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The Transformation Of Kurtz In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

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The phrase “beyond the pale” has been used often in British literature. The phrase literally meant the fenced-in territory which was placed around Dublin by the invading English during the medieval period. In a symbolic aspect, the phrase represents literary modernism that was displayed during this time period. However, metaphorically the phrase means “to stand outside the conventional boundaries of law, behavior, or social class” (Dettmar 1923). A reading that demonstrates out of the ordinary behavior is the novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Heart of Darkness is about Marlow’s voyage as a skipper on a steamboat into the African jungle who is searching for Kurtz, an ivory trader. Marlow is sent to bring Kurtz back to civilization. …show more content…

Kurtz was known as a high-class agent, but later become a savage due to the power he gained by manipulating the Africans. Kurtz allows greed to get in the way of his hunt. His incredible drive for ivory sends him and his African alliances to raid many villages. Kurtz’s character changed due to his infatuation with ivory, Marlow explains, “The jungle has got into his veins, consumed his flesh” (Conrad ). This shows that Kurtz was no longer the man who he was known for. Kurtz developed such a great sense of madness that his last words before dying were, “The horror, the horror” (Conrad 2009). Kurtz fell into such a deep state of madness which lead him to manipulate the Africans into thinking he was a God. He had a native African mistress, and he did not once think about his fiancé throughout the passage or death. This is an example of beyond the pale because Kurtz completely acts out of his social norm and loses touch with who he …show more content…

The content in the story pointed out the conventional boundaries that were expected of the colonists but broken during the colonization. Colonizers such as Marlow and Kurtz would not have acted the way they did during their voyage, nor treat individuals in their society like they treated the native Africans. The novella showed dehumanization, imperialism, and madness among the characters. Although Heart of Darkness is still prevalent in literature, individuals would not act this way and perceive the character’s behavior as normal. In fact, it’d be perceived as beyond the

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Ignorance of another's personal values or situation results in an impassable schism between the two parties. People fail to understand each other, and as such, they regard each other in lower lights. In “Heart of Darkness”, Joseph Conrad, through Marlow, writes his novella through a lense of ignorance and the perspective of the typical white person of the time in order to relate his story to the reader. Marlow and the accountant are contrasted with Kurtz to display the effects of evil on an individual.

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Hunt Hawkins presents the controversy that Joseph Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness, encounters, as its contents portray Africans as dehumanizing, savage, and uncivilized beings. In order to provide a sufficient amount of information with regards to the controversy, Hawkins introduces the analysis of distinct scholars to describe racism, imperialism, and human nature. As a result, an analysis of the characters are provided to the audience and allow an individual to understand why Conrad decided to write Heart of Darkness the way he did. Thus, during this process, Hawkins describes the manifestation of the darkness that eventually consumes Kurtz.

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By describing the men as “ants”, their insignificance in Marlow’s life is highlighted. To Marlow, the Africans hold no importance and he sees them as nothing more than insects. Moreover, Marlow describes the Africans as having “faces like grotesque masks”. The negative connotation of the word “grotesque” seeks to show the preconceived notions Marlow had regarding the Blacks. Never having come across a Black man before, the

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Conrad uses examples of order and chaos throughout his novel to aid in the delivery of the differentiation of the truth of human nature and the sham of civilization. In these examples, order represents civilization and chaos represents the wilderness of Africa. When Marlow finally left the central station to retrieve Mr. Kurtz, he and his crew stop at an abandoned cottage in the middle of the jungle where a European once lived and noticed an old book on the table. Marlow says, “Not a very enthralling book; but at the first glance you could see the singleness of intention, an honest concern for the right way of doing work, . . . The simple od sailor, with is talk of chains and purchases, made me forget about the jungle and the pilgrims in a delicious sensation of having come upon something unmistakably real” (78).

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Mr. Kurtz is the main focus in this story and he undergoes a deep change that was due to his greed in the ivory trade. He started off normal

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Often in literature, the physical journey the main character takes represents their psychological growth. In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Marlow’s journey into the heart of the Congo represents his progression into the darkest parts of his mind. As he travels deeper into the foreign terrain, he begins to question the world around him and himself. As Marlow begins his journey into the heart of Africa, he holds onto his idealistic belief in imperialism.

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To be bluntly honest, after having gotten to page 8 without having understood a word of the text, I was very frustrated. Not only did Heart of Darkness have an old-fashioned English style of writing but the first few pages were completely filled with references, symbols, metaphors and vivid imagery. I found myself either looking up each metaphor to understand it better or rereading each imagery because of its vividness. Thankfully, as the book progressed and Marlow’s story began, the plot became clearer and the story started to carry on more smoothly. I have come to realize that Heart of Darkness can be regarded as a story within a story.

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Heart of Darkness is a novella describing a British man 's journey deep into the Congo of Africa, where he encounters the cruel

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Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a story that centers around Marlow, an introverted sailor, and his treacherous journey up the Congo River in search of a man name Kurtz. Unfamiliar with the terrain and natives, Marlow faced many different obstacles that made his journey even more tough. Obstacles like the Congo River and the dense jungles that surround it not only limited the crew progress, but also aroused confusion as well. Joseph Conrad amazing use of descriptive wording and imagery help the readers understand why their surrounding was giving them uneasiness throughout their expedition to meet up with Kurtz. The readers can understand why nature was truly an adversary to Marlow and his crew.

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