Heart of darkness setting quotes. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 2022-10-28
Heart of darkness setting quotes Rating:
5,4/10
377
reviews
The setting of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness plays a significant role in the story, and is reflected in several quotes from the novel. The tale takes place primarily in the Belgian Congo, which was a colony of Belgium in Africa at the time. This setting is described as a place of savagery and brutality, where the European colonizers have imposed their will on the native population with little regard for their well-being.
One quote that captures the sense of isolation and danger present in the Congo setting is, "Going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings." This quote speaks to the wild and untamed nature of the region, and suggests that the Congo is a place where civilization has yet to fully take hold.
Another quote that highlights the harsh realities of the Congo setting is, "The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return." This quote emphasizes the sense of being cut off from the rest of the world that the characters experience while in the Congo, as if the jungle itself is actively trying to keep them from leaving.
The setting of the Congo also serves as a backdrop for the themes of imperialism and exploitation that are central to Heart of Darkness. The European colonizers in the novel are portrayed as ruthless and greedy, using the native population for their own gain. One quote that speaks to this theme is, "The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much." This quote highlights the cynical and exploitative attitudes of the colonizers, and suggests that the true motives behind imperialism are not noble ones.
In conclusion, the setting of the Congo in Heart of Darkness is a vital element of the story, and is reflected in several quotes that convey the sense of isolation, danger, and exploitation present in this wild and untamed region.
Heart of Darkness Quotes with Page Numbers
The setting of the overall novel does as well, when the focus goes back to the Thames and 'present day', where Marlow has been telling his story. We first see this when Marlow visits a Doctor for his pre-travel physical. It was as though a veil had been rent. Light comes from the darkest, most unexpected places. They also have a diploma for Teaching English as a Second Language from St. The natives were appeared slow and weak when working.
This quote gives the reader an understanding of a timeline between Roman rule and British imperialism. The exact location is not mentioned. And it has a fascination, too, that goes to work upon him. Time Period Time period helps put the events of the novel into a historical perspective. The British sought the colonization and conquering of Africa. Because he now knows that ''The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.
This helps the person listening get a better sense of what the trip was like. The Hypocrisy of Imperialism Heart of Darkness explores the issues surrounding imperialism in complicated ways. Joseph Conrad exclaims that life is yours alone and thus its experiences unshareable. There wasn't even a shed there, and she was shelling the bush. . So Heart of Darkness argues that the Africans are less corrupt and in that sense superior to white people, but its argument for the superiority of Africans is based on a foundation of racism.
It has a bit of suspense and darkness within the storyline, as the book title suggests. The word has lost all connection to any physical reality and has itself become an object of worship. Ash moving over the road and the sagging hands of blind wire strung from the blackened light poles whining thinly in the wind… He got the binoculars out of the cart and stood in the road and glassed the plain down there where the shape of a city stood in the greyness like charcoal drawing sketched across the waste. This assumption is helped by the fact that Marlow, the main character, is based on Conrad himself, who was a steamboat captain in the interior of the Congo during the early 1890s. This would not only mean working the natives until starvation and eventually death, but destroying the jungles as well.
It is believed that the Heart of Darkness setting is in the late 1890's even though it is not clearly stated anywhere in the novel. They trespassed upon my thoughts. Heart Of Darkness is a Classic English Novella written by Plot: The storyline starts with The Thames River Bridge, London, where Marlow was hanging out with his friends and spent the whole night over the bridge. The first such image Marlow witnesses off the West African coast, where a French warship fires pointlessly at an invisible enemy. Once he step foot onto the coast, Marlow was aware the Europeans would most certainly do more harm to earn a profit.
From there, the setting is mostly either on the Congo River, or at a few trading posts Marlow stops at along the way. Their existence and their exoticism enable his self-contemplation. It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream - making a vein attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured by the incredible which is of the very essence of dreams. There is the evidence in the book that supports both sides of the argument, which is another way of saying that the book's actual stance on the relationship between blacks and whites is not itself black and white. Do you see the story? The romantic view of death is not as exciting when faced with it in reality. However, as Marlow, and the reader, begin to form a more complete picture of Kurtz, it becomes apparent that his madness is only relative, that in the context of the Company insanity is difficult to define.
When was Heart of Darkness Written? The attitudes of the white men in the novel all reflect this. It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream--making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured by the incredible which is the very essence of dreams. You probably tell them when you went and something about the scenery and the sights you saw. It's described as a whole different world from either London or the trading posts. Hair parted, brushed, oiled, under a green-lined parasol held in a big white hand.
It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. All the great creations of literature have been symbolic, and in that way have gained in complexity, in power, in depth and beauty. Authors do the same thing in their novels. He wrote the book immediately after his return. The vision seemed to enter the house with me—the stretcher, the phantom-bearers, the wild crowd of obedient worshippers, the gloom of the forests, the glitter of the reach between the murky bends, the beat of the drum, regular and muffled like the beating of a heart—the heart of a conquering darkness. As Marlow moves further into the Congo, the events at each stop on the side of the river become less and less civilized.
Marlow draws a comparison between London and Africa as places of darkness. Some praised him, but some had envy for him because they believed he alone could work hard as ten men. Heart of darkness was written in the late 19th century just prior to the height of British imperialism. In the empty immensity of earth, sky, and water, there she was, incomprehensible, firing into a continent. On page 30, the Europeans viciously beat the natives to prevent conflagrations. The feeling of power that 'buzzed through my spine and also the 'weightless, comfortable and at home feeling' gives a sense of belonging as apposed to his feelings and opinion of how the sea has dramatically changed. You would think they were praying to it.
31 Powerful 'Heart Of Darkness' Quotes Explained For Students
The vegetation made it difficult to see much past the riverbanks and provided cover for the indigenous African people. This photo captures the darkness and vegetation of the Congo. There is no love interest in it and no woman — only incidentally. Most of the action happens in Africa, but Heart of Darkness begins and ends in a boat on the River Thames, just outside of London. Besides all the things he ever achieved, he was not selfish at all. What redeems it is the idea only. The word 'ivory' rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed.
