The representation of place in the Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad highlights the concept of binaries such as good and evil, civilised and non-civilised, black and white, etc. The novel’s setting illustrates humanity’s ability to succumb to primal states due to its presence in every individual’s subconscious centre. Additionally, the setting highlights historical conflicts over who the antagonist of the imperialism period really is. Lastly, the concept of a timeless setting illustrates the misconceptions of one’s civilised or non-civilised state being embedded within the individual’s subconscious, rather than influenced by external factors. These concepts are depicted through the parallelisms created between the exploration of the ‘darkness’ of the setting and the psychological trauma the character’s experience as a result of interacting with unknown, unrefined, settings.
The Heart of Darkness explores the journey of Charlie Marlow, a British seaman, who ventures into the depths of Africa as an agent working for a Belgian company involved in trading ivory. Through his journey Marlow experiences the brutality, insanity and oppression that arises between the civilized colonizers and the African natives. He recounts his journey to a ship of seamen by taking them back into the past through his narrative …show more content…
The explicit analysis of the title relates the setting to the evil that lies within the jungle of Africa, in terms of the ‘evil’ and misunderstood natives. It does so by describing the hostile and barbaric wilderness in the depths of the African jungle supported by images of minimal lighting, fogs, and heavy nature coverage. The implicit meaning however suggests that the title does not refer to the environment, but the evil present within the subconscious of an individual provoked by the setting to
The Heart of Darkness explores the journey of Charlie Marlow, a British seaman, who ventures into the depths of Africa as an agent working for a Belgian company involved in trading ivory. Through his journey Marlow experiences the brutality, insanity and oppression that arises between the civilized colonizers and the African natives. He recounts his journey to a ship of seamen by taking them back into the past through his narrative …show more content…
The explicit analysis of the title relates the setting to the evil that lies within the jungle of Africa, in terms of the ‘evil’ and misunderstood natives. It does so by describing the hostile and barbaric wilderness in the depths of the African jungle supported by images of minimal lighting, fogs, and heavy nature coverage. The implicit meaning however suggests that the title does not refer to the environment, but the evil present within the subconscious of an individual provoked by the setting to