What is the meaning of the heart of darkness?
Joseph Conrad’s most read novella Heart of Darkness has double meaning in its title. One dictionary meaning is that the title refers to the interior of the Africa called Congo. Another hidden meaning is, the title stands for the darkness or the primitiveness that every person possesses in his or her mind and heart.
How does the structure of Heart of Darkness contribute to the meaning?
Conrad’s narrative structure enhances the reader’s confusion and aids his point that the horrors of the European atrocities in Africa are so inhumane as to be disorienting.
What is the structure of Heart of Darkness?
Conrad uses two structural forms in Heart of Darkness, a linear structure, Marlow’s journey towards Kurtz and a circular structure: the narrative begins on the Thames, it takes the reader to Brussels, Africa, back to Brussels and ends on the Thames.
How is London described in Heart of Darkness?
The most obvious contrast found in Heart of Darkness is between that of light and dark. Because London is described as being light, the light then symbolizes civilization, or at least Conrad’s view of civilization.
How many parts are in Heart of Darkness?
three
What does the Thames River symbolize in Heart of Darkness?
Remember that Marlow is telling us this story on a different river, the English Thames. That makes the Thames into a parallel for the Congo. So, if the Thames is like the Congo, then England is like Africa, which means that … white men are like black men, with a key difference: white men used to be like black men.
What does Kurtz painting symbolize in Heart of Darkness?
The gap between inten- tion and action is one of the themes of the novel. The painting that Kurtz has painted and that Marlow finds, a painting of a blindfolded woman who can- not see the light she holds, symbolizes the gap between Kurtz’s initial good intent and his subsequent action.
Who is Marlow in Heart of Darkness?
Heart of Darkness Marlow is a thirty-two-year-old sailor who has always lived at sea. The novel’s narrator presents Marlow as “a meditating Buddha” because his experiences in the Congo have made him introspective and to a certain degree philosophic and wise.
Why does Marlow go to the Congo?
Marlow goes to the Congo to help the savages and to get a job. He was appointed by his aunt. Marlow’s aunt is the person that got him the job in the first place. He sees women as an anti feminist, he sees them without much power and as deserving little respect.
Why does Marlow obsessed with Kurtz?
Marlow pursues Kurtz because of the mystery surrounding him and the hype that surrounds even the mention of his name. Throughout the time that Marlow hasn’t met Kurtz, he develops an extreme desire to meet this man. Also, Marlow becomes fascinated by this man because he feels like he can relate to Kurtz.
What is the most valuable commodity in the Congo?
ivory
What are Kurtz’s last words?
Kurtz dies on the boat with the last words, “The horror! The horror!” Kurtz ultimately was changed by the jungle.
What is the meaning of Kurtz?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Kurtz or Kurz is a surname first found in Switzerland. It is mainly a German and Jewish (Ashkenazic/Yiddish) surname, meaning someone who is short in height. It comes from the German word ‘kurz’ meaning ‘short’.
Is Kurtz the antagonist in Heart of Darkness?
The primary antagonist in Heart of Darkness is Kurtz, whose descent into madness makes him the clearest embodiment of corruption and evil in the novella, and ultimately the character that fully disillusions Marlow in regard to European conquests. Marlow learns more about Kurtz the further he travels.