Part B Heart of Darkness

Theme
Consider how the following reveal the hypocrisy of imperialism. Record
your ideas below in complete sentences. Use examples from the text.
1. 1.
Different settings. Consider how Kurtz and the pilgrims
act differently in the following settings.

Belgium

Belgium is portrayed as a civilized place where Kurtz and his

pilgrims acted like they were civilized. However, the speaker
still depicts that the depth is nonexistent within the populace.

The Congo

Walking through the Congo, Kurt and his pilgrims are shown
losing their civility as they drift more and more away from
their civilized world and into the unknown.

On the steamer
In steamer is where Kurtz grows very ill and his pilgrims are
forced to carry him around and tend to his needs. He has
grown very ill with the travelers sickness so in this setting we
can tell that Kurtz is somewhere lying with his mouth open,
nearing death.

2.
The depiction of the following. Consider how each is
portrayed in the novel, and how they are opposites. Is one or the
other more concerned with appearances than the other? What
does this concern reveal about hidden motives and what
hypocrisy is revealed?

Kurtz vs. the pilgrims
Mr.Kurtz is portrayed as a man that has the essentials for
success but; in the progression of the novel, Kurtz becomes ill

and manic. Kurtzs character is what reflects the weak spots

of our society. Although he possess all the qualities that
society describes as explanatory, he portrays the hollow
aspects of the society.

Civilization vs. savagery
In the story, Heart of Darkness a major theme was displayed
in the conflicted images of societies civilization and savagery.
The novels civilization is described as the creation and laws
being implied and the codes that motivated men to achieve
success and prevented men from returning to their savage
state of mind. Each station should be like a beacon on the
road toward better things, a center for trade of course but
also for humanizing, improving, and instructing. The excerpt
is a reflection of the ideal notation used to encompass the
civilization, Mr.Kurtz by all means should be a civilized many,
his descent into his savage wage was the underlying theme
needed to supply the superficial ideal that was produced to
develop the need for superiors.

Christians vs. pagans
The ivory is mentioned many times through the story and it is
because this ivory is the light for Kurtz and his pilgrims or their
pagan God.The author used this to make a parallel between the
Christians and all the different people who had sacred fires like the
pagans. This all applies to the civilization and savagery type thing
mentioned before.

3.
The women in the novel. Marlow says more than once that
women are nave, blindly trusting the stories of the civilizing of
the Dark Continent. How do the women of the novel advance the
theme of the hypocrisy of imperialism?

The Intended vs. The African Mistress

In the Heart of Darkness novel, the protagonist named
Marlow is viewed as less of an intellectual that has the ability to grow

and advance and is portrayed as ignorant and careless people that are
not able to understand the true meaning of life. We must help them to
stay in that beautiful world of their own lest ours gets worse. Marlow
views all women to be idealistic and gullible thinking they are able to
turn the blind eyes to realities of imperialism. Just like the Intended,
the white men want to see the good characteristics of the pilgrims that
were sent. But, the intended keep all the allusions of life together
and the riches of the coast are not faced with the reality of the African
natives and slaves.

Motif
Record three to five examples where the darkness motif is used.
Include the quotation from the text, if possible. Explain the meaning
the idea of darkness gives in each situation.
1. The companys work is done in the darkness and gloom, not on the
lit water. In this example, the darkness is the conjunction of the
company. This is used to exemplify darkness that is what exists in the
expansion of imperialism and the dangers it brings.
2. Man, we just love sunsets. Everything is bathed in heavenly whit
lightOh, wait. Except the western horizon. This excerpt displayed
that darkness was not used to depict the imperialism but rather to
comment on the lack of morals set on those from the western
horizon. This example is the light in which was used to reflect on the
idea of imperialism and is not based on the greediness of the man but
it spreads heavenly white light
3. And this also, said Marlow suddenly, has been one of the dark
places of the earth. The excerpt is where Marlow reflects on the
darkness that lies in the Congo. The quote is what is meant to draw the
comparison between the initial idea of purity existing in the civilization
and imperialism.