Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness is a dark and haunting tale about the search for a substantial and mysteriously powerful man named Mr. Kurtz. Heart of Darkness centers around Marlow, a sailor and also narrator of the novella. Throughout the work, Conrad uses an array of literary devices to suggest his style of writing.
The title of the work itself, The Heart of Darkness, is an example of the use of metaphor. Darkness is a significant part of the book's title conceptually. However, it is difficult to discern exactly what it might mean, given that absolutely everything in the book takes place in darkness. Africa, England, and Brussels are all described as gloomy and somehow dark, even if the sun is shining brightly. Darkness thus seems to operate metaphorically. In relation to the work, darkness is the inability to see, therefore describing human conditions as profound implications. Faiure to see another human being, means failure to understand.
Through the use of imagery, Conrad illustrates what he feels and leaves the reader in suspense. "In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint, and in the luminous space the tanned sails of the barges drifting up with the tide seemed to stand still in red clusters of canvas sharply peaked, with gleams of varnished sprits" (65). His choice of words paints a perfect picture in which it engages the reader into the work.
The use of simile, "It came at the end of his speeches like a seal applied on the words to make the meaning of the commonest phrase appear absolutely inscrutable," (89) is an example of how Conrad literally compares entities within the work to generate a general correlation of understanding .
As a way of placing emphasis on thos...
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...specifically. Darkness suggests the inability to see, but as a description of the human condition it has an intensified significance.
Examples of the motif of light and darkness creates an illusion for what is identified as darkness. An example of the contrast of light and darkness occurred at the river in the Congo. The "blind whiteness of the fog" metaphorically overshadows the vision of the men that were on the steamboat. The darkness in this connotation seems to disguise the darkness. The light doesn't seem to suggest that things are becoming more visual, but it discerns the impression of making a way for the dark to get darker.
The elements used in contrast of light and darkness mirrors the title of the novella, The Heart of Darkness. This only employs the understanding that what appears to be bright on the outside may have a heart of darkness interiorly.
The use of light and dark motifs by Mulisch explains many reactions of Anton when encountered with problems of his past. Perception of darkness Anton Steinwijk, the main character, experiences such assault by soldiers during the Occupation and his family being shot by them. His desire to leave what has happened to him in the past has been influenced thoroughly by some of the people he encounters as well as the trauma. Light and darkness symbolizes Anton's sense perception as well as moral issues conveyed by people he met, which influences him observing the war and his past years of life, and the desire to leave the past behind and move on.
In the novella Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad uses many literary devices to create, for his readers, a vivid picture of what his definition of light and darkness really is.
Heart of Darkness is Joseph Conrad's tale of one man's journey, both mental and physical, into the depths of the wild African jungle and the human soul. The seaman, Marlow, tells his crew a startling tale of a man named Kurtz and his expedition that culminates in his encounter with the "voice" of Kurtz and ultimately, Kurtz's demise. The passage from Part I of the novel consists of Marlow's initial encounter with the natives of this place of immense darkness, directly relating to Conrad's use of imagery and metaphor to illustrate to the reader the contrast between light and dark. The passage, although occurring earlier on in the novel, is interspersed with Marlow's two opposing points of view: one of naïveté, which comes before Marlow's eventual epiphany after having met Kurtz, and the matured perspective he takes on after all of the events leading up to his and Kurtz's encounter.
To anyone who has ever read biblical passages or studied any kind of advanced education, “Let There Be Dark” is a clear Biblical analogy, one with an ironic twist. This iconic phrase references a hand full of the first words in the chapter “Genesis” of the bible, “and god said ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light...”, to most church goers, this alone would likely bring to mind that even darkness was made by the same creator, and for others, at the very least, it brings to mind that even darkness is natural, in all its forms. Alongside leaving the readers with this thought, it also lays a tone of humanity, and a false one of
In Joseph Conrad’s short story, “Heart of Darkness,” the narrator, Marlow language, and point of view to convey the conflicting emotions he has about Kurtz due to the image he fabricated Kurtz to be, and the reality of Kurtz. Marlow’s language throughout the piece reveals to the reader how he feels about Kurtz and how he perceives Kurtz’s actions. Marlow’s point of view also allows him to support both of his perceptions of Kurtz because he doesn’t see only bad or only good in
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.
As Marlow assists the reader in understanding the story he tells, many inversions and contrasts are utilized in order to increase apperception of the true meaning it holds. One of the most commonly occurring divergences is the un orthodox implications that light and dark embody. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness brims with paradoxes and symbolism throughout its entirety, with the intent of assisting the reader in comprehending the truth of not only human nature, but of the world.
This story has a very dark mood and atmosphere in which it takes place. Hence, the title Heart of Darkness. This is shown in relation to how the story takes place during a dark time, when England was taking over places by force. In addition to this, the story mainly takes place in the dark jungle. It is said in the beginning of the book that many people’s adventures into the jungle don’t always work out for the better. The setting of this story in relation to where and when it takes place helps enhance the overall mood of being a dark story.
The contrast between light and dark is very important when attempting to understand Conrad's thoughts and ideas about civilization and what it really is.
Firstly each of the main characters in Heart of Darkness plays a significant role in the overall theme of the novel, as mentioned above. The central character is a thirty two year old sailor, Charlie Marlow. He is a dynamic character who essentially controls the development of the theme. Through Marlow's experiences and revelations, the author illustrates how forces of light and darkness serve to weave the human soul together; thus, essentially how both good and evil are reflected within the individual. Marlow's journey leads him in an urgent search for Kurtz, the one man who can provide him with the truth about himself.
Darkness can be thought of in a myriad of ways. One way to interpret is as a source of blindness. With darkness, there is no light, consequently providing the lack of sight. Another way to interpret darkness is that something that is hidden in the dark is mysterious, dangerous, and evil. The first reference to darkness can imply how one 's environment can blind them which causes them to lose their senses, be thrown into a state of confusion. In that state, they can be influenced or even just desire corrupt actions.
Conrad also employs the literary device of symbolism to further display the theme, the duality of human nature in his novella Heart of Darkness. Three major examples of symbolism are evident in this novella. These examples include, light and dark, the Congo River, and ivory. Similar to Stevenson, Conrad uses light and dark symbolism throughout his novella. Yet curiously in Heart of Darkness, light does not symbolize genuine goodness nor does dark symbolize pure calamity. Marlow proves this when he says as a comment to the Nellie’s sailors that, “I know that the sunlight can be made to lie, too” (Conrad 1944). The true essence of the light and dark symbolism is portrayed when Marlow compares the white men to the black men, concluding that these men are all the same. In Heart of Darkness, the symbolizing of light and dark actually represents the duality of human nature, a universal condition, which affects all men despite their skin color. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow’s voyage up the Congo River represents Marlow’s own inward journey. As Marlow advances up the river in search for Kurtz, he begins to learn more and more about himself. Nearing the end of his voyage up the Congo River, Marlow realizes he has more in common with the natives than with the European imperialists. At the end of his journey, when Marlow finally reaches Kurtz, he has learned that everybody has a dark side, but some people learned how to conceal it better than others. The third example of symbolism is ivory. In Heart of Darkness, ivory symbolizes greed and the calamitous nature of man, or the evil side. All throughout the novella the agents and managers of the Company are consumed by obtaining ivory. So much so, that they abandon all their moral principles and...
Heart of Darkness is a novella that is one story being told by Marlow within the actual story by Joseph Conrad. The novella is set on a boat, the Nellie, on the Thames river in England, but the story that Marlow tells is set in the Belgian Congo. When relating the theme of this novella to the setting it has to be looked at from both the Thames and Congo rivers. Heart of Darkness shows the superiority of whites over blacks in a context where the blacks are considered to be savages and whites are supposed to be civilized.
In one context, Marlow the protagonist of Heart of Darkness uses the word "darkness" when reminiscing about his boyhood dreams of exploring undiscovered places on the map. Marlow referred to the places on the map that were uncharted and unexplored as dark. Darkness represents a mystery or an adventure yet to happen.
"SparkNotes: Heart of Darkness: Themes, Motifs & Symbols." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. .