Heart Of Darkness - Comments
Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is the story of two men that work for an ivory company in Africa. The protagonists of this story are Marlow and Kurtz. Marlow and Kurtz come to see the horror that hides behind the trimmings of civilization and every day life, the true darkness inside of all mankind. Characterization, symbolism, and tone are important in Joseph Conrad's construction of the main idea behind the "Heart of Darkness". The author uses those things and more to build up the main Idea behind the story and make it evident to the reader.
With Marlow and Kurtz serving as the main protagonists, both characters can be seen as the main character. For the story to be effective as a whole, both Marlow and Kurtz must be seen as the main characters. Joseph Conrad develops the moral character of the main characters simultaneously even though Marlow and Kurtz don't even contact one another until the very end of the story. Conrad cultivates the characteristics of Marlow and Kurtz throughout the story so the reader knows that these men are like most average people in their thinking and their behaviors. The story is seen through Marlow, but the focus all the way through the story is on Kurtz, almost from the moment Marlow reaches the first station in Africa. Kurtz's character really begins to develop around the time Marlow reaches the central station, and he becomes known as an "exceptional man, of the greatest importance." The reader can see the ambition that drives the characters
through the words of others. Even after Kurtz's death, when Marlow tells Kurtz's fiancé
of his death, he lies to her about him because the truth "would have been to dark- to dark altogether."
The reader can see that Marlow still thought very highly of Kurtz even though Marlow knew just what lurked beneath the surface. The reader sees Marlow himself as being a respected man "the worst that could be said of him was that he did not represent his...
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