Heart of Darkness When writing a novel, authors use specific methods in order to convey their message. The most commonly used techniques it through the use of tone, diction, and syntax. In the novel, Heart of Darkness, author Joseph Conrad uses these three methods to his advantage to portray the underlying meaning of his novel. The connotation of his diction, the shifts in tone, and the syntax help the reader understand the journey the main character, Marlow, is experiencing throughout the novel. Conrad’s diction throughout this novel allows the reader to understand Marlow’s feelings towards his time being spent on the Congo River. As Marlow first arrives in the jungle he refers to the natives as being “acute angles” and “black shadows” …show more content…
(26). The negative connotation associated with these descriptions shows that Marlow only see the natives as less than human; moreover, he shows no respect towards them. It allows the reader to understand the horrors of imperialism and the cruel treatment of the natives resulting in Marlow’s attitude. He is surrounded by the “corpse[s]” (37) and yet only can think that the work must go one; proving his lack of emotion of the situation. Death in the jungle pushed Marlow towards his personality being cold and emotionless. Another method the author implements to further his novel along is tone.
In the beginning, the author describes Kurtz as evil when he states, “The thing was to know what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own. That was the reflection that made you creepy all over. It was impossible-it was not good for one either-trying to imagine. He had taken a high seat amongst the devils of the land-I mean literally" (82). The “powers of darkness” are taking over Kurtz; he is no longer in control of himself. The cynical and stark tone is revealed through Kurtz becoming the natives “God” since it leads him to being consumed by “darkness”. The tone trasnsitions as the story progresses to that of an understanding tone. Marlow once referred to the natives as “savages”; however, begins to describe them in a different light, “It was unearthly, and the men were—No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it—this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity—like yours—the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly. Yes, it was ugly enough; but if you were man enough you would admit to yourself that there was in you just the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you—you so remote from the night
of first ages—could comprehend” (59-60). Marlow stills views the natives as uncivilized, but now feels a “kinship” towards them or in other words his time spent on the river has allowed him to connect with the natives in ways he could not prior to the journey. He accepts them as humanity; showing the reader the tone has shifted from cynical to merciful. Syntax is an additional technique in the novel used to reflect the journey Marlow is on. While there is a significant change in diction and tone, it is notable that Conrad’s syntax is persistently constant throughout the novel. His sentences are full of imagery and symbolism, “I had a vision of him on the stretcher, opening his mouth voraciously, as if to devour all the earth with all its mankind” (139). This sentence is repeated twice to further drive the author’s point. Conrad conveys what the journey has done to Kurtz, and even more shows the harsh realities of the “darkness” in the world. This style of writing describes Marlow’s obvious physical journey through Africa, while at the same time revealing his physiological journey. The true meaning behind Heart of Darkness is revealed through various methods that author Joseph Conrad applies to his novel. Diction is used through its apathetic descriptions of the natives to portray Marlow’s insensitivity. As a way to move his novel along, Conrad uses his shifts in tone from pessimistic to an understanding tone. In addition, the journey that takes place is shown through the author’s choice in syntax. Overall, the Conrad uses these techniques to reveal the cruel truth about the “darkness” in the jungle.
Conrad’s character Marlow describes the natives as having “a wild vitality” and their “faces like grotesque masks.” These remarks demonstrate his fear and reinforces the distinction between himself and the natives.
Comparisons and contrasts are important devices which an author may use to help convey his thoughts and feelings about a situation or an event. Joseph Conrad makes use of these devices in his novel Heart of Darkness. Throughout the novel when he was trying to convey a deeper meaning about a situation or a place, he would us a comparison or contrast. The comparative and contrasting themes in the story help to develop Conrad's ideas and feelings in the Heart of Darkness. Light verses dark, the Thames verses the Congo, the Savages compared to the civilized people, and the darkness of both worlds are all contrasts and comparisons that are important to the meaning as well as the understanding of this novel.
Marlow reinforces that Kurtz represents “ ‘all [of] Europe’ ” and that his immense wealth in ivory and including his role as a figurehead upon the natives serves as a representation of the European society as well. This representation of Kurtz by Marlow helps unravel his mystery by describing Kurtz as an emissary for Europe that will hopefully also unravel the problematic nuances of Europe in the future. Marlow arrives in the inner station and meets the Russian before Kurtz, the narrator on the Nellie with Marlow claims that the Russian “nodded with a nod full of mystery and wisdom” when he had told Marlow about his experiences with Kurtz (52). The Russian supports the mystery behind Kurtz as well by explaining impact he leaves upon him. This claim by the narrator elucidates that some of Kurtz’s “charm” rubs off on those who are fortunate enough to meet him, therefore describing Kurtz as a some kind of enrichment to life
Kurtz is introduced as a respectable and powerful man because he is known for his wisdom and his nobility. His mission in the Congo is to save the natives from their barbaric way of life and make it more similar to the European, through colonization. He believes that in order for his plan to work he must present himself as a confident god-like leader “…must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of supernatural beings – we approach them with the might as of a deity.” 1 In order to control the situation, the natives must relate to them, and trust them. However, as Kurtz gains more power over the natives he gets blinded by it, instead of civilizing the natives by stripping away their primitive ways, he dehumanizes them, and himself too. Kurtz does not understand how the natives live, and does not try to, therefore making him seem ignorant, which is ironic to the character he is known to be. He trusts in colonization, where the natives should mimic the European culture. His renowned success in the company; consequently convinces others that his actions are moral, however it creates a shadow that prevents...
Conrad’s shifting setting introduces new environments and attitudes for Marlow to cope with. Marlow begins the novel in “a narrow and deserted street in deep shadow, [with] high houses, innumerable windows with venetian blinds, a dead silence, grass sprouting right and left, [and] immense double doors standing ponderously ajar” (Conrad 45). Nearly all of the surroundings have intimidating connotations, which surprisingly fight Marlow into a comfortably safe and secure standing. Marlow notices the map in the office, and examines it to see just where his travels will take him. After observing the map, he points out that he was not going to the points of Africa that seem welcoming but he “was going into the yellow. Dead in the centre. And the river was there – fascinating – deadly – like a snake” (45). He already realizes he will have trouble transitioning into the new environment, being surrounded by what seems like death. Because Marlow grows accustomed to the urbanized streets of Brussels, the difficulty of the transition to the Congo develops exponentially. Before Marlow knows it, he travels to a land with “trees, tress, millions of trees, massive, immense, running up high” and they “made [him] feel very small, very lost” (75). Marlow, already apprehensive of the change to the Congo, shows his loss of confidence in his new environment.
From the very moment Marlow speaks the reader is presented with light and dark imagery. It should be noted, however, that darkness seems to dominate. The light and dark, being binary oppositions, come to represent other binary oppositions, such as civilized and uncivilized, and of course good and evil. The primitive 'savages' are described as dark, both literally in regards to skin tone, but also in attitude and inwardly. Marlow calls the natives at the first station "black shadows of disease and starvation" (Conrad 20). A little further into the text, Marlow is horrified by what he is seeing, by the darkness he and the reader are being presented with. These are both excellent examples of the negativity towards the natives throughout the book. So, the darkness of the natives is a metaphor for their supposed incivility, evilness and primitiveness. However, if the reader looks a little deeper, they can see that this darkness also ...
This situation of waiting for Kurtz allows Marlow to fantasize about Kurtz and create a larger than life figure out of a man who he’s never met before. Soon Finding Kurtz becomes an all-out obsession for Marlow; even the night before they meet Kurtz, he wishes to press on despite the danger. Here the reader can see that Marlow is willing to get to Kurtz at all costs. When Marlow does finally make contact with Kurtz, his fantasy carries over into the person who he sees Kurtz as. Marlow is willing to overlook some of Kurtz’s shortcomings and is very willing to see his greatness. Marlow is obviously fond of Kurtz, as it can be seen in the passage when he speaks of Kurtz’s “unextinguishable gift of noble and lofty expression.” Here the reader can observe that Marlow is truly fond of Kurtz’s. The narrator even chooses to side with Kurtz against the manager; even though he hardly knows the man. Kurtz has also managed to get the native people to worship him as a god, and has mastered their language. This makes Marlow respect him even more. Marlow’s point of view allows him to foster both the reality and the fantasy of Kurtz, and though he is very fond of Kurtz, he is still able to see the truth in him as
A dark, unfamiliar setting and a suspenseful plot give Heart of Darkness the characteristics of a good novel, but what really stands out is Conrad's writing. The story is full of vague imagery and descriptions that the reader must contemplate in order to fully understand. Writing so vividly was an impressive feat for Conrad, who was actually not a native English speaker. (Dintenfass) His style includes a great deal of subtlety and complexity. Although it may seem as if Conrad was trying to confuse the reader, his actual goal was to create a work of art, rather that just a novel.
Rosmarin, Adena. "Darkening the Reader: Reader Response Criticism and Heart of Darkness." Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. New York: St. Martin's, 1989.
Kurtz once was considered an honorable man, but living in the Congo separated from his own culture he changed greatly. In the jungle he discovers his evil side, secluded from the rest of his own society he becomes corrupted by power. "My Ivory. My people, my ivory, my station, my river," everything was under Kurtz's reign. While at Kurtz's camp Marlow encounters the broken roof on Kurtz's house, the "black hole," this is a sign of the uncivilized. The black hole represents the unknown and unconquered, and therefore represents the uncivilized. Also, Marlow notices the "black heads" on Kurt...
Joseph Conrad creates a motif of light and darkness within society, never quite placing Marlow on either side, and thus isolating him from everyone else. When first getting to shore, Marlow refers to the natives as criminals, creatures, and savages. This immediately gives the reader the idea that Marlow thinks himself different than them. One of the first things he notices when seeing them is their midnight black skin and that “each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected together with a chain” (Conrad 70). By describing the dark skin of the natives, Conrad manipulates Marlow to think of them as the dark part of society. The chain ties the natives together literally but also figuratively. This metaphor is created to show the unity between the natives and that, whether by force or by choice, they stick together. Although the natives may not have much else, they have each other’s company which is later used to juxtapose the isolation in Marlow. When meeting the white men in the Congo, his reaction is quite different. After taking in the acco...
From the very beginning of Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad traps us in a complex play of language, where eloquence is little more than a tool to obscure horrific moral shortcomings. Hazy, absurd descriptions, frame narratives, and a surreal sense of Saussurean structural linguistics create distance from an ever-elusive center, to show that language is incapable of adequately or directly revealing truth. Understanding instead occurs in the margins and along the edges of the narrative; the meaning of a story “is not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze” (105).
Conrad uses the character of Marlow to make use of his own thoughts and views about the people in the Congo. He feels pity for them as he sees them falling down carrying heavy packages and Kurtz commanding them like a batallion of troups. This sight angers Marlow and when he gets to Kurtz, it’s too late. Even he has been pulled in by the darkness. Conrad makes an effective distinction between Marlow and Kurtz.
Conrad integrates David Hume’s impressionism on a journey to the core of the African Congo led by Charlie Marlow, a character who makes observations based on the evil and menacing world around him rather than revealing his innermost thoughts. In order for the reader to understand Marlow’s mindset, Conrad forces
By the time Marlow and Kurtz meet, Marlow is already well aware of the similarities they share. Both are imperialists, and while Marlow detests the treatment of the natives by his employers (Belgian colonists), he also makes apparent his abhorrence toward the Africans. On the other hand, Kurtz abandons the pretense of helping the natives achieve civilization, as displayed by the Europeans. Instead, he adopts their customs and becomes their leader in the never-ending quest for ivory. "He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, 'must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of the supernatural beings- we approach them with the might as of a deity' (Longman, 2000, p. 2226). Marlow also admired Kurtz' resourcefulness and survival skills, especially his perseverence through jungle fever. "The wilderness had patted him on the head....it had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own by the inconceivable ceremonies of some devilish initiation. He was its spoiled and pampered favorite." (Longman, 2000, p. 2225).