Conrad's "The Heart of Darkness".

Essay by thedolphinscryUniversity, Master'sA, November 2003

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In Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" there are many controversies. In this paper I wish to discuss two of them: light vs. dark and black vs. white. I will write about the differences between Conrad's perception of what and why he wrote the characters as he did and Marlow's ways of acting in the story because of the way Conrad wrote his character that reminds me so much of Conrad. I wish to incorporate quotes that will help me describe me feelings toward this story and the characters in which I will write about.

There is a genuine contrast between what is light and what is dark. These contrasts work within the truth of what is considered educated and uneducated: the light, which is representing civilization or the cultured side of the world, and the dark, which is representing the uncivilized or savage side of the world.

Throughout the book, there are a number of references to these two contrasts. In Conrad's story, dark and light have the usual implications of evil and good.

The setting also plays a significant role in describing how Marlow feels about the whole escapade he suffered. From the beginning of the tale, there are signs of what is to come. The colors of things and items help to predict the disaster that is to come to Marlow. Marlow creates a mood of darkness about the present and about the past. The most noticeable characteristic being that the story is told "one evening," in which he says many times throughout his narrative. This time frame goes back to the proposal of darkness being evil. He then tells an account of his adventures to the Congo while waiting for the tide to turn on the Thames River outside of London. This is the...