After finishing the first 21 pages of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, one theme that I have seen emerging is the link between imperialism and insanity. The first time I noticed this theme was during Marlow's story about Fresleven. Marlow descibes Fresleven as "the gentlest, quietest creature that ever walked on two legs." (12) However, after a few years of support of the "noble cause", as Marlow sarcastically puts it, Fresleven nearly beat a village chief to death over a dispute about two hens. The imperialistic work that Fresleven was conducting in Africa clearly affected his mental state; within a few years, he fundamentally changed from someone who was peacful and content to someone who flew into a blind rage over some meaningless chickens.
This theme is also prelavent during Marlow's discussion with the doctor. During their discussion, the docotor says that the changes that people experience in Africa take place on the inside. After this, the doctor asks Marlow if there is any history of madness in his family. Throughout their conversation, the doctor is also constantly smiling and has the presence of someone who knows something that Marlow has yet to learn. All of these signs point to a possible change in Marlow's mental state during his journey to Africa.
Will the brutalitly of imperialism affect Marlow's personality? Will this theme continue to manifest itslef throughout the rest of the book? Only time will tell.
I like your post a lot for two reasons- it's well written and I'm sort of lacking the motivation to keep up with this book, even though I need to, so your final statements made me more intrigued! I really liked the scene with Marlow and the Doctor because, like the Doctor, I also think that the potential mental issues from his trip should almost be taken more seriously than physical ones. You support the importance of watching out for mental issues/change well with the reference to Fresleven's change from a super gentle, nice guy to a brutal, "get into a dumb fight and die" sort of person.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up an interesting point. There are many times when the book makes a reference to the madness and the darkness that follows imperialism. At the beginning the narrator talks about how the sky is dark like smoke and seems ominous. Also, the doctor adds to the feeling that everything is a little bit off. But I think that in the story is told by a Marlow that has already been changed by the journey, so it probably does not affect his personality during the book.
ReplyDeleteIt's cool how you related the "heart of darkness" to, essentially, the depths of insanity when many people simply saw the darkness as a symbol for danger in the story. Interesting connection.
ReplyDeleteIt is a really interesting point. I'm also curious about how all of these different motifs connect. Whenever Marlow mentions things that are dark I find myself thinking of the complexion of the victims of imperialism. It's also interesting to think about the point of view in which Marlow is telling this for. He's telling it retrospectively after many years so these events string themselves together in an interesting way with a different perspective on how things went.
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