The novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is set in the late 19th century during the colonial era. It tells the story of Marlow, a sailor who is hired to transport ivory down the Congo River. Along the way, he hears stories of the ivory trader Kurtz, who has set himself up as a god among the local tribes. When Marlow finally meets Kurtz deep in the jungle, he finds that Kurtz has completely lost his mind and is ruling through violent terror. Kurtz dies shortly after, uttering the cryptic last words "The horror! The horror!" before expiring. The story is a critique of imperialism and questions whether civilization is merely a thin veneer that
The novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is set in the late 19th century during the colonial era. It tells the story of Marlow, a sailor who is hired to transport ivory down the Congo River. Along the way, he hears stories of the ivory trader Kurtz, who has set himself up as a god among the local tribes. When Marlow finally meets Kurtz deep in the jungle, he finds that Kurtz has completely lost his mind and is ruling through violent terror. Kurtz dies shortly after, uttering the cryptic last words "The horror! The horror!" before expiring. The story is a critique of imperialism and questions whether civilization is merely a thin veneer that
The novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is set in the late 19th century during the colonial era. It tells the story of Marlow, a sailor who is hired to transport ivory down the Congo River. Along the way, he hears stories of the ivory trader Kurtz, who has set himself up as a god among the local tribes. When Marlow finally meets Kurtz deep in the jungle, he finds that Kurtz has completely lost his mind and is ruling through violent terror. Kurtz dies shortly after, uttering the cryptic last words "The horror! The horror!" before expiring. The story is a critique of imperialism and questions whether civilization is merely a thin veneer that
The novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is set in the late 19th century during the colonial era. It tells the story of Marlow, a sailor who is hired to transport ivory down the Congo River. Along the way, he hears stories of the ivory trader Kurtz, who has set himself up as a god among the local tribes. When Marlow finally meets Kurtz deep in the jungle, he finds that Kurtz has completely lost his mind and is ruling through violent terror. Kurtz dies shortly after, uttering the cryptic last words "The horror! The horror!" before expiring. The story is a critique of imperialism and questions whether civilization is merely a thin veneer that
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as doc, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 4
THE HEART OF DARKNESS
Genre: Colonial literature; Quest literature
Setting: The Narrator tells the story of a ship at the the mouth of the Thames River near London, England around 1899. Marlow’s story-within-the-story is set in an unnamed European city and in the Belgian Congo in Africa sometime in the early to mid-1890s, during the colonial era.
Climax: The confrontation between Marlow and Kurtz in the jungle
Protagonist: Marlow
Antagonist: Kurtz
Point of View: First person (both Marlow and the Unnamed Narrator use first person)
Narrator: Heart of Darkness is a framed story: Marlow tells the story of his time in the Congo to an unnamed Narrator, and the Narrator describes hearing Marlow tell the story to the reader. framing narrative brings up the question of memory
plot summary
a novel based on personal experience
What is it about? Heart of Darkness illustrates the evils of imperialism and the savage repressions carried out in the Congo by the Belgians in one of the largest acts of genocide committed up to that time.
4 Congo in the 1890’s Inner Station
5 Anti-colonialism “The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.” ”a taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all like the whiff from some corpse.” In an essay, Conrad calls the colonial exploitation of the Congo, “the vilest scramble for loot that ever disfigured the history of human conscience…” Conrad about colonialism:
characters
Kurtz: virtuous, moral, ethical; degenerates to evil; is infected with darkness because of lack of accountability ivory trader from Belgium become corrupt induces natives to worship him he becomes an insane tyrant
Marlow voice of reason: Platonic man understands the attraction of evil has a previous moral commitment he is an English man hired by English Belgium trade company as a captain, Africa to transport ivory down the river General Manager no conscience greed envy Cannibals more personal restraint than white men
Themes
the absurdity of the world has ambiguous morality
the hypocrisy of colonialism. Africans were meant to be helped instead they were enslaved
Racism – views Congo natives as primitive and therefore innocent, while the white colonizers are sophisticated and therefore corrupt
Work – a source of support for Marlow to keep his sanity The Lack of Truth – Kurtz turns out to be the biggest monster of all; you can’t know other people, you can’t even really know yourself
The Hollowness of Civilization – hopelessly blind and corrupt
Colonialism – viciously ripping the wealth from Africa
Symbols
Black/Dark and White/Light Whiteness now symbolizes blindness, while blackness now symbolizes the unknowable and primitive heart of all men contributes the ambiguous tone white is not necessarily good ivory a symbol of greed black is not necessarily evil suffering
The Sepulchral City – sepulchral means “of or relating to a tomb or interment.” Beautiful outside used to justify colonization, while hollow inside hides desire for power and wealth. The symbol for all of European civilization.
Women – Marlow believes that Women exist in a world of beautiful illusions that have nothing to do with truth or the real world. The symbol for civilization’s ability to hide its hypocrisy and darkness behind pretty ideas he Sepulchral City
Part one
On the Nellie in the Thames, the Narrator describes Marlow as he begins his story. Marlow observes that England was once “one of the dark places of the earth” and imagines the Romans in England. After years at sea, Marlow gets a steamship job in the Congo through his Aunt’s connections at the Company. Marlow visits the Company headquarters in the unnamed sepulchral city in Europe. At the headquarters, Marlow briefly meets the pale and plump head of the Company, and also meets a doctor who tells Marlow that in Africa “the changes happen inside” and asks Marlow if his family has a history of insanity.Marlow says goodbye to his Aunt. She sees him as an “emissary of light” off to educate the African natives .On the trip to the Company’s Outer Station, Marlow sees a French ship firing its guns into the dense forests of Africa. At the Outer Station, there is rusting machinery everywhere and people working to no purpose. Near Outer Station, Marlow comes upon the Grove of Death, where black laborers have gone to die. Marlow meets the Chief Accountant, who mentions Kurtz and Kurtz’s great prospects for advancement. Marlow makes the 15-day trek to the Central Station, where he learns that his steamship has accidentally sunk. The General Manager of the Central Station tells Marlow that Kurtz is sick. Marlow has a feeling that the General Manager wanted the steamship to sink so no one could reach Kurtz. Marlow starts repairing the steamship .The Brick maker pumps Marlow for information about Kurtz. It is clear he hates Kurtz’s influence and morality...Marlow tries to repair the ship more quickly in order to reach Kurtz as fast as possible, but he has no rivets .The Eldorado Exploring Expedition arrives at a Central station. Marlow wonders about how Kurtz’s would act if he did become general manager.
Part two
Marlow overhears the General Manager and the General Manager’s uncle discussing Kurtz. They dislike Kurtz’s influence on the company, his success in producing ivory , and his moral vision for improving the natives. They hope Kurtz’s sickness will kill him before they reach him. the Eldorado Expedition heads into the jungle. After three months of work, Marlow completes repairs of the steamship. Marlow, the General Manager, and some Pilgrims and natives steam upriver toward Kurtz .The jungle is filled with natives. The river is full of snags. Marlow feels a connection to the “terrible frankness” of the natives and is thankful that his work keeping the ship afloat occupies his attention most of the time, and hides the “inner truth.”Fifty miles from Inner Station, they find a hut with wood and a note to hurry up but also to approach cautiously. Marlow also finds a technical book on sailing that he describes as “unmistakably real.”Eight miles from the Inner Station, natives attack during a white fog that blocks all visibility. A mile from the Inner Station, the natives attack again. The Pilgrims shoot into the jungle, too high to hit anything. Marlow’s helmsman is killed by a spear .Marlow thinks Kurtz must be dead and is devastated. Then he tells the men on the Nellie that Kurtz wasn’t dead, but instead had presided over “unspeakable rites.” He describes Kurtz’s civilized and learned On the Suppression of Savage Customs, across which Kurtz had later scrawled “Exterminate all the brutes.”At Inner Station, which looks to be in perfect shape, Marlow meets the Russian trader, who is dressed like a harlequin.
Part three
The Russian tells his story. Though the Russian doesn’t seem to see it, his story shows Marlow that Kurtz has become a monster .Marlow sees spiked human heads on the fence around Kurtz’s house .The Pilgrims carry the sick Kurtz to the steamship. The natives almost attack, but a word from Kurtz stops them.Kurtz and the General Manager argue. Kurtz accuses the General Manager of interfering with Kurtz’s grand plans... The General Manager says that Kurtz has ruined the district for the Company .The Russian senses that the General Manager has it in for him, and slips away into the jungle. Before leaving, the Russian tells Marlow that Kurtz ordered the natives to attack the steamship in order to scare the General Manager away from coming to Inner Station. Kurtz sneaks off the ship. Marlow discovers his absence and finds Kurtz, just steps from the natives. Marlow convinces Kurtz not to rouse the natives to attack the ship. The ship departs, headed back to Central Station. Kurtz, near death, gives Marlow his papers for safe keeping. Kurtz dies. His last words are: “The horror! The horror!”Marlow falls. Marlow returns to the sepulchral city in Europe. The people in the city seem petty and silly to him. Marlow visits Kurtz’s Intended. He lies to her and tells her that Kurtz’s last words were her name. To tell her the truth would have been too dark .On the Nellie, Marlow falls silent. The Narrator describes the Thames as leading into “the heart of an immense darkness.”
Setting:
why does the story begin in London?
What is the function of the frame of the narrative?
2. What motivates Marlow?
3. How does he imagine the Congo?
4. What are the similarities and differences between Marlow and Kurtz?
5. Why is Kurtz unable to come back to „the civilized world”?
6.The function of symbols: the river, the fog, darkness, women knitting black wool 5. Interpret Kurtz’s last words: „the horror, the horror”! Why is Marlow unable to tell his fiance that these were his last words?
7.HOD opens in what setting? a boat on the Thames river
8. where does Kurtz die? a broad Marlow's steamer
9.what does Marlow discover? human heads
10. who received Kurtz report after his death? the journalist
