Heart of Darkness Study Guide
Essay by lolnope • October 31, 2016 • Study Guide • 2,596 Words (11 Pages) • 1,114 Views
Study Guide
Category | Example From Text |
Name of Work | Heart of Darkness |
Genre (autobiography, poetry, drama, novel) | Novella |
Author | Joseph Conrad |
Author’s dates and places of birth and death | Born in Poland (1982) Died in the United Kingdom (1924) |
Publication Date | 1902 |
Cultural/social/historical context | Impressionism, a 19th century movement in literature and art. Imperialism, the colonization of Africa by the Europeans. Ivory was a popular commodity item during this time period. |
Type of story | Frame Narrative |
Major symbols and what they may represent (be specific—identify the symbol, then the abstract idea or concept the symbol represents.) | The Painting of the Woman The painting of the woman, created by Mr. Kurtz, is a symbol that helps to characterize Mr. Kurtz as an evil, self-centered man. For example, the blindfold over the woman’s eyes may symbolize how Mr. Kurtz blinds himself to the suffering of the natives around them. Interestingly enough, the woman in painting is blindfolded like Lady Justice, but she ironically symbolizes the injustice embodied by Mr. Kurtz. The light illuminates the woman’s sinister face to hint at the sinister nature of Mr. Kurtz. The Brick Maker The brick maker is a young, first-class agent who symbolizes the inefficiency and greed of the Europeans. A brick maker who does not make any bricks is not a good brick maker at all. The Europeans utmost priority is the attainment of ivory; everything else is of inconsequential matter. The brick maker just sits around the station waiting for a promotion because “the only real feeling was a desire to get appointed to a trading post where ivory was to be had.” The Europeans exhibit immense focus on wealth and power, and as a result, they completely disregard any other duties. The African Woman The African woman appears to a very alluring, beautiful, yet savage and powerful person who symbolizes the wilderness. She is first introduced with “her head held high” and is distinguishably dressed from head to toe. Much like the wilderness with its beckoning call and unfathomable darkness, she is quite enthralling, but dangerous at the same time. Conrad implies that this woman and Mr. Kurtz were in some kind of relationship, which serves to further solidify Mr. Kurtz’s entwinement with the wilderness. |
Major characters (brief description of each) | Marlow is a sailor who tells the story of his travels throughout Africa as the captain of a steamboat. Marlow eventually comes to sympathize with the natives of the land, despite his initial misgivings, as he also comes to understand of the dastardly nature Europeans. On his journey, Marlow hears of a person named Mr. Kurtz and experiences a jumble of mixed emotions towards the man as he becomes obsessed with him. Mr. Kurtz worked for the Company within the inner station, became enthralled by the wilderness. People loved him and the natives treated him like a God because he was very charismatic and could talk in a way that demanded reverence We first meet Mr. Kurtz as a very ill man who is close to the end of his life, but he manages to leave a lasting impression on Marlow. Mr. Kurtz’s last words were “The Horror! The Horror!” |
Two Minor characters (brief description of each) | The Intended The Intended is extremely devastated about Mr. Kurtz’s death and appears so sorrowful that she will seemingly mourn him forever. Caught in her belief that she knew Mr. Kurtz the best, she sincerely accepts that his very last words were her name. Encouraged by Marlow’s lie, the Intended will always believe best of Mr. Kurtz. The Company’s Chief Accountant The Company’s Chief Accountant, whom Marlow meets and then proceeds to poke fun at, is a posh man who lives in a rundown shack of an office. Miraculously, he has managed to remain pristine despite living in such a filthy environment. |
Major conflict |
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Allusions (Identify three allusions. State the allusion and the greater understanding that is developed through the use of the allusion | Mephistopheles The “papier-mâché Mephistopheles” is an allusion to a demon in German folklore. The legend of Faust, popularized by Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, is a story about a man who sold his soul to Mephistopheles to achieve his innermost desires. By relating the brick maker to Mephistopheles, it is implied that the brick maker, like many other Europeans, are evil men who tempt others into selling their soul to the company. The term “papier-mâché” serves to portray how the Europeans have empty ideals for their only concern involves ivory; they are hollow men who shallowly follow the company for the sake of gaining wealth. The only thing to be found within them would be “a little loose dirt, maybe” further supports the idea that Europeans are empty shells who have sold their souls to the devil and lost their humanity. The Fates The Fates is a mythological allusion to three women who are able to determine the destiny of a man. Within Greek mythology specifically, the first Fate spins the cloth of life, the second Fate measure the length of the cloth and decides how long it will be, while the last Fate cuts the thread of life with her shears. Although only two women appear in the Heart of Darkness, there is still a strong allusion to the Fates because the two women were knitting, the word “fateful” was used to describe one of them, and they appear to be all-knowing about Marlow’s fate in Africa. The presence of the two women at the office foreshadows that Marlow will encounter many dreadful sights because they were knitting black wool. The color black serves to conjure images of death and other deplorable things. With the absence of the third woman, it suggests that Marlow escapes certain death (despite it being obvious that Marlow has indeed survived.) Buddha The Buddha is a religious allusion to a man who had achieved enlightenment. Marlow is painted in the image of the Buddha because “he had the pose of a Buddha preaching in European clothes and without a lotus flower”. By doing so, it is implied that somewhere along his narrative, Marlow will have reached enlightenment about something. Towards the end of the story, Marlow realizes that you find ultimate wisdom in the face of death, that this makes life even more difficult to handle. In Buddhism, lotus flowers are significant because they are rooted within the mud, but rise up through the water to lie pristinely on the surface, which symbolizes the attainment of enlightenment. The fact that Marlow does not have a lotus flower suggests that he did not fully gain the ultimate wisdom (he only came close to death, but did not actually die). The fact that Marlow had nothing to say as opposed to Mr. Kurtz who comes to a realization and screams “The Horror! The Horror!” further supports this idea that enlightenment is found in death. |
Theme (Identify three separate themes. Write the theme as a complete statement which identifies not only the subject, but also the observation of human behavior about that subject.) |
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Setting (State the setting, but also note if the setting is symbolic and what it may symbolize.) | The story begins in the preset time with the narrator, Marlow and the other crew on the Thames River. Marlow’s tale begins with him visiting the office for an interview. The office is ominous and contains “the doors of darkness.” The city of Brussels reminds him of a “whited Sepulcher”. Marlow then travels to Africa where he encounters the depredation of the land. |
Techniques and its effects Identify three specific literary/dramatic techniques with specific examples from the text. This would be like providing data with the warrant. |
“I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable graynesss, with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamor, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat…” (Pg. 65) Marlow is addressing death because he came very close to dying. By stating that he “wrestled with death”, Marlow’s struggle to fight for his life is painted as a grandiose affair. However, Conrad immediately follows such an exciting statement to disclaim the glory and fear usually associated with an encounter with death. This serves to reduce
“it had caressed him, and—lo!—he had withered; it had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own” (Pg. 44) The wilderness seems to exhibit some kind of maternal affection towards Mr. Kurtz. It has entwined itself with the very being of Mr. Kurtz who has readily given up his soul. Mr. Kurtz has been tempted by the allure of the wilderness, thus abandoning his civilized nature in favor of a more savage one.
“These moribund shapes were free as air—and nearly as thin. I began to distinguish the gleam of the eyes under the trees. Then, glancing down, I say a face near my hand. The black bones reclined at full length with one shoulder against the tree, and slowly the eyelids rose and the sunken eyes looked up at me, enormous and vacant, a kind of blind, white flicker in the depths of orbs, which died out slowly” (Pg. 14) There is a dominant image of sickness, fragility, and weakness because the Africans that Marlow describes are clearly deprived. They are alarmingly thin and almost nothing more than bones with “vacant” eyes that slowly have the life ebbed out of them. The Africans have practically been reduced to inanimate objects. By including such a morbid description of the natives, the atrocious effects that the Europeans have on the land and its people. |
Freytag’s pyramid (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement) | Exposition Marlow begins to tell the story of how he was once a freshwater sailor and captained a French steamboat along the Congo River in Africa. Rising Action A strange warning is found carved in a log. Marlow and co. are later attacked by natives and the station burns down. Marlow finally meets Mr. Kurtz. Climax Mr. Kurtz goes missing, but Marlow finds him in a very unstable, delusional state. Mr. Kurtz dies with his last words being “The horror! The horror!” Falling Action Marlow falls extremely ill, but he survives and appears to have gained ultimate wisdom and learned something about human nature after confronting death. Denouement Marlow returns to England, where he sets of meet Mr. Kurtz’s Intended. |
Significant passages (Identify three key quotes from the text and its significance. You may want to consider what that the most telling quotes reveal something about theme, turning point for plot or character. Actually write the quote down, then your analysis.) |
Marlow in the present time is commenting on how the other crewmembers can never truly understand what it feels like to live in a lawless, savage world because they are grounded by society. They are pampered by the “solid pavement” to walk on because the rules of society have already been set in place, but in the jungle, there is nothing but treacherous terrain to navigate. They have “kind neighbors” ready to “cheer you” when you follow the rules or “fall on you” when you begin to deviate. Civilized people step delicately between “the butcher and the police” because they want to maintain that fine balance between civilization and justice; they have genuine fear of being punished by the “holy terror of scandal and gallows and lunatic asylums.” People brought up in a sophisticated society can never imagine the absence of that “warning voice of a kind neighbor” to remind you of your expectations. It is these kinds of things that keep the civilized world in check, but without it, it becomes very easy to fall into savagery.
Hunger is a terrible, terrible thing, and Marlow knows from first-hand experience exactly the kind of strength of character it takes to resist the pangs of hunger. When it comes down to hunger, it would simply be easier to resort to any means necessary to get food, even if it results in the “bereavement, dishonor, and the perdition of one’s soul.” To think that the cannibals have been able to persist in the face of hunger, despite them outnumbering the Europeans and having the capability to take over and eat them, speaks to their restraint. Marlow is astounded by this because he believes that they are nothing more than savages and doesn’t expect much of them; in reality, they are civilized men because of their complete control and restraint. The Europeans show no such virtue and have no qualms about throwing out the cannibal’s food. They should have been the more civilized men, but they ironically exhibit the more savage behavior.
Mr. Kurtz is dying, and in his last moments he cries out in pure, unadulterated terror. One interpretation of Mr. Kurtz’s famous last words is that he is regretful that he will never be able to finish everything he set out do. Mr. Kurtz had grandiose plans and may have cried out to curse the existence of his intense sickness from stopping him. Another interpretation might be that Mr. Kurtz has come to understand all the terrible things he had seen and done, and is overwhelmed by the crushing darkness within his heart. A part of him recognized the role he and all the other Europeans played in the complete and total depredation of the land and regrets the horror of it all. His dangerous flirtation with the wilderness and his descent into madness may have broken him as a man. |
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