Heart of Darkness- Author Joseph Conrad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Heart of Darkness- Author Joseph Conrad - Essay ExampleIn the beginning epigraph , Marlows comment about Congo as one of the dark places of the public already provokes the reader to explore the meaning of darkness. Was it literal being in the dark continent? Was darkness symbolic of mens hearts an d not the color of their skin? The succeeding discussion will illuminate us about the important quotes on the work of Conrad.In the novella, the setting, symbolism, motif and all told point towards darkness whether literally or figuratively. However, a more sinister lesson is established in the story that darkness is something constant in the hearts of men. Somehow, this is alluding to the scriptural explanation about the source of wars as explained in the book of James. All conflicts, wars and envy begins in the heart of man. Mans heart is often considered as something full of evil desires and cannot be trusted. Although his actions may manifest something, his motives are deceiving.Colo nialism is one of mans longings for it brings power and wealth. Greed is one of the deadly sins which is a revenant theme in this literary piece. The heinous crimes committed against the natives can be traced to the roots of greed. In modern day-setting, there is no difference when one sylvan invades another in the guise of helping when actually, it already impedes the democracy of the subordinate country so as to gain access to its resources. The intent is the same unless the strategy is quite different. If in the novel the Belgian colonizers use force to impose their authority to the natives, modern and developed countries use trade impositions and political circumspection to get what they need.At the beginning, the reader may think the Darkness being pertained to is the skin color of the Africans as well as the connotation that Congo is in the Dark Continent. But as one goes along the story, it can be sensed that even the natural surroundings are gloomy which forebodes someth ing dark or