Critical Analysis Of Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

Critical Analysis of Heart of Darkness The ¨Heart of Darkness¨ by Joseph Conrad tells a tale of men, savages, and the not-so-fine line between the two. The reader follows the protagonist, Marlow, as he travels up the Congo river to meet Kurtz, a man known for his numerous abilities and high moral standards. The journey is a long and difficult one; Marlow and those he travels with encounter many dangers and detours. However, the plot itself reveals several symbolic moments as it slowly unravels from start to finish. Much of the symbolism found on this journey is related to both Marlow and Kurtz´s developments as main characters. One of the more commonly known examples of symbolism within the novel, and one of the first presented, is the instance in which Marlow visits the doctor before his expedition. Although brief, the few minutes he spends with the man is both uncomfortable and unpleasant. From the dialog, the reader can take that the doctor sees his future journey as more of a science experiment rather than an actual expedition. He seems extremely focussed on the subject of ¨madness,¨ hence why he

From the presence of the characters, their development as the story progress, and to the eventual development of relevant themes, the symbolism of the plot is what gives it it's deep meaning. It engages the reader and allows them to ask questions and self reflect. Furthermore, even the story's title is symbolic in it's reference to the plot. Following Marlow through his journey, the reader observes that within everyone and everything, there is always hidden temptation that can either make or break a person's resolve to be good and/or moral. Everyone has their hearts tempted by darkness at least once in their life, others plenty more, but what can be learned from this book is how to avoid such an outcome that could leave us in a condition as bad as