"Heart of Darkness"

Paper Summary:

This essay begins as a literary analysis of the elements of tone, imagery and diction in a significant passage from "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. It then moves to parallel the passage to the overall story arc of the novel. It discusses Conrad's stylistic choices in regards to how they aid in expressing the author's message. The essay analyzes what happens to an individual that is removed from society and desensitized to violence and conclusively argues that the familiarity of the unknown should be feared over the unknown itself.

From the Paper:

"In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad portrays the characters and environment with a sense of uncertainty. The reoccurring images of darkness and mystery cast a shadow over the fine line between good and evil that the text circles around. In this passage, Marlow and the sailors are going up the river to meet Kurtz, getting deeper into the Congo and into the "heart of darkness". The tone of this passage moves from enchanting and heroic to dizzying and dark, but all the while maintains a mysterious undertone. Similarly, Conrad begins with wonderful, expansive imagery encompassing the universe and moves quickly to tightly packed, disturbing imagery that narrows the focus to human body parts. Conrad's word choice for much of the passage is both deceptive and illuminating as it struggles with the concept of uncertainty and Marlow himself wonders what words can be collected to characterize the complex situation. The passage illuminates the union of good and evil that is humanity, and also plays with fear and the familiarity of the unknown, thus expressing some of the larger themes of the novel."

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