Chiaroscuro Within The Heart Of Darkness. The Novella,

Chiaroscuro Within the Heart of Darkness The novella, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, is a piece that pushed the envelope of its time due to an oppositional stance on the forced imperialism of primitive and/or impoverished countries. The protagonist of this story is the self-proclaimed explorer, Marlow, who decides to leave the heart of light and purity (Europe) and take a job as a steamboat captain in the dark jungles of the Congo Free State in Africa. Upon his arrival, Marlow begins to see the impact of Belgium’s intrusion on the Congo by means of implementing slavery, commandeering ivory (a valuable resource), and presenting a negative attitude toward the primitive population. Marlow eventually becomes obsessed with an ivory†¦show more content†¦After living in the Congo and witnessing what the demands and desires of the sophisticated world can do to a less educated people, Marlow can not stand the capitalistic entitlement that allows the citizens of Brussels egos to float like the gods of Olympus. Marlow’s description of Brussels as ‘sepulchral’ animates the turning of his back on the society that the River Thames once symbolised. Marlow becomes dramatically more understanding of the Congo as his disgust of his once perceived ‘orthodox’ society eats away at him. This altering of opinion highlights the stark change in the meanings of light and dark within Heart of Darkness. Marlow has been an explorer and a dreamer his entire life; he says that he would â€Å"look for hours at South America, or Africa, or Australia, and lose myself in all the glories of exploration† (Conrad 8). These vocations are fostered in modern 1890 Europe. This European mindset leaves the reader with little surprise that Marlow soon idolises Mr. Kurtz to be something of a legendary figure who exemplifies the proper conduct and attitude of an European adventurer in the ivory trade. Marlow becomes entranced by the many descriptions of Mr.Show MoreRelatedHeart of Darkness/Blood Diamond Essay1194 Words   |  5 Pagescentury that separates Joseph Conrad’s exploration of colonial regime in his novella Heart of Darkness and Edward Zwick’s post-colonial film Blood Diamond, the values driving the major characters and factions from the different texts are comparably similar. In both texts, there are individuals showcasing major facets motivated by greed, obsessed with the stimulus that is presented in either century. In Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the character ‘Kurtz’ is primarily stimulated by greed. His obsession withRead MoreEssay on Heart of Darkness934 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness The dark thoughts, which are usually ignored and not allowed to be brought up in conversation, are pushed back into the remote corners of the mind, but have the ability to run free when man is in his most vulnerable state. Sleep, the unconscious. It is in dreams where twisted stories of malevolence and horror take place. The soul’s core is full of sin from the first minute man is born. Even Adam, the original man, who was born when the earth began its timeline, has sin running