What might the title represent—the heart of
darkness—what is this referring to?
In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness, there is a consistent allusion to darkness throughout the novella. This reference to darkness goes from relating to "the forest," "death," Kurtz, and the natives. Of course the word "heart" most literally relates to the human heart, but heart is also known to be defined at the center, beginning life force, and courage. When looking at a general term that the "heart of darkness" refers to is nature. It is human nature to commit evil, to do wrong for one's own personal gain. These seamen, ivory hunters, colonists, and other scoundrels that do not belong in the "heart" of Africa are part of the darkness. The natives are portrayed as the darkness as well. Their peculiar rituals, way of speaking, and skin color add to the "darkness" of the jungle. Although this is all part of the relation to the title "heart of darkness" nature is the source of it. Nature shows darkness when the moon rises, shadows cast by the sun, the innate evil in all humans and the "darkness" of the deep heart of the jungle or forest. Every think can have darkness, nature, man, and animals. Life has it dark moments with death and disease, madness. People believe they have no dark side, but as seen in this novella, those who began the journey were filled with light and life, but many fell in sickness or madness like darkness settled into them. The title of Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness relates to the innate darkness of nature which is the "heart" of all life on this planet.
When talking about the darkness throughout, you sparked my thought when you mentioned the human's natural desire to do evil. As shown in the Bible, the evil was created in the Garden of Eden in Genesis and since has dwelt in the human heart. A human is born with a pull towards evil. No one has to tell a child to steal another child’s toy; it's natural. So maybe this darkness that covers the entire novella and the lives of the main characters, in reality, touches everyone’s lives as evil is as inescapable as the darkness that falls at night.
ReplyDeleteAmber, I agree with you when you stated that there is a consistancy about the allusion to darkness throughout the novel. Whether it be through a simile or metaphor or any type of literary device it was definitely mentioned continually no matter what was going on at that moment. Although, I am not sure if I agree with your statement about it being human nature to commit evil. Yes it is impossible not to sin, we are all of a humanly sinful nature, but of a humanly evil nature? I could've have just interpreted it the wrong way, I am known to do so, but biblically referrring the BiBle does mention when evil was created with Adam and Eve. Overall I like your take on this prompt, I agree.
ReplyDeleteAmber, the way in which you used the term “nature” to encompass the whole sense of darkness within the novella intrigued me. Certainly human character can sink into dark ways particularly when in situations of an already grimy nature. In one word you successfully defined the ebb and flow of Conrad’s story. Through all this, Marlow fights his (and man’s) supposed sinful desires as he passes through the shadows of the ivory company. And he must try and focus blurred perception of what is wrong and right the farther he and his crew travel into the Congo. While, Kurtz in a way succumbed to the primeval urges that power offered him.
ReplyDeleteAmber, what an interesting response! I loved how you dissected the novella’s title world-by-word, and your interpretation of the “heart” as a life force was intriguingly literal. I would have never arrived at that interpretation myself, so I thank you for taking me there. I also enjoyed your point of the light and dark inside all of us, and that, though the characters entered the story filled with “light and life,” they fell sick or mad as though their own internal darkness was finally coming out. Just like all human beings, the characters in the novella were exposed to their internal duality through touch circumstances, which certainly made for an interesting read.
ReplyDelete