Heart Of Darkness Identity Essay

Identity, humans identify themselves everyday in various ways, but think deeper. Who are you? What are you? Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness depicts Kurtz and Charlie Marlow who is self-confident in the beginning of the novel but hence slithering into the deep dark congo, begins to become confused on who he really is. Humans use identity as a tool to define oneself and often have to question their true identity. Marlow has a strong idea on who he is in the beginning of the novel, he is a successful white male from Europe that is an expeditionist (anyone who has read the novel knows this), but when he enters the congolese infested jungle he quickly becomes mixed up. Marlow loses his sense of identity once he is consumed by the dark jungle inhabited by the indigenous congolese people that haven’t even found themselves yet because they are engulfed by the Congo. Marlow has “white privilege” and has access to whatever he wants. He is one of the white pilgrims that are exploring the Congo river, he is successful and confident, or so the reader may believe. Upon descending deeper into the Congo, Marlow is beginning to be unknowing of himself. Kurtz’s identity is hidden from the reader, and Marlow in the beginning of the novel, Kurtz is depicted as an almighty character that just wants to maintain the

The “darkness” is trying to take hold of Marlow and is doing so, slowly, because Marlow becomes mixed about his identity, what is it to be white? What is it to be black? The European continent that he left to go explore the Congo, is the civilization on that continent and the world civilization, is all civilization actually savage? Is being in the wild, civil? Marlow wants to know everything, he’s a curious