As I have begun to read Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the level of colloquialism strikes me. I feel a great deal of works from this time period lack the conversational aspect he is so well versed in utilizing. The 1900s thus far has proven to be works that reflect a more sophisticated language, and yet Conrad’s diction has yet to cause a single hiccup. Instead, I find myself becoming enchanted by the almost lyrical prose. For instance, “And indeed nothing is easier for a man who has, as the phrase goes, ‘followed the sea’ with reverence and affection that to evoke the great spirit of the past upon the lower reaches of the Thames” (Conrad). The author could have written he was reflecting on the past or the sea stirs up memories, but instead he stated this so beautifully. As I read Part 1, I am reminded a bit of what we are facing today with the Black Lives Matter protests and movement. Marlow is on a journey to Central Station. Marlow has with him 60 native individuals who are responsible for the heavy lifting and end up having to carry the obese man who keeps passing out along the way. The natives eventually drop this man, upon which the obese man demands that Marlow do something about it, yet he did nothing. Earlier, Marlow describes the people as “dying slowly,” “not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now – nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom” (Conrad, 2020). This is heart wrenching and angering and shameful and sad. Marlow speaks with compassion and seems to understand something many others did not – the humanity of those who are different from ourselves. There is so much superiority rooted in whiteness, an entitlement and arrogance attached to flesh. I have and will always find it disturbing. As a human population, our differences exist in just one percent of our genetic composition. The other 99% is the very same. Marlow is clearly taunted and plagued by what he saw, and rightly so. It is no surprise to me that Marlow appears to unravel. He has seen and witnessed grotesque behavior and while he is articulating the horrors of the jungle, he still cannot fully articulate all that he saw. Marlow paints a picture of what he experienced, but expecting the others to comprehend is impossible as they inhabit, and have always inhabited, a “civilized” world (Conrad, 2020). There is a Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde likeness to A Heart of Darkness in the essence that Marlow has unraveled and was a different person before his Congo excursion. However, Marlow seems to suffer more from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder than to have a truly split/alternate identity (Stevenson, 2019). So while Jekyll descended into complete madness, thus resulting in the alter ego Hyde, Marlow seems to have been more emotionally impacted by his trauma. Upon his return, Marlow’s Aunt attempted to nurse him back to health, to no true avail. I suppose this speaks to all illness of the mind – permanent, everlasting, and so deeply rooted. Our brains have always been rewired by trauma; something that impacts us and seems to transform and that sadness becomes a core memory. Resources: Conrad, J. (2020). Heart of Darkness. Retrieved June 7, 2020, from https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/99/heart-of-darkness/1688/part-1/ Disney/Pixar's Inside Out - Sadness Lifesize Standup Cardboard Cutouts. (2020). Retrieved June 7, 2020, from https://www.allposters.com/-sp/Disney-Pixar-s Inside-Out-Sadness-Lifesize-Standup-Posters_i13273398_.htm Stevenson, R. L. (2019). Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . Place of publication not identified: Legend Press.
2 Comments
Mackenzie Eckley
6/7/2020 05:45:33 pm
Nice post!
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Victoria Rupp
6/14/2020 07:58:16 pm
Hi there,
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