Darkness and Evil Illustrated in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of...

Evil: Morally bad or wrong; wicked. Causing ruin, injury, or pain; harmful. Characterized by or indicating future misfortune; ominous. Bad or blameworthy by report; infamous. Characterized by anger or spite; malicious. The definition of evil, a term used very cautiously in modern society, is very diverse among different people. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the term evil is articulated through several ways mainly four characters: the cruelty within the people of the Belgian Congo, main mystery of Kurtz, the setting upon which the characters reside, and the atmosphere in which the Belgian Congo produces from the elements prior stated. The smarter Europeans used their intelligence and arms strength to cruelly overcome the weaker†¦show more content†¦The European’s took the natives land away from them by force, by burning their towns, stole property and enslaving them. By raping their women and killing the men, the Europeans managed to break the natives d own enough to exploit their skills and resources to create an ivory trading market. This technique passed down from generation to generation was used before by the Europeans during the slavery era and later by the Nazis in Europe. Just like the factions expressed above the Europeans home saw the collection of ivory as respectable English business. Conrad made it so that Marlow was oblivious but, the reader would see right into the corruption of the ivory trade. In the story one could tell that the Europeans had evil intentions before they got to the Congo, as Marlow reached the first station he saw tools that are used to help the land and cultivate laying waste on the ground outside. Conrad made a journal of his trip to the Belgian Congo. In that journal he writes of how there were Christian missions set up throughout, yet he states that since the natives had no free will it did not matter whether or not it was in the book. Kurtz, a mystery throughout the whole novella, is known as a prodigy by the people back home. Marlow first hears of him when he goes to accept the job that his aunt arranged for him. Since evil is not a universal constant, it changes according to each observer and theShow MoreRelatedEssay about Heart of Darkness1745 Words   |  7 Pagesthe evils that surrounded the well sometimes ill-disguised motives of explorers, colonial administrators and their adventures. This essay provides an in 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 imperialism, the imperial history, its politics and evil activitiesRead More Light and Dark in Heart of Darkness Essay1180 Words   |  5 PagesLight and Dark in Heart of Darkness       The brightest of lights can obscure vision while darkness can contain truths: one must not be distracted by the sheen of light, which conceals the deeper reality present in darkness. Joseph Conrads novel Heart of Darkness illustrates this idea with the use of several symbols. White Europeans are used as symbols of self-deception, and objects with an alabaster quality are symbols of barriers to inner truth. 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Creeping in the hearts of humans, drifting across the night sky, under the bed, darkness is a terrifying, yet quintessential concept in our human mentality. And, as such, it presents itself in cultures and stories around the world to explain the unknown and the terrifying. Through the presentation of the struggle with internal and external â€Å"darkness,† both Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness andRead More truthhod Quest for Truth in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness2840 Words   |  12 PagesThe Quest for Truth in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚   Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is set in Africas Congo region, and his descriptions of that place are stark yet full of the wonder of discovery as well as the shock that comes from uncovering ugly truths. Conrad was purposefully vague in his setting for Heart of Darkness; he never actually named the destination to which Marlow journeyed. This may be because Heart of Darkness was more an inner journey than a journey between places.   Conrad juxtaposedRead MoreSimilarity in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim3156 Words   |  13 PagesSimilarity in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim Many times, after a successful novel, an author will publish another story very similar to the praised one. Joseph Conrad followed in suit with the previous statement. After the publication of Heart of Darkness in 1899, Lord Jim was released in 1900. However, according to majority of his critics, Conrad’s Lord Jim arguably outdoes Heart of Darkness to be named his best work. 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