living nightmare of 1890 seems to have affected Conrad quite as importantly as the Andre Gide's Congo experience 36 years later. The autobiographical basis of the narrative is well known and its introspective bias obvious. This is Conrad's longest journey into self. But it would do well to remember that Heart of Darkness is also a sensitive vivid travelogue and a comment on "the vilest scramble for lost that ever disfigured the history of human conscience and geographical exploration." (Albert Gerard).