Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad, like many authors, used his own experiences for the basis of his novels. Specifically, Conrad's journey on the Congo River as captain of a West African river steamer formed the basis for his novel Heart of Darkness. In this novel, the narrator of the story, Marlow, Conrad's protagonist, travels up the Congo in search of Kurtz, an ivory trader, and eventually ends up in the "heart of darkness." Conrad also used his pessimistic view of life for the basis of Heart of Darkness. Conrad's fatalistic attitude is evident when he explained to his friend R. B. Cunninghame Graham: "There is...a machine. It evolved itself...and behold!--it knits....It knits us in and it knits us out. It has knitted time, space, pain, death, corruption, despair and all the illusions--and nothing matters. I'll admit however that to look at the remorseless process is sometimes amusing." In the Heart of Darkn
He hated all this, and somehow he couldn't get away. In addition, the themes of death, corruption, and despair describe the fatalistic attitude of Conrad. He used his experiences from his journey down the Congo River on a steamer for the basic plot of the novel. First of all, Marlow came face to face with death several times throughout his voyage. Clearly, Marlow saw death, corruption, and despair in the "heart of darkness. During Marlow's journey into the "heart of darkness," death, corruption, and despair became the manifest themes of the novel. ordered [an] attack to be made on the steamer" (Conrad 58), even though Marlow came in peace. Marlow finds out about the death of Kurtz, the climax of the novel, when the manager's boy said to Marlow, "Mistah Kurtz-he dead" (Conrad 64). As Marlow's journey progresses, the corruption of the trading business becomes increasingly obvious. Finally, Marlow sees the despair of the existence of humans while in the "heart of darkness. ess, three evident themes include death, corruption, and despair. He saw these themes at the heart of human existence, and Marlow confronts them in the "heart of darkness. He had been a very second-rate helmsmen" (Conrad 47).
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Acceptance Essays
