Heart of darkness

             Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and the Christian version of Adam and Eve are closely related in that they both describe the journey from innocence to experience. Marlow, the African jungle, and Kurtz can be compared to the characters (Adam, Satan, and Christ) from the story of Adam and Eve. The temptation of exploring the deep dark jungle, the knowledge of the white man's burden, the self-discovery and growth of Marlow, as well as his salvation, all relate to the concepts found in the story from the bible.
             Based around Adam's fall in the Garden of Eden after being convinced by Satan to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, the story of Adam and Eve illustrates what happens when Adam disobeys God and is faced with the consequences. Similar to Adam, in Heart of Darkness Marlow is also faced with temptation and then, in a way, "banished" for his sin. The only difference between Adam and Marlow is that Adam wanted to stay in the Garden after his banishment, while Marlow in a way banished himself from the company as a result of his sudden fascination with the jungle. Giving in to the temptation of the jungle and the discovery of the natives, he describes his interest with the cannibals, "... I looked at them as you would on any human being with a curiosity of their impulse, motives, capacities, weaknesses..." (Conrad 112). Resembling Adam's curiosity of the forbidden apple from the tree of knowledge, the native's lives fascinate Marlow, however his wonder is restricted, or "forbidden" by the company. Nevertheless, his temptation and curiosity caused by the actual jungle, is seen as Satan, as he leaves the company to explore it and as a result is turned against, and becomes one of the "unsound." (Conrad 138) Marlow and Adam can be seen as two men that gave in to their temptations, however unlike Adam, Marlow was proud of becoming an outcast, and he had
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Heart of darkness. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 06:17, April 19, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/6197.html