Heart Of Darkness Literary Analysis Essay
“Altruism and naiveté: European perceptions of Africa in 1899 manifested in through the women in “Heart of Darkness” Alia Aglan IB English 12: 1st blue October 1, 2013 “Heart of Darkness,” by Josef Conrad is a story about the evils of imperialism during the late 1800s, often embodied by devilish imagery, “these were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils, that swayed and drove men-men, I tell you” (25).
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Marlow was scared to tell The Intended about her fiancée’s death and more scared of her reaction, “I heard her weeping she had hidden her face in her hand. It seemed to me that the house would collapse before I could escape, the heavens would fall upon my head” (72). Although, he did not tell her his last words, but instead told her his last words were her name, “‘the last word he pronounced was—your name.’ I hear a light sigh and then my heart stood still, stopped dead short by an exulting and terrible cry, by the cry of inconvincible triumph and unspeakable pain” (72). The irony of Marlow telling The Intended that is Kurtz’s last words were actually, “The horror! The horror!” (64), meaning the horror that was supposedly Africa at the time. Marlow did not tell her the truth because it would have been too devastating for her, her whole pretty world would have been upside down; Knowing of all the devils of the world would have penetrated her altruistic beliefs, Marlow explains , “I could not tell her. It would have been too dark—too dark altogether” (72). He goes on to explain that, if he did tell her the truth too much evil would haunt her, “in the triumphant darkness from which I could not have defended her” (70). The Intended symbolizes the ignorance of what Africa made men into, which as it was with Kurtz completely insane, and the inability to recognize the change in the
Marlow was scared to tell The Intended about her fiancée’s death and more scared of her reaction, “I heard her weeping she had hidden her face in her hand. It seemed to me that the house would collapse before I could escape, the heavens would fall upon my head” (72). Although, he did not tell her his last words, but instead told her his last words were her name, “‘the last word he pronounced was—your name.’ I hear a light sigh and then my heart stood still, stopped dead short by an exulting and terrible cry, by the cry of inconvincible triumph and unspeakable pain” (72). The irony of Marlow telling The Intended that is Kurtz’s last words were actually, “The horror! The horror!” (64), meaning the horror that was supposedly Africa at the time. Marlow did not tell her the truth because it would have been too devastating for her, her whole pretty world would have been upside down; Knowing of all the devils of the world would have penetrated her altruistic beliefs, Marlow explains , “I could not tell her. It would have been too dark—too dark altogether” (72). He goes on to explain that, if he did tell her the truth too much evil would haunt her, “in the triumphant darkness from which I could not have defended her” (70). The Intended symbolizes the ignorance of what Africa made men into, which as it was with Kurtz completely insane, and the inability to recognize the change in the