ipl-logo

Resistance In Joseph Conrad's Darkness

765 Words4 Pages

the company's request that Marlow should prove his honesty and loyalty by signing some papers which secures that he will not tell anyone about the company's secrets. The resistance portrayed here has three dimensions. The first one is inner resistance. Every human being has two sides: the dark side that includes man's natural lust for power, sex, greed, and immorality while the other side is based mainly on resisting these notions or at least employing some of them in a proper way. Kurtz embodies a kind of person who has given up resistance to his dark side. He seems to be totally surrendering to it. Kurtz was so aspiring.; he used to have bright plans for the developing of Africa. However, when he begins to turn these vivid dreams to …show more content…

'My Intended, my ivory, my station, my river, my - ' everything belonged to him" (Conrad 13). Kurtz shows his cleverness as he forces the natives to his orders. He uses various methods to achieve his aims. Kurtz uses his intelligence to brainwash them and to gain their loyalty and devotion. This method is embodied by Harlequin as he says about him " You can't judge Kurtz as an you would an ordinary man" (Conrad 132). Another method is the use of exaggerated power to maintain his position among the natives "He comes to them with thunder and lightning" (Conrad 51). This method is symbolized by "round curved balls" which turns out to be human heads. Kurtz punishes severely whoever disobeys him. By keeping these heads around the building, it serves as a remainder for those who might think of disobeying his orders. Kurtz seems to surrender to his dark side. According to Albert guerard: Heart of Darkness isn’t really about Africa, it’s a metaphor for a psychological exploration to the heart of human nature and the animal selves that lurk beneath our civilized veneers. The true darkness is the beast within, and the ease with which we may backslide when external constrictions are removed. (qtd in

Show More
Related

  • Response To Night By Elie Wiesel

    484 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book Night by Elie Wiesel is a sad and depressing story about Eliezer and his story during the Holocaust and every thing that happened to him during this time. I feel that if I was in this situation I would feel the same exact way Eliezer would because being a teenager during the time of all of this would be stressful and complicated, in fact, this is how I would relate to the text personally. If I had to compare how I view the world between how the text views the world then I would say that they would be similar and agree with each other. There will always be bad people/ things in the world, but if you wait long enough and try hard enough you’ll make it to the end and all the pain will go away. In this situation I feel as if giving up would be the wrong thing to do and pushing through would be the right thing to do in order to stay alive.

    Read More

  • Strength Of The Book Night By Elie Wiesel

    888 Words  | 4 Pages

    Strength The will to survive, The will to survive, the only thing driving the holocaust survivors forward in their struggle to survive Auschwitz and having the strength to revisit the memories to tell the story so it is not forgotten. Throughout the holocaust millions of people died at the hands of the Nazi party, in the book night the author explains his experiences throughout his many years at Auschwitz and his story of survival and why strength played a major part in his survival. Henry Beacher states that “Greatness lies in not being strong, but in the right use of strength” and it is supported by the courage, resistance, and the will not to die as shown by the book night and his mission to spread the story. Throughout history people have suffered but have pulled out of their deep pit of despair and have

    Read More

  • Symbolism Of Kurtz In Elie Wiesel's 'Night'

    1205 Words  | 5 Pages

    He said that Kurtz’s stare at the moment of his death “could not see the flame of the candle, but was wide enough to embrace the whole universe, piercing enough to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness” (Conrad 116). Kurtz’s lack of words resulted from the overwhelming emotions and visions he experienced during his death. People typically do not understand the wickedness of human actions until

    Read More

  • The Ignorance In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    93 Words  | 1 Pages

    When Marlow returns from the Congo he, just as Kurtz and Russian, is no longer the same man. Marlow returning to Europe to see just how ignorant the people there are, not knowing anything past their, “insignificant and silly dreams” (Conrad 70). He believing that he is no longer like them, no longer being like them since being in the Congo and seeing just what it had become at the hands of European Imperialism. Though Marlow is no different than those he is looking down upon, his ignorance coming from keeping others

    Read More

  • Examples Of Sacrifice Kurtz

    2044 Words  | 9 Pages

    The fact that such a remarkable man could fall to utter doom through his own hubris and a sacrifice where he thought he would emerge triumphant shows the true danger of darkness. The fact “all Europe had contributed to the making of Kurtz” (90) and the high praise which he originally received show that Kurtz represents more than just man, he is the ideal European. His downfall shows that not even the most ambitious and skilled men conquer nature and resist man’s sinful instincts when there is nothing to stop them. Kurtz had a stare “wide enough to embrace the whole universe, piercing enough to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness. He had summed up—he had judged.

    Read More

  • Into The Darkness: How And Why Is A Social Group Presented In A Particular Way?

    1119 Words  | 5 Pages

    Into the Darkness: How and why is a social group presented in a particular way? Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness takes a multi-faceted approach to the issues that surrounded 19th century colonization and imperialism in Africa. Marlow’s journey into the heart of Africa serves to highlight the hypocrisy of this endeavor, and how this deceit followed the rhetoric utilized by the colonizers in order to justify their colonization of Africa and the treatment of the natives. As the novel progresses, Africa becomes more of a backdrop for Conrad to truly expose the depravity of European intervention in Africa. Through Marlow’s narrative, varying connotations of words and his own main character’s reactions,as well as copious amounts of descriptive imagery, Conrad casts Europeans in a negative light in order to criticize imperialism and colonists.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Ignorance In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    1186 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout the novella, Marlow chases Kurtz, who is seen as a great man and a genius, deeper into the jungle. However, similar to how a robot can become self-aware, Kurtz slowly understands the reality of his actions and the corruption of the white imperialist system that he is part of. Kurtz is described as more of a voice and less of a man. His final words, “The horror! The horror!”

    Read More

  • The Controversy In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    97 Words  | 1 Pages

    Hunt Hawkins presents the controversy that Joseph Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness, encounters, as its contents portray Africans as dehumanizing, savage, and uncivilized beings. In order to provide a sufficient amount of information with regards to the controversy, Hawkins introduces the analysis of distinct scholars to describe racism, imperialism, and human nature. As a result, an analysis of the characters are provided to the audience and allow an individual to understand why Conrad decided to write Heart of Darkness the way he did. Thus, during this process, Hawkins describes the manifestation of the darkness that eventually consumes Kurtz.

    Read More

  • Uses Of Symbolism In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    1880 Words  | 8 Pages

    To be bluntly honest, after having gotten to page 8 without having understood a word of the text, I was very frustrated. Not only did Heart of Darkness have an old-fashioned English style of writing but the first few pages were completely filled with references, symbols, metaphors and vivid imagery. I found myself either looking up each metaphor to understand it better or rereading each imagery because of its vividness. Thankfully, as the book progressed and Marlow’s story began, the plot became clearer and the story started to carry on more smoothly. I have come to realize that Heart of Darkness can be regarded as a story within a story.

    Read More

  • Imperialism In Heart Of Darkness

    1238 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the imperialism of Africa is described. Conrad tells the story of the cruel treatment of the natives and of the imperialism of the Congo region through the perspective through the main character, Marlow. Through the lens of New Criticism, it is evident that Conrad incorporates numerous literary devices in Heart of Darkness, including similes, imagery, personification, and antitheses to describe and exemplify the main idea of cruel imperialism in Africa discussed throughout the novella. Throughout Heart of Darkness, Kurtz and other men that are known as strong, greedy, European leaders of the movement to imperialize Africa, are mentioned multiple times.

    Read More

  • Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad Madness Analysis

    1320 Words  | 6 Pages

    Kurtz, allowing readers to see the overall madness recurring. Conrad uses specific diction to force readers to imagine the madness that must be going through Mr.Kurtz mind because of his geographical surroundings. Furthermore, Marlow disturbingly states “the air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of the sunshine... deserted, into the gloom.”

    Read More

  • The Symbolism In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    1041 Words  | 5 Pages

    Africa in this novella is portrayed as “the Heart of Darkness” the place where the men’s inner evil is exposed, this is done through their thoughts and actions. The contrast between the Thames River and the Congo River is also made evident in the novella. The Thames River is described as calm and peaceful. It is viewed as a city of light that is not mysterious.

    Read More

  • Good Vs. Evil In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    807 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the narrator Marlow the readers come to know about the Natives that they are actually innocent people who were under Europeans. In relation to this it deals with the theme of Good vs. Evil, in ‘Heart of Darkness’ which is presented when Marlow who is a good character encounters the situation where he is confused between good and evil, whether Mr. Kurtz is really a

    Read More

  • Essay On The Physical Journey In Heart Of Darkness

    813 Words  | 4 Pages

    At last, when they remove Mr. Kurtz from the Congo, he cannot handle it and sickness overcomes him. Marlow ties his identity so closely to Mr. Kurtz that when Mr. Kurtz dies, “they very nearly buried” Marlow as well (87). By seeing the monster that Mr. Kurtz becomes, Marlow eventually sees his own dark potential. The jungle could just as easily corrupt him and cause his

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    874 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Resistance In Joseph Conrad's Darkness

Open Document