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Social Class In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

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From the beginning of life on Earth, social status has determined one’s quality of life. Early life on this planet were obsessed with social status as many are today. There are natural instincts in animals to try to be dominant so they may thrive over others. The animals that do end up proving their dominance over others are more likely to reproduce and have offspring compared to others. Over time, social status has slowly evolved and what makes one person dominant varies by culture and the specific time period. An era where many people were defined by which social class they fell in was the Victorian Era. Appearance was very important during this time period since appearance was used to identify if one would best fit within the Upper Class, …show more content…

With the imperialistic drive being a bigger motive for Europe, he could depict the harshness of the Victorian Era class system in his novel Heart of Darkness. Not only were the effects of the class system that made it dangerous, but also how easily it can spread. These themes are present in Heart of Darkness due to the Victorian Era being one of the worst time periods for class diversity. Also, Conrad presented the story from the point of view of a white man, or Middle Class worker, just so the reader can see what goes on directly below and above him in the social hierarchy. While there has always been a class system for all types of societies, the Victorian Era may be the worst since the poverty problems at the time gained little attention, yet a numerous amount of people fell victim to it. Today, most developed countries have a system in place to make sure the consequences of its class system are not too extreme. However, for a country to be successful, having a class system that determines a one’s quality of life is necessary. No matter when or where, there will always be a social ranking which determines the quality of someone’s

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The Victorian Era was the history of the United Kingdom during Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901. The Victorian society was divided up into four different classes, Gentry, Upper Class, Middle Class, and Working Class. Depending on what class you were a part of determined the type of diversion you got to participate in. Of course, the higher classes were associated in a wider range of activities. The lower class activities were limited and not as diverse.

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The lights from the city reflected the Thames River because London is described as being light, the light symbolizes Conrad’s view of civilization. According to Conrad civilization is where evil is present but ignored. The light is the knowledge that is gained through exploring. Conrad uses Africa and the Congo River to represent the evil that waits in the unknown. The darkness is said to be full of savages and cannibals it is further emphasized as being the uncivilized part of the world where people eat people and the savages wait in the trees and in the darkness.

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