The Theme Of Darkness In The H
It has been said that although Conrad may not have been “the greatest novelist, he was certainly the greatest artist every to write a novel”. I feel that this is an apt description of Conrad’s writing style in Heart of Darkness (1902), as he paints many verbal pictures by using expressive words and many figurative descriptions of places and people. An extensive use of words relating to colour, is evident throughout the novella. The idea of darkness (and light) is emphasized from the title of the novella, and continues to play an important role throughout in the story .
My opinion is that Conrad felt that using “darkness” as a recurring theme throughout the ...
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while the silent narrator aboard The Nellie comments on the many lights emanating from the shore, the lighthouse, the other boats and the setting sun, Marlowe comments that they themselves are in “one of the dark places of the earth”. Therefore we know that Marlowe has his own opinion and explanation of what the darkness is, and if we assume that this story is autobiographical, and Marlowe is a mouthpiece for Conrad, then this explanation actually indicates Conrad’s personal views on what the darkness is.
Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe attacked Heart of Darkness as racist. He felt that Conrad used the darkness to symbolise the negative character of Africa, and objected to the novel as a manifestation of “white racism over Africa” (Achebe, 1975). I do not agree with this view of the novella as a purely racist piece of literature. I feel that, although Conrad did live in a time when some forms of racial prejudice were so commonplace that they seemed ...
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once Marlowe returns from Africa, which leads me to think that the darkness is more like a feeling or emotion which overtakes people once they have had a certain experience than a concept such as colonisation.
In the story of creation, dark was present in the world before light was created. Therefore, my view is that in Heart of Darkness, darkness represents the base, elemental nature of the world, while light is what was created by man to cover this. The darkness is the true nature of the world, while the light refers to technology, religion and social codes which man has created to build upon this. Darkness is such a recurring theme in Marlowe’s narration once he arrives ...
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"The Theme Of Darkness In The H." Essayworld.com. September 5, 2006. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Theme-Of-Darkness-In-H/51885.
"The Theme Of Darkness In The H." Essayworld.com. September 5, 2006. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Theme-Of-Darkness-In-H/51885.
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