Poor Assumptions and Flawed Conclusions of Conrads Heart...

During the period when Joseph Conrads novel Heart of Darkness was written, a common theme in literature was the testing of the moral life through actual experience. One could not realize an ethical principle without it being justified through the outcome of some practical conflict. This idea of testing morality through experience is exactly what is presented in Conrads novel as Marlows journey results in a trial that not only defines his own beliefs but allows him to make a rather pessimistic conclusion on the morality of mankind. This realization comes about through the authors double presentation of imperialism in which it is both glorified and criticized. Marlow begins his narration with a vague position on the issue that†¦show more content†¦He even admits that he tries to keep his distance from any real connection to one side. He explains, I had no time†¦when you have to attend to things of that sort (sailing the steamer), to the mere incidences of the surface , the reality†¦fades.(pg.61) He describes the violent death of his predecessor with very little opinion on the matter at all. He states: I couldnt let it rest though; but†¦ what became of the hens I dont know either. I should think the cause of progress got them, anyhow. However, through this glorious affair I got my appointment†¦(pg.13) To call this event a glorious affair appears rather cold, but it does demonstrates that Marlow had no real opinion on the conflict other than it provided him his opportunity. Later, as Marlow prepares his ship for the journey, he surveys the men at the station and states, I asked myself sometimes what it all meant.(pg.39) He may question the situation at first, but he does not truly make the attempt to understand it at that point. Later he is forced to confront it. Still, it is Marlows distancing of himself from the action around him that allows him to make his general judgements about Imperialism and anti-imperialism. In the beginning, Marlow maintains his distanceShow MoreRelatedMarlows Lack Of Restraint Essay1849 Words   |  8 PagesIn Joseph Conrad’s infamous novella, Heart of Darkness, the narrator listens as Marlow tells his tale of his journey in the Congo, where he comes across many different types of people, all of which he can have hugely varying opinions on. It may seem at first that he simply views the Congolese as less than himself, but his ideas of humanity are far more complex than that, and is not directly tied to race. It is not the people that he despises, but the area they inhabit. He blames their environmentRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesantagonist), as, for example, in most detective fiction. Internal conflict, on the other hand, is confined to the protagonist. In this case, the opposition is between two or more elements within the protagonist’s own character, as in Joseph Conrad’s â€Å"Heart of Darknessâ⠂¬ , when Kurtz struggles (and fails) to subdue the savage instincts concealed beneath his civilized English veneer. Most plots, it should be noted, contain more than one conflict. In some cases, however, these multiple conflicts are presentedRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesunprecedented number of people that soared well into the hundreds of millions by century’s end. But for a clear majority of these migrants, movement was coerced by flight from war and oppression or was enticed by labor recruiters who preyed on the desperately poor. The prospects for the great majority were almost invariably lives of drudge labor in urban sweatshops, on tropical plantations, or on the wharves of an expansive, global export economy. Throughout the century, advances in human rights, which wereRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 Pagesto Develop Networks 174 Calendar Dates 174 Multiple Starts and Multiple Projects 177 Overview of the Resource Scheduling Problem 253 Types of Resource Constraints 255 Classification of a Scheduling Problem 257 Resource Allocation Methods 257 Assumptions 257 Time-Constrained Project: Smoothing Resource Demand 257 Resource-Constrained Projects 259 Computer Demonstration of ResourceConstrained Scheduling 264 The Impacts of Resource-Constrained Scheduling 270 Extended Network Techniques to Come