Heart of Darkness

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Author:

Joseph Conrad

Published:

?? (yes it was published)

Setting:

Major Characters:

Marlow: main character telling of his journey into the heart of Africa. During his journey he encounters physical and psychological hardships as he tries to fulfill his personal quest to understand his own 'substance.'
Kurtz: Ivory trader who works at the Inner Station. He is loved as deity from the natives despite heinous acts he casually carries out for monetary gain.
The Manager: the manager of the country who received his position because of lack of illnesses. He is defined by Marlow as a Hollow Man and therefore has no substance or any restraint against evil.

Minor Characters:

The Accountant: A well-kept man who has little regard for those around him. He would rather do his bookwork than help a dying man.
The Russian: The assistant to Kurtz and the only person who is out for adventure rather than riches.
The Brick maker: Another Hollow Man, referred to as the paper-mache Mephistopheles.
The Helmsman: A native who lost restraint and paid his life for it.

Themes:

Every man has a potential for evil.
Exploitation for greed and material gain is immoral, devastating and destructive.
Restraint, personal character, and integrity ore fully tested in isolation only.
It is infinitesimally better to have a primarily evil substance than no substance at all.

Symbols:

Jungle- truth and reality
Grass- wickedness and the transitory lasting of good
Pail with hole- inadequacy of pilgrims and futility
Blinding sunshine- pitiless persecution under the guise of enlightenment
Huge buzzing flies- operations of the company's representatives
Candles- light, feeble light
Kurtz' oil painting- understanding of the situation
Yellow- corruption

Allusions:

White Sepulchral City- refers to the biblical account of the hypocritical Pharisees.
Women knitters- guards at the gates of Hell in Dante's Inferno.
Roman explorers and conquerors of Europe compared to British invaders of Africa.
Eldorado Expedition: refers to the search for the city of riches by Spanish explorers in the Americas.

Ironies:

Marlow calls the death of a man a glorious affair.
The manager had no learning or organization, but got his job because he did not get ill.
Marlow hate lies, but he lies to Kurtz' intended.
Referring to the death of the donkeys in the Eldorado Expedition, Marlow doesn't know of the fate of the less valuable animals.
Savage cannibals are more civilized than the Christian whites.
Kurtz hated the savagery yet he cannot leave.
Kurtz wrote a report on the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs which ends with "Exterminate all the brutes."

Point of View:

1st person from a listener on the boat. Marlow tells the story, which is quoted by the listener.

Ending:

I won't spoil the ending for you!! Read this yourself!!

Other Important Notes:

None.

Brief Summary:

Hmm, hard to be brief. I'd read the book if I were you. It's a good book.

Note: This novel review was done by Brian, in case you were wondering about the rather awkward phrasing and wording...

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