Restraint in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

Restraint! I would have just as soon expected restraint from a hyena prowling amongst the corpses of a battle, comments Marlow as he questions why the hungry cannibals aboard his steamer hadnt gone for the white crew members (Conrad 43). The glimpse of the steamboat . . . filled those savages with unrestrained grief, Marlow explains after recalling the cries of the natives seeing the steamer amidst a brief fog lift (Conrad 44). Poor fool! He had no restraint, no restraint . . .a tree swayed by the wind, speaks Marlow of a slain helmsman amidst an attack by tribal savages (Conrad 52). Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts, says Marlow a few moments after he tells of his first glimpse of†¦show more content†¦But if one accepts the title as meaning, in essence, the heart which has the quality of being dark, one has to consider the associations of darkness. Though darkness ordinarily connotes evil, Conrad brings still more ambiguities about light a nd dark into the mix as the novel progresses. Ivory, a constant presence in the novel, gains associations with the horrors of European colonialism and human materialism. The whiteness of ivory, therefore, cannot denote the positive, pure associations normally used by writers. Most critics believe the story is set in light and dark polarities (Ong 61), but clearly, there is vagueness and ambiguity throughout the novel. If one attempts to answer any such questions, still more arise. Watts validly concludes that the title offers a certain disturbing mysteriousness through the immediate possibility of alternative glosses (55). The mysteriousness of the title is the first indicator of the mysteriousness of Marlows journey into Africa. Seemingly no one--Marlow, Kurtz, the reader--is quite certain if any conclusions he draws over the course of the story are completely accurate. Consideration of the framing narrative is important in evaluating Heart of Darkness. In the beginning, the nameless framing narrator, three other guests, and Marlow are cruising quietly about the Thames aboard the Nellie. The narrator recalls great men from Englands past who have sailed about the Thames. SirShow MoreRelated Symbols and Symbolism in Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay1488 Words   |  6 PagesUse of Symbolism in Heart of Darkness       Joseph Conrad played a major role in the development of the twentieth-century novel.   Many devices that Conrad applied for the first time to his novels gained wide usage in the literary period he helped to create.   Perhaps the most effective of his pioneering techniques was his application of symbolism in his novels.   In Heart of Darkness, Conrads symbolism plays a dominant role in the advancement of themes in the novel.   These themes are revealedRead MoreHeart of Darkness on the Flaws of Imperial Authority1024 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Heart of Darkness† on the Flaws of Imperial Authority Throughout Joseph Conrad’s â€Å"Heart of Darkness† despite the many conditions of the described Africa most if not all the characters agree that these conditions indeed differ from the conditions found in Europe. In working through conversations with Chinua Achebe’s Colonialist Criticism and An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness it can be brought to light that not only is Conrad’s â€Å"Heart of Darkness† a novel that criticizesRead More An Image of Africa Essay1050 Words   |  5 PagesAn Image of Africa Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad has been depicted as â€Å"among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language.† [pg.1] Chinua Achebe believes otherwise. In Chinua Achebe’s An Image of Africa: Racism is Conrad’s Heart of Darkness he simply states that, â€Å"Joseph Conrad was a thoroughgoing racist† [pg.5] Achebe argues that the racist observed in the Heart of Darkness is expressed due to the western psychology or as Achebe states â€Å"desire,† this being to show AfricaRead More Light and Dark of Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness1542 Words   |  7 PagesThe Light and Dark of Colonialism Exposed in Heart of Darkness       In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, challenges a dominant view by exposing the evil nature and the darkness associated with the colonialist ventures. It is expressed by Marlow as robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as it is very proper for those who tackle a darkness. The European colonialists are portrayed as blind lightbearers, people having a faà §ade of progress and cultureRead MoreEssay about Feminist Imagery in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness1220 Words   |  5 PagesImagery in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Many feminist critics have used Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness to show how Marolw constructs parallels and personification between 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 darkness that Marlow identifies as being the cause of Kurtzs mental and physical collapse. In Heart of DarknessRead MoreCorruption Of Imperialism In Joseph Conrads Heart Of Darkness1473 Words   |  6 Pagessome individuals may maintain their integrity in corrupt situations, and therefore not become corrupt themselves. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad relates to both the idea that an individual can become corrupt in a corrupt environment, and that some individuals can uphold their integrity in a corrupt situation. Both of these reactions can be seen in the main characters of Heart of Darkness, Kurtz and Marlow, in Kurtz’ becoming corrupt due to imperialism in the Congo, while still upholding some integrityRead MoreEssay about Heart of Darkness1745 Words   |  7 Pagesin depth review of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, a classical novella that illustrates without bias the motives behind human intentions and the extremes individuals can go to achieve wealth and profits at the expense of others with the aim of shedding insight into the rise of European i mperialism, the imperial history, its politics and evil activities in the colonized African tribes along the river Congo during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The Heart of Darkness is an exceptionallyRead More moralhod Moral Ambiguity in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness1227 Words   |  5 PagesMoral Ambiguity in Heart of Darkness    In Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness we see various attitudes toward morality. It is extremely difficult, maybe impossible, to deduce the exact endorsement of morality that Conrad intended. Conrad provides his readers with several instances where the interpretation of morality is circumstantial, relative, and even indeterminable. One finds many situations in the novel that lie somewhere between morality, immorality, and amorality. A few examples fromRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad1378 Words   |  6 PagesBecca Woytassek AP English 12 Heart of Darkness Reading Log Author: Joseph Conrad Title: Heart of Darkness Original Publication Date: 1899 Kind of Writing: Heart of Darkness is a colonial novella of an expository narrative. Writer’s Purpose and Intended Audience Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness because he wanted to expose human temptation to experiment with darkness when one’s own desires overcome one’s morals. By writing from his own experience of exploring the Congo, Conrad draws conclusionsRead More Comparing Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness and Kiplings Poetry1515 Words   |  7 PagesImperialism in Heart of Darkness and Kiplings Poetry   Ã‚  Ã‚   Imperialism sprung from an altruistic and unselfish aim to take up the white mans burden1 and â€Å"wean [the] ignorant millions from their horrid ways.†2 These two citations are, of course, from Kipling’s â€Å"White Man’s Burden† and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, respectively, and they splendidly encompass what British and European imperialism was about – at least seen from the late-nineteenth century point of view. This essay seeks to explore