Heart of Darkness

1
Heart of Darkness

• Notes on the Theme of Transformation

2
From Savagery to Civilization, and Back

• Rome conquers Europe, Europe conquers Africa
  Each country is transformed from savagery to
  civilization.
• And this also has been one of the dark places of
  the earth. (p.67) England has been transformed
  from darkness into the light.

3
Setting / Tone

• In the beginning, the Thames is placid,
  serene, tranquil (p.66) but the Congo grows
  gradually more menacing as they leave
  civilization, and near the heart of darkness.

4
Setting / Tone

• The Companys Offices In the city that always
  makes me think of a whited sepulchre. (p73)
• A sense of foreboding the doctors comments
  about insanity, the civilizing mission of the
  aunt, Freslevens quarrel.

5
Setting / Tone

• The Companys Offices
• An eerie feeling came over me. She seemed
  uncanny and fateful. Often far away there I
  thought of these two, guarding the door of
  Darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall
  Ave! Old knitter of black wool. Morituri te
  salutant. (p.75)

6
Setting / Tone

• Outer Station Sense of decay and absurdity.
• rivers, streams of death in life, whose banks
  were rotting into mud, whose waters, thickend
  with slime, invaded the contorted mangroves that
  seemed to writhe at us in the extremity of an
  impotent despair. (p.80)

7
Setting / Tone

• Outer Station
• Sense of decay and absurdity.
• The man-o-war shells the bush
• The well-dressed accountant is frustrated by the
  cries of the dying natives.
• The introduction of slavery, brutality, sickness,
  and death.

8
Setting / Tone

• Central Station
• Sense of chaos, confusion, and frustration.
• Marlows boat is sunk.
• No rivets for repairs
• Long delay
• Corruption of the Pilgrims, the Manager, the
  Expedition

9
Setting / Tone

• Inner Station
• Sense of danger and lurking insanity.
• Fog confusion and lack of vision
• They are attacked and the helmsman is killed
• They are greeted by a harlequin, heads on stakes,
  savagery, and the madness of Kurtz

10
Setting / Tone

• The Twist Returning to civilization Marlow
  finds it transformed I found myself back in the
  sepulchral city resenting the sight of people
  hurrying through the streets to filch a little
  money from each other They were intruders whose
  knowledge of life was to me an irritating
  pretence (p. 156)

11
Setting / Tone

• The Twist Even the placid and pacifical
  Thames is transformed The offing was barred by
  a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway
  leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed
  sombre under an overcast sky seemed to lead
  into the heart of an immense darkness. (p. 164)

12
Characters

• Marlow is shown savagery, and chooses it over
  civilization (prefers Kurtzs evil to the
  Managers)
• He is shown madness, but chooses sanity
• He is shown the truth, (the horror) and chooses a
  lie (his message to the Intended).

13
Characters

• Marlows reflection on the journey
• I dont want to bother you much with what
  happened to me personally, yet to understand the
  effect of it on me you ought to know how I got
  out there, what I saw, how I went up that river
  to the place where I first met the poor chap.
  (p. 70)

14
Characters

• It was the farthest point of navigation and the
  culminating point of my experience. It seemed
  somehow to throw a kind of light on everything
  about me and into my thoughts. It was sombre
  enough, too and pitiful not extraordinary in
  any way not very clear either. No, not very
  clear. And yet it seemed to throw a kind of
  light. (p.70)

15
Characters

• Kurtz Begins as a promising man, a universal
  genius (p.157) who could get himself to believe
  anything anything.
• Sees the edge of sanity and crosses over
• He has the ability to persuade and influence men
  accepts the role of God and is consumed by it.
• (Elements of Tragedy)

16
Characters

• Kurtz as Tragic Hero
• Great man with promise
• Hamartia (fatal flaw)
• Leads to his inevitable downfall death.
• Can you think of another tragic character like
  Kurtz?

17
Macbeth