Key Facts About Heart of Darkness

Complete title: Heart of Darkness Written By: Joseph Conrad Genre: Symbolism, adventure tale, colonial literature Time and Place of writing: England in 1899 Date of first publication: Blackwood’s Magazine, 1899. Later published in the volume Youth: A Narrative; and Two Other Stories in 1902 Major Conflict: Marlow and Kurtz face conflict between their views of themselves as civilized men and the … Read more

Heart of Darkness Quotes and Analysis

The word ivory rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! I’ve never seen anything so unreal in my life. And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on … Read more

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Introduction

Heart of Darkness, a novella written by Joseph Conrad, was first published in Blackwood’s magazine in 1899. It wasn’t printed in book form until 1942 in Youth: A Narrative, and Two Other Stories. Joseph Conrad set sail for the Belgian Congo in 1890, and wrote of his experiences in his novella, Heart of Darkness. On the surface, the story … Read more

Heart of Darkness Summary

Heart of Darkness follows Marlow, a knowledge-seeking sailor, as he embarks up the Congo River to join up with Kurtz, alleged to be an idealistic man with many talents. Marlow assumes a job as a riverboat captain for a Belgian organization with interests in the Congo known simply as the Company. During his journey to Africa, … Read more

Heart of Darkness Characters and Analysis

Characters and Analysis Marlow: Marlow is the philosophical and knowledge-seeking protagonist of Heart of Darkness. He shares many of the same qualities as a master storyteller, capable of using imagery and detail to draw his listeners into his stories. Even though Marlow shares many of the same prejudices as Europeans of his time, he has experienced enough of … Read more

Heart of Darkness Themes and Symbols

The hypocrisy of imperialism: Heart of darkness focuses on the issues that surround imperialism in very complex ways. While marlow ventures from the outer station to the central station, and eventually up the river to the inner station, he stares in the face of torture, cruelty and slavery. At its root, the novel paints a dark picture … Read more

Impressionism and Symbolism in Heart of Darkness

In Heart of Darkness it is the white invaders for instance, who are, almost without exception, embodiments of blindness, selfishness, and cruelty; and even in the cognitive domain, where such positive phrases as “to enlighten,” for instance, are conventionally opposed to negative ones such as “to be in the dark,” the traditional expectations are reversed. … Read more

The horror in Heart of Darkness

In Heart of Darkness it is the white invaders for instance, who are, almost without exception, embodiments of blindness, selfishness, and cruelty; and even in the cognitive domain, where such positive phrases as to enlighten, for instance, are conventionally opposed to negative ones such as to be in the dark, the traditional expectations are reversed. … Read more

Attack Upon Colonialism in Heart of Darkness

It is very easy for a reader to see Heart of Darkness as a depiction of, and an attack upon, colonialism in general, and, more specifically, the particularly brutal form colonialism took in the Belgian Congo. Consider the book from this point of view, and you will be led to those details which depict the … Read more

Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness

In Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness the Europeans are cut off from civilization, overtaken by greed, exploitation, and material interests from his own kind. Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. … Read more

Prejudice in Heart of Darkness

Slavery has been with us since the Egyptian times and with it prejudice towards certain humans have also come about. In Conrad’s Heart of Darkness these prejudice feelings are reflected throughout the story by the characters and their descriptions. The main character, Marlow shows much prejudice feelings towards the native black slaves by much of … Read more

Heart of Darkness – Cruelty

In Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness the Europeans are cut off from civilization, overtaken by greed, exploitation, and material interests from his own kind. Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. … Read more

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a novel where the main character Marlow is telling a story of a trip to the Congo. This novel is said to possibly be an autobiography of Conrads life at sea. This is said because Conrad was a seaman for a many years and went into Africa many … Read more

Apocalypse Now And Heart Of Darkness

Placed in various time periods and settings, the novel Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, and the movie Apocalypse Now, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, both create the same mysterious journey with various similarties and differences. The journeys mystery lies in the scene; it is one down a river by boat, deep … Read more

Clashing Cultures in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness

A culture defines what it’s people perceive about evil, the place it gives to women, and its relationship with other cultures. The Ibo and European people in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, have two distinct cultures that begin to blend when the white men come as missionaries and try to communicate and live together … Read more

Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness uses character development and character analysis to really tell the story of European colonization. Within Conrad’s characters one can find both racist and colonialist views, and it is the opinion, and the interpretation of the reader which decides what Conrad is really trying to say in his work. Chinua … Read more

Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness

In Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness the Europeans are cut off from civilization, overtaken by greed, exploitation, and material interests from his own kind. Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. … Read more

The Character of Marlow in The Heart of Darkness

The Heart of Darkness may just be the title of a book to some people, but I believe that it goes much deeper than that. I think that this title describes the books main character, Charlie Marlow. Throughout this story I saw the many confusing and ever changing sides of Marlows character and his heart … Read more

Joseph Conrad’s novel, ‘Heart of Darkness’

In Joseph Conrad’s novel, ‘Heart of Darkness’, the term “darkness” can be related to a few different meanings. Conrad uses this term in various ways to characterize social, political and psychological affairs in order to help the reader get a feel of his attitudes towards things, such as colonialism, Africa, and civilization. The first impression … Read more

Heart of Darkness and Apocolypse Now

Inherent inside every human soul is a savage evil side that remains repressed by society. Often this evil side breaks out during times of isolation from our culture, and whenever one culture confronts another. Joseph Conrad’s book, The Heart of Darkness and Francis Coppola’s movie, Apocalypse Now are both stories about Man’s journey into his … Read more

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

In Joseph Conrad’s novel, ‘Heart of Darkness’, the term “darkness” can be related to a few different meanings. Conrad uses this term in various ways to characterize social, political and psychological affairs in order to help the reader get a feel of his attitudes towards things, such as colonialism, Africa, and civilization. The first impression … Read more

Heart of Controversy

Chinua Achebe believes that Joseph Conrads Heart Of Darkness is racist based on Conrads descriptions of Africa and its people. Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, stresses Conrads depiction of Africa as the antithesis of Europe and civilization, and the animal imagery present throughout the novella. Heart of Darkness, written in 1899 during the period … Read more

Heart of Darkness and “Apocalypse Now”

One of the many similarities between Heart of Darkness and “Apocalypse Now” is race. Joseph Conrad and Francis Coppola both use white men as the characters that have dominance (Bradley). The white men not only dominate their respective crews, but also the peoples native to the country the white men are visiting. The character Conrad … Read more

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad is a fictional novel with an overflow of symbolism. Throughout the entire novel Conrad uses a plethora of simple colors, objects, and places in order to clarify very complex meanings. By doing this, Conrad is able to lure the reader into a world unlike his or her own: the … Read more

Gender in Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness colludes with Western patriarchal gender prescriptions. Women are ominously absent from the bulk of the narrative, and when they do make an appearance they are identified through the powerful narrative viewpoint of the character Marlow, who constructs them in terms of the values of the dominant ideologies of the British … Read more

Impressionism and Symbolism in Heart of Darkness

In Heart of Darkness it is the white invaders for instance, who are, almost without exception, embodiments of blindness, selfishness, and cruelty; and even in the cognitive domain, where such positive phrases as “to enlighten,” for instance, are conventionally opposed to negative ones such as “to be in the dark,” the traditional expectations are reversed. … Read more

The Heart of Darkness: The Horror

In Heart of Darkness it is the white invaders for instance, who are, almost without exception, embodiments of blindness, selfishness, and cruelty; and even in the cognitive domain, where such positive phrases as “to enlighten,” for instance, are conventionally opposed to negative ones such as “to be in the dark,” the traditional expectations are reversed. … Read more

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, achieved classical recognition for its depiction of humanity’s struggle to reconcile good and evil. From the very opening pages of the Bible man has wrestled with choice, opportunity, propensity and instinct. The knowledge of good and evil has surely caused us to die to simplicity and burdened us At first … Read more

Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness

In Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness the Europeans are cut off from civilization, overtaken by greed, exploitation, and material interests from his own kind. Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. … Read more

The Heart of Darkness: The Horror

In Heart of Darkness it is the white invaders for instance, who are, almost without exception, embodiments of blindness, selfishness, and cruelty; and even in the cognitive domain, where such positive phrases as “to enlighten,” for instance, are conventionally opposed to negative ones such as “to be in the dark,” the traditional expectations are reversed. … Read more

Feminist Imagery in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

Many feminist critics have used Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness to show how Marolw constructs parallels and personification betwee women and the inanimate jungle that he speaks of. The jungle that houses the savages and the “remarkable” Kurtz has many feminine characteristics. By the end of the novel, it is the same feminized wilderness and … Read more

Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice in his book Heart of Darkness. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, and unexpected attack. Chinua Achebe concluded: “Conradis undoubtedly one of the great stylists of modern fiction and a good story-teller … Read more

The Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness is a novel of indescribable horrors and actions that lie outside the human mind. It describes a mans (Marlow) voyage on a west African river to find an a man named Kurtz. The actual journey truly is towards the “heart of darkness”, where it takes Marlow by evidence of European indignity towards … Read more

What Horror Is Kurtz Recounting As His Final Words

Truths lie inside the inner soul of all human beings, it is just a matter of when and where they will come out. Kurtz choose to let his be known as his passing words. An epiphany, a passing glimpse, the realization of what he has created and destroyed, willingly, or blindly going about hacking through … Read more

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrads novel Heart of Darkness uses character development and character analysis to really tell the story of European colonization. Within Conrads characters one can find both racist and colonialist views, and it is the opinion, and the interpretation of the reader which decides what Conrad is really trying to say in his work. Chinua … Read more

Apocalypse Now In The Heart Of Darkness

As I read “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, I kept feeling the illusion of deja vu. It was as though I had been here before. I wasn’t sure how since I have not read 98% percent of the assignments for this class before. As the story progressed, the name of Kurtz kept signaling me. … Read more

Heart Of Darkness: Tension in Marlow’s Mind

Joseph Conrad1s novel Heart of Darkness is about a seaman named Charlie Marlow and an experience he had as a younger man. Early in the novel it becomes apparent that there is a great deal of tension in Marlow1s mind about whether he should profit from the immoral actions of the company he works for … Read more

Heart of Darkness Review

In Heart of Darkness it is the white invaders for instance, who are, almost without exception, embodiments of blindness, selfishness, and cruelty; and even in the cognitive domain, where such positive phrases as “to enlighten,” for instance, are conventionally opposed to negative ones such as “to be in the dark,” the traditional expectations are reversed. … Read more

Heart of Darkness – Ignorance and Racism

Joseph Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice in his book Heart of Darkness. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. Chinua Achebe concluded, “Conrad, on the other hand, is undoubtedly one of the great stylists of modern fiction … Read more

Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness

In Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness the Europeans are cut off from civilization, overtaken by greed, exploitation, and material interests from his own kind. Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. … Read more