Heart Of Darkness Character Analysis

When an individual travels into unknown territory, their greatest chance of survival is in gaining an understanding of the land and the people that inhabit it. The natives are the people who understand the location and what simple missteps could lead to death. The natives live in a world different from the travelers, and the knowledge they carry is greater than anything brought from home. How a character adapts to the environment influences their survival and what they retain after returning home. In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and State of Wonder by Ann Patchett the main characters must adjust to being in an unknown location or face death. The narrators of State of Wonder and Heart of Darkness journey into unfamiliar territory, however

They share a common interest in the wild, overgrown nature enveloping their voyage. This characterization transforms to fit their initial impression of the natives that inhabit the region. Their initial impression of natives relates them to the wild wilderness that surrounds them, and that they are not in any way similar to themselves. In State of Wonder Marina has been traveling in a jungle absent of people, when all at once a large group of natives appear in the night. After a period of solidarity, Marina remarks on the natives as being “truly the worst-case scenario” (Patchett 185). She knew they were eventually going to meet the Lakashi, but is still uncomfortable with the abrupt meeting. Marina would rather have an image of the Lakashi instead of actually have to face them. Through Easter, a boy from the region, she has learned of the dangers that surround the area and yet feels more discomfort from the sighting of the Lakashi. Her initial discomfort parallels Marlow’s reaction in Heart of Darkness upon having watched natives while traveling down river. Marlow’s first thorough acknowledgment of the natives is through a double negative. He describes the natives as “not inhuman,” which shows that these people are not animals but they are not necessarily the humans Marlow classifies himself as (Conrad 139). Both initial expressions are negative and provide an

In State of Wonder, Marina has been in close quarters with the natives for quite some time and feels almost like a native herself. She has learned how to survive in the jungle and how to do her part in the project. She wears the same dress as the women, and even saves Mr. Fox from a deadly snakebite. Marina is completely acclimated to the jungle and the Lakashi people she begins to think that she “wasn’t sorry not to be going back on the boat” (Patchett 315). Marina is used to the people and how things are done with the Lakashi, and has become so used to living there that she does not want to return at all. By now, Marina has learned a great deal from the Lakashi about their customs and how to survive in the jungle whether from snakes or torrential rain. Whereas in Heart of Darkness, Marlow has had more encounters with the natives, he still separates them from himself. However, he does have a better understanding of their ‘savagery’ and why the natives act as they do. The jungle is still not safe for his crew, and one step out of line could end in their deaths, and yet Marlow still begins to understand more about their nature. He begins to recognize that “uncomplicated savagery was a positive relief” and that their actions were natural (Conrad 165). He still refers to the natives as savages, but has a greater understanding as to why they are