On page 44 Marlow talks about his overhearing the
On page 44 Marlow talks about his overhearing the
There is clear proof throughout the story that the narrator is an unreliable source. The fact that he feels the need to prove his sanity is more proof of his insanity. The narrator is delusional, impulsive, and obsessive. He is unable to distinguish between reality and his delusions. The combination of all of these factors makes the narrator incapable of recounting the story without adding in his own delusions and fallacious reasoning to the…
The climactic rise and fall of Kurtz and Nathan Price typifies the destructive, insidious force of society’s truth upon the human soul. Signs of Kurtz’ troubled state litter Marlow’s initial days at the Central Station. While admiring an agent’s artifact collection, Marlow stumbles upon a small sketch “representing a woman, draped and blind-folded, carrying a lighted torch” (Conrad 122). Kurtz’ revelatory painting of the “sinister” looking woman engulfed in darkness clearly reflects his struggle with forging ahead on the continuum of truth (Conrad 122). Unfortunately, the constant praise of his peers, who regarded Kurtz as a “remarkable person” (Conrad 115), “exceptional man,” (Conrad 119), “a prodigy” (Conrad 122), coupled with the unbounded freedom of the Congo, creates a severe superiority complex within him, grinding his continuum to a halt. Once on his knees, the European imperialist mentality effectively crushes Kurtz’ inner principles: “it had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own” (Conrad 147). In Poisonwood Bible, Nathan Price also falls…
During the 19th century, Britain was the most powerful and influential nation in the world; its Empire was spread throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. Explorers were constantly going to these newly conquered lands to spread English culture in an attempt to “civilize” the natives that were living there. Joseph Conrad was an explorer who traveled around the world to the various regions under Britain’s control. Even though he may have taken pride in the extent of the British Empire’s territory, it does not mean that he agreed with their method of “civilizing” the natives after experiencing it first hand on his trip to the Congo. One might ask, how does Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ feed the concept of postcolonial criticism? Throughout the entirety of the work, we are shown British Imperialism through…
When people are confused it is hard for both parties to function normally. In Ordinary People, confusion takes over. Between the many characters in the script, they are always left with unanswered questions that result into mass confusion. There are many different situations where the characters in the script do not clear everything up. Every character has to deal with confusion at one point in the script if not multiple times. It is hard for the characters to go on with their everyday life, when they are not sure everyone is on the same page. Confusion can cause people to feel as if they have been left out or not worth anything to the other person. In the script Conrad deals with a lot of confusion that leads him to believe he is not good…
Even though Marlow’s unrealistic depiction of Kurtz has been shattered by Kurtz’s cruelty, he believes that Kurtz achieved a “moral victory” in the battle with death. In a contest “without clamour, without glory, without the great desire, without the great fear of desire,” Kurtz achieved what Marlow fears he may not be able to do: “He had something to say. He said it.” In his final moments, Kurtz realized the cruelty of his own actions and, in this realization, weakly speaks the words “The horror!” When Marlow came within “ a hair’s breath” of death, he faced the humiliation that he might have nothing to say; therefore, Kurtz’s final “pronouncement” is of so much value to Marlow that it keeps him “loyal to Kurtz to the last.” Marlow believes that life is a riddle which baffles all men and that death is an adversary that every men must wrestle with. Conrad’s use of metaphor to depict Kurtz’s final struggle with life highlights the importance of Kurtz’s “moral victory” to Marlow. The notion of defeat or victory in the “unexciting contest” of life emphasizes that Marlow admires the strength Kurtz shows in his final…
Dreadfully chilling, "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe is a horrific short story that introduces the reader to an utterly mad narrator who is driven to commit vile and heinous acts because of his unnatural obsession with his roommate's, an old man, cataract eye. The narrator's madness is revealed instantly, only to be substantiated when he devises a sinister plan to rid himself of the "vulture eye" forever. After seven nights of watching his prey sleep, the narrator strikes and coldheartedly murders the old man. A shriek calls the attention of a neighbor, who contacts the local authorities. The narrator, who is so overwhelmed with his own hubris, cheerily invites the three officers in to investigate, and even chat afterwards. However, the narrator's own guilt grows to such a point that his heart begins beating louder and louder, all the while convinced the heartbeat he hears belongs to his victim. Even though it's impossible, the narrator believes the police can hear the heartbeat, provoking him to confess to the violent crime. As if these dilemmas weren't disconcerting enough, Poe creates even more terror in "The Tell-Tale Heart" through his adept use of similes, metaphors, and irony.…
The mind of man, as he soon comes to know, is capable of many things, and is to be perused by man himself. Marlow is a very wise man, and loves to explore and learn things both about others and about himself. He learns that the evil desires that lie within every man are able to be overcome and avoided, whereas Kurtz and many others do not and fall victim to them. Society in the Europe and eventually in the Congo was trying to pull Marlow down to its levels of corruption and darkness, but Marlow learns that he was able to avoid it as best as he could, and that he has evil inside of himself as well. When Marlow first hears of Kurtz, he hears only good things; Kurtz is a hard worker, an ivory specialist, and an honorable man. However, when he reaches the inner station and gradually spends time with Kurtz, he sees the clear faults in him. When…
Kurtz represents the id, or the need to satisfy one’s instinct, while Marlow represents the ego, or one’s unconscious. Freud’s theory of repression as well as his ideas of dreams accurately analyze the purpose of Marlow and Kurtz’s psychological changes. This novel revolves around the idea that our subconscious has a more than important role in the actions that we take everyday, and if one’s psyche is thrown off balance it can have a permanent and potentially dangerous effect. This effect can be seen through the way in which Marlow and Kurtz had progressed as characters. Conrad is demonstrating the idea that all of us have an inner desire that we would like to succumb to and that the smallest change in environment or mindset can lead us to turn to our ‘hearts of…
Authors use pieces of literature such as Joseph Conrad’s novel, The Heart of Darkness, the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, and the satirical essay by Binyavanga Wainaina “How To Write About Africa” to show how they or other people portray Africa. Authors use different tones of voice to write: either about the same event or the same place so that their works appeal to a specific audience. Books can be written for the same audiences as well. Authors can voice their books differently to get their message across; Joseph Conrad uses his voice to tell how Africans are savages; both Chinua Achebe and Binyavaga Wainina use their voices to show how people’s views of Africa are not entirely correct.…
What effect is created by Marlow's interruption by the first narrator? The narrative technique in the novel is like a series of Chinese boxes-Conrad the author, an unnamed narrator who tells us about Marlow, Marlow who tells about his journey and about Kurtz, the voice of Kurtz who is the innermost voice. Think about what thematic and narrative purposes might be served by this layer on layer narrative voices.…
In this excerpt from the novel, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the author effectively portrays the Congo River as an inhospitable location unfit for human existence. Through Conrad’s diction, syntax and detail of the environment, the author reveals a great deal of psychological stress, due to the hostile environment, which leads to physical anguish.…
Conrad uses contrast in his novel “Heart of Darkness”. Conrad would use contrast to convey meaning in his writing. Not only did contrast help convey meaning, but he also used it to show feelings. Of the many contrast in “Heart of Darkness” the difference of light and dark and the difference between the Thames River and the Congo River are the most obvious.…
The party was lame. Conrad would not let me do like anything. He was like my father. I got so irritated that I walked away and met a guy named Cam. He remembers me from a camp in DC. He was smarter then me but we had a lot in common. Cameron was a straightedge, which meant he lived with an addict and was using chemicals but stopped. Maybe Cameron was someone I would fall in love with instead of Conrad. That night Cam gave me his hoodie and we watched fireworks. I knew that night made me like someone else and made Conrad jealous As Cam and I got more serious and hung out more, the more Conrad was jealous and acting outrageous. The scariest moment was the first date Cameron took me on. We weren’t there long but what I did remember was Jeremiah…
The corrupting power is mainly expressed by the character which Marlow is most fascinated of. Actually he’s not the only one who admires Kurtz. It is the native people who are mostly influenced by Kurtz’s intelligence and His distinction from the others. Kurtz appears different from the other whites with the fact that he’s…
Who are you? No, really, have you ever considered that question? Identity is the collection of attributes that defines how we see ourselves. In this big world, each individual is like a grain of sand on a beach; none of them are any more significant than another. At the same time, there are the occasional grains, which are larger than the rest, the ones with greater influence than the others. In essence, Emerson’s words are as true as when he spoke them. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, and Albert Camus’ The Stranger, there is a significant theme of lost identity. Although the three novels are different, they establish the unsettling existence of the characters.…