lighthod A Dark Heart in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

700 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Symbolism and motifs in the heart of darkness

The Heart of Darkness

The Heart of Darkness has two storytellers: Joseph Conrad, the author, and the other being Marlow the story's narrator. The narration that takes place is conceived mostly from Conrad's opinions. Conrad is using Marlow as the embodiment of all the goodness that he represents. "But Marlow was not typical...His remark did not seem at all surprising. It was just like Marlow. It was accepted in silence" (p. 68). "Marlow sat cross-legged right aft, leaning against the mizzen-mast. He had sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion, a straight back, an ascetic aspect, and with his arms dropped, the palms of his outwards, resembled an idol" (p. 66).

By doing this not only is Conrad implicates (or accuses) society of its terrible actions but he is also excluding himself. Throughout Marlow's narrative there is no place where he ponders whether or not he has the right idea or even if his opinion is biased to his own liking. There is no way that any that we can verify the validity of his story but yet Marlow assumes his listeners and readers will believe his account. Strangely enough, after such a tale on the shameful acts of society, Marlow (or Conrad) expects us to believe his tale and maybe even attempt to change our actions.

Ironically, we can assume Marlow's listeners and readers have been touched by this account. The story and it's teller seem sincere but yet there is more than that. Marlow in this way has become like Kurtz, a voice that craves to be heard by its listeners. It is in this way that Kurtz and Marlow are both mouth pieces for Conrad's voice. Conrad is questioning society for its flaws but while doing so he must also question himself. After all the crimes he's accusing society for he must prove himself a worthy judge. Society nurtures the recognition of these crimes but it does not encourage the correction of these problems.

Both in Africa and in London, Marlow sees corruption and the paths to chaos but yet it is so much easier for him to condem the events that take place in both places than to hold someone accountable for the injustices. There is no way to finish reading The Heart of Darkness and not wonder why Marlow did not tell his tale to the owner's of the company.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of the Movie Doctor Zhivago

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    Doctor Zhivago portrayed this event very well. They have the march during the winter of 1905, which is the actual time that the “Bloody Sunday” event took place. Also, both the people marching in the movie and the people marching in real life wanted the same things. They wanted bread, better working conditions, and eight-hour days. The setting of the massacre scene in front of the Russian palace is correct because in actuality, the massacre took place in front of the Winter Palace. Doctor Zhivago also uses one of its characters to represent one of the historical figures who was involved in the “Bloody Sunday Massacre”.

    Read More

  • Carmilla and Dracula

    1368 Words  | 3 Pages

    This essay will attempt to discuss the two gothic tales ‘Carmilla’ and ‘Dracula’ in relation to cultural contexts in which they exist as being presented to the reader through the gender behaviour and sexuality that is portrayed through the texts. Vampire stories always seem to involve some aspect of sexuality and power.

    Read More

  • Comparison Between Dracula by Bram Stroker and Twilight by Stephen Meyeres

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    The vampire had been depicted as the epitome of offensive and seductive behavior in their early representations. It has suffered an enduring image of something inhuman and monstrous that feeds and thrives at the expense of others. As David Punter and Glennis Byron have asserted, “Confounding all categories, the vampire is the ultimate embodiment of transgression” (The Gothic 268). The transgressive behavior of the vampire was first observed with Stoker’s Dracula. Although this figure is attractive to us in many ways, with his intelligence and immortality, the Count is primaril...

    Read More

  • Heart of Dracula

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...gue of Vampirism. Stoker plays upon the irony of England, at this time one of, if not the largest, colonizing countries, being colonized, not by another country but by an intangible immigrant. Dracula’s intent is not of material wealth or power, but of controlling the people and using them as livestock. We can see this when Dracula tells Jonathan Harker that he “[has] come to know your great England, and to know her is to love her. I long to go through the crowded streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is” (Stoker 19). Kane reaffirms this by contending that Dracula is an example of “invasion literature” acting upon the readers on England by playing with “a considerable variety of fears regarding the state of England and the English themselves” (9).

    Read More

  • The Accidental Hero: An In-depth Analysis in Marlow’s Role in Heart of Darkness

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Marlow can be seen as the hero of the story despite his alternating morals and the fact that Marlow ultimately does nothing to improve the situation in Africa. Throughout the whole narrative Marlow finds himself thrust into many shocking situations yet chooses the path of an observant bystander, giving his own opinion at the time, but no lasting action or motivation is conceived. On top of this fact Marlow’s morals are anything but set in stone; they waver innumerable times over the course of the plot. Yet Marlow is more often than not seen as the prominent hero of the plot. How is this possible? This is because readers aren’t looking for perfection in a character, but depth, and Marlow achieves this level of depth through his epiphanies and the changes that take place in his perception of the world. These revelations in turn challenge the reader to reevaluate themselves.

    Read More

  • Gothic Setting In Dracula

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    The further Jonathan travels the wilder and less modern it gets. The land is sparsely populated and has no main roads to enter or leave. The land is also filled with vicious howling wolves. In the beginning, Jonathan tells of his travels from place to place and how beautiful it is, but then once he is on his way to Count Dracula’s castle, the setting starts to change. Jonathan begins to describe “the rising wind, for it moaned and whistled through the rocks (Stoker 13)” it starts to become more frightful and gloomy. Jonathan also starts mentioning a white blanket covering them as he is on his way to the castle. This too adds a sense of fear and mystery because no one likes to not be able to see what is surrounding them. This is foreshadowing what is to

    Read More

  • Dracula

    1655 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jonathan Harker, a young English solicitor, is sent to the Eastern European country of Transylvania to conclude a real estate transaction with Count Dracula. But he ends up finding out that the count is actually a vampire and flees. As Dracula the vampire successfully reach London, he transforms Lucy, a friend of Harker¡¯s fianc¨¦e Mina, into a vampire whom her fianc¨¦ finally has to destroy with the help of a knowledgeable professor Van Helsing. The men decide to hunt down the vampire as Harker joins them. Unfortunately, Mina is attacked and begins to change into a vampire slowly as they succefully track down the boxes the count uses as sanctuary at night. They sterilize the boxes, forcing the count back to Transylvania. They separate and track the count across land and sea. Finally they kill the female vampires in the castle and slay the count just before he reaches his castle thus Mina is saved.

    Read More

  • Dracula

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a classic tale of Gothicism. Traditionally, gothic tales only carried single theme of horror. Through Dracula, Stoker breaks this single theme barrier. The theme throughout Dracula is clearly displayed through the characters as they step from ignorance to realization in this tale of horror.

    Read More

  • Dracula

    1451 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e. These women are both Dracula’s lovers and daughters. And this is an example of Freud’s Odysseia Complex which is the base of Sophokles’s Odysseus tale. In Dracula’s character we also see signs of fascism. At the very beginning of the story when he and Jonathan are having dinner, he gets angry with Jonathan because what he speaks about disturbs his thoughts on his background and he pulls his sword out. In addition, he is always in a fascist approach to the Turks and the Gipsies. With these aspects of his, Dracula follows a political opinion and with his style and manner reminds us of the Nazis.

    Read More

  • The Heart Of Darkness

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, is literally about Marlow’s journey into the Belgian Congo, but symbolically about the discovery of his heart and soul during his journey, only to find that it is consumed by darkness. He realizes that the man he admired and respected most, is really demonic and that he may be just like him. He is able to come to this realization however, before it takes the best of him.

    Read More

  • Dracula Character Analysis

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book, Dracula by Bram Stoker there are many characters that display qualities of good verse evil. The Count Dracula is a mysterious character who appears as an odd gentleman but the longer the story goes on Dracula shows his true self. Dracula started infiltrating the lives of anyone who crossed his path and he was not stopping his destruction of others’ lives. Many people were affect by Dracula’s actions but there were two people that Dracula caused an impact on during his rampage. Dracula is an evil, cunning, and selfish character who harms the life of a young man and ruins the future of an innocent woman.

    Read More

  • Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Through a Freudian Lens

    1207 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • Symbols And Symbolism In Frankenstein

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a classic piece of literature that has survived through the ages. Dracula has become a famous villain in countless movies and has been the inspiration for many others. What many people may miss about this book first written in 1897 is the purpose and symbolism behind this famous vampire. To begin to understand the symbolism and theme in the text, first you must understand a little background of the Victorian era in which Stoker lived. Named after Queen Victoria from 1837-190, this era was a time of “…sexual moralism, domestic propriety, and imperialist ambition” (“Dracula & the Fears of Victorian England”). Through these ideals and a declining economy, tensions were on the rise in the working class. Things such as sexual deviance or being improper was seen as a threat to proper Victorian society. Dracula and his mini...

    Read More

  • Racism in Heart of Darkness

    355 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Hero and Anti-Hero in Joseph Conrad?s Heart of Darkness

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite the opinion of certain critics, Conrad did not create Marlow to be a prejudice character. One of his first Marlow?s first Reactions to the villagers is the exact opposite, ?They were not enemies they were not criminals??(Conrad, 189) While his initial response may not seem altogether accepting, it is far beyond the understanding of his peers. As the story continues Marlow is slightly sarcastic in his understanding of the villagers, ?Fine fellows-Cannibals-in their place. They were men one could work with, and I am grateful to them. And, after all, they did not eat each other before my face? (189)? Marlow shows his ability to be sarcastic in the face of popular criticism, even making the mold step to refer to these African?s as ?Fine Fellows?(189), ?They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of they humanity-like yours-the thought of your remote kinship with this wild??(189) Although the natives...

    Read More

More about lighthod A Dark Heart in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Open Document