Heart of Darkness is an extraordinary novel and it has overstepped the framework of its genre. Heart of Darkness portrays the fearsome and psychologically sophisticated story of the struggle between civilization and the wild untamed nature. The captain of the vessel is named Charlie Marlow, initially his aim is to take ivory out of Africa and with it an ill agent named Mr. Kurtz because of who Marlow’s reality starts to change. Kurtz is one of the key character in the novel. He was called the “universal genius”, who is extremely intelligent but unfortunately falls under the influence of human instincts like greed.
Victor Hugo, a french author, once stated, “The mountains, the forest and the sea render men savage; they develop the fierce, but yet do not destroy the human.” In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, a group of boys crash land on an island and are left to a structureless society. The boys, at first, are capable of managing a just form of government, however, due to the fact that there are absolutely no adults on the island, they quickly stray from justice and overall peace. Jack is the origin of most of the conflicts on the island that lead to fear and death. He has absolutely no control over his obsessions and desires for blood and power.
At various times throughout the story, mainly through the trials, Odysseus made many decisions and forced his crew to go through many potentially lethal situations without preparing his own crew, or situations that were just a waste of time. This then leads to not only all of his crew being killed but the creation of many bad relationships. The first example of Odysseus mistreating his crew is when he and his crew went through the trails, “No more. Come, / let me tell you about the voyage fraught with hardship / Zeus inflicted on me, homeward bound from Troy...” 9.42-44.
He used the novel to get across many points, but he also introduced a larger theme that is still relevant today: A person’s morals will often differ from what society views as correct. He developed this theme using a variety of literary devices, such as conflict, language, and satire. He seemed to have a great understanding for these devices and how they could impact the story he was portraying. Twain took views that went against society's beliefs, similar to many people at this time, which came across especially in his portrayal of Huck. All things considered, Mark Twain did an excellent job promoting the theme that drove his
H.L. Mencken said “The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear- fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable. What he wants above everything else is safety.” The men and women of Africa during the imperialist time felt this fear constantly. Their lives were ever-changing, not because of a lack of civilization, because the white men were taking their lives over. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the tribal members are confused by the triumph of the white missionaries in their country and are fearful not of what they offer, but what they do not yet understand.
When trying to explain something very big and complex, symbols are usually the way to go because it will make the understanding much more clear. They also are a way to communicate and enhance meaning of the main idea, strong conflicts or high emotions of a story. In the story, the conch is representative of civilization and the type of authority figure that the boys are used to obeying like an adult figure, and Jack’s hunters represent savagery as they hunt recklessly. These two symbols are some of the most important in the novel. We see these two develop thoroughly through conflict and struggle.
In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz gains money and status through his immense ivory imports, thus ensuring he remains a dominant figure in Congo. As Marlow describes his journey, he frequently cites Kurtz as having “no restraint,” detailing Kurtz’s collection of heads on sticks surrounding his living quarters. The repetition of this phrase exhibits that Kurtz is revered and feared among Marlow’s fellow explorers, thus held on a pedestal due to his existing wealth. This fascination with Kurtz inhibits Marlow’s journey for self-discover throughout the Congo as he spends much of the novel searching for Kurtz in pursuit of his own self-actualization, thus avoids true internal
The Long Journey Home Odysseus getting trapped on an island, getting some of his men eaten by a monster, and having all of his men killed was a very tough journey to encounter. But a journey like that can change a person, to do better and be better. Arthur Ashe stated, “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome”. In the Odyssey, Homer uses Odysseus’s journey to show that one’s journey can change them as a person.
The description of the scenery by Marlow adds something vital meaning to the title of the novel. The wild scene, thick and impenetrable jungle, the pictures of the natives hiding in the dense jungle, the silence and the dangerous stillness of the river Congo, the thick fog, all these features are suggestive to the title Heart of Darkness. The outer physical setting intensifies the horror and the fear among the readers. The reading about the description of
A New Perspective It is extremely common place for the people in the small southern town of Maycomb to be stubborn, racist, and unforgiving. However, Atticus Finch, an outstander, seems to have a different view on things. In Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus’ glasses symbolize his power to see things from a different perspective. Unlike the typical Maycombian, Atticus knows that racial boundaries and stubbornness cannot carry on the developing world. Early on in the novel, Atticus’ glasses show how he not like most of the other men in Maycomb.
The people that expanded westward had to endure great challenges or setbacks on they 're exploring. They encountered a lot of weather challenges, Indian attacks and animal attacks. During this time of exploration the president Thomas Jefferson was not helping everyone explore. The westward expansion was actually a major part of his wild soul that just wanted to get out there and explore. The explorers and present day us got lots of benefits but also consequences.
The hot summers came along with intense heat, heavy rainfall, mosquitoes everywhere, and open sewers. Although these odors did a great danger on the people’s health business would still go on. Since the Americans had just won the Revolutionary War everyone was celebrating and too busy to notice the fever walking among them. In the streets of Philadelphia quarantine was very low standard. “Dead dish and gooey vegetable matter were exposed and rotted, while swarms of insects droned in the heavy, humid air.”
There are two distinct reasons why the setting Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” is essential to the plot. First of all, the thick jungle is important because it gives hunted people many places to hide from General Zaroff. Even with the general’s keen hunting skills, the maze of plants and trees gives excellent protection. When Rainsford approaches the island, he sees that, “An unbroken front of snarled and ragged jungle fringed the shore.” (3)
“I wanted to break out crying from stabs of hopeless joy, or intolerable promise, or because these mornings were too full of beauty for me, because I knew of too much hate to be contained in a world like this.” (Knowles 55). Early on in the novel, Gene starts to realize how much hatred there is in the world, and soon after, he realizes that there is an undying hatred within his heart and a clear enemy, Phineas. Gene and Phineas were about to jump from a tree into the water together and right before they had jumped, something terrible had happened. “Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb” (Knowles 59/60).
This would separate him from his family, which really upsets him. Meeting Huck on Jackson Island, the two venture on many adventures down the Mississippi River whilst trying to not get caught and taken back into slavery. He is highly superstitious. He is caring for Huck and his family. He believes Huck to be his only and best friend, and he ends up helping Huck more than Huck realizes.