Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Essay - 639 Words

Heart of Darkness By Joseph Conrad Theme: The classic theme of good versus evil is found in the novel. . It is represented by the idea of conflict between the civilize world and the savage world as well as the contrast of light and darkness. A minor theme is that everyone has their own ?heart of darkness? ? the belief that within each individual there is an element of evil Plot: Exposition: The exposition serves to introduce the protagonist Complications: Though they occur, technically, over a period of six days, the complications oscillate continuously through Stevens? recollections of the past and descriptions of the present. In describing recollections, the author builds up to Stevens? emotional realization.†¦show more content†¦Had he expressed what he truly felt earlier, they would not have been separated. Resolution: While sitting and talking to the man on the pier, Stevens questions his life, realizing that his entire method of thinking has been wrong. He realizes that he has not been living as a human being, but rather as simply a butler. Characterization: Protagonist: Stevens is an emotionally dead butler with false ideals of what his work offers. In his inability to communicate, he loses his love and is unable to relate to his father. Antagonist: The antagonist is Stevens? inability to express his emotions, hiding them behind a mask of excessive professionalism. He loses the woman he loves and is incapable of relating to his father due to this inability. Minor Characters: Miss Kenton is the woman who Stevens falls in love with. She too shares the inability to express her emotions, resulting in their being separated. Lord Darlington is Stevens? earlier employer whom Stevens admires. He refuses to acknowledge Darlington?s corruption despite its being obvious. Stevens idolizes his father, but in becoming like him he loses the ability to communicate with him, and is eventually unable to relate to him at all. Setting: The novel is set in rural England between the World Wars. The setting defines the plot as the complications occur alongside politicalShow MoreRelatedHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad1471 Words   |  6 PagesIn the story Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad a sailor decides to travel to Africa on a whim, using family connections he enlists as the captain of a ship travelling up the Congo River. The novella provides many themes, however is the text in itself racist? One of the main concepts portrayed in Heart of Darkness is the treatment of the natives of Africa and their image. This is most commonly shown through the disparity of the image between what is said in the novel and what can be read throughRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad Essay1371 Words   |  6 Pagesevery human and everything created by humans has two sides to it: the form and the substance. 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