A Journey into the Soul in Heart of Darkness

1544 Words4 Pages

A Journey into the Soul in Heart of Darkness

A picture is an abstract idea, brought into context to form

something concrete. They are made up and created to give off some sort of

feeling or mood, that one can relate too. The atmosphere helps determine

what kind of mood the picture will take. Any author, of either a painting

or piece of literature will set the mood by using their atmosphere to

enhance the theme of their creation. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

uses mood and atmosphere to help create a portrait called, the journey into

the soul.

The journey to the soul is to find one's self. Atmosphere pervades

the mood or spirit. The atmosphere aids in revealing the journey to find

one's soul. The setting, "took in the forest, the creek, the mud, the

river-seemed to beckon with a dishonoring flourish before the sunlit face

of land a treacherous appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to

the profound darkness of its heart." Conrad 54 Conrad does not even mention

their exact location which is very peculiar. The main river was described

in the form a snake. A snake can be looked at from many points of views,

mythological, biblical, literal and metaphorically. The snake represents

all the twists and turns and being able to find one's inner-self is very

difficult and twisted. The snake represents some of the animal imagery in

the novel. Perhaps this is a sign that the jungle is something living and

not just an ordinary jungle.

Literature's imagery helps to show the main idea th...

... middle of paper ...

...sh off against the

state of the reader. While reading the novel I was able to reflect on my

own journey to the soul. Any reader can reflect and realize the inevitable.

The journey is not a pleasant one, it is a very difficult task, where evil

lurks in the smallest of places. These places could be anywhere including

the soul and the soul is one of man's most unique qualities. It determines

who we are and how we treat everyone surrounding our presence. In this

universe people live and die but a soul is immortal and will undertake an

eternity.

Works Cited

Conrad, Joseph.Heart of Darkness.Bantam Books:New York,1981.

Resources for the Study of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.1998.

Simon & Schuster.Webster's New World Dictionary.Macmillian:New York,1996.

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