Realty Rivet

Posted onJanuary 05, 2012 - 12:49 am by Admin | 0 Comments

The framing device employed by Joseph Conrad for the narrative of his Heart of Darkness, where the experiences of the main character, Marlow, regarding his journey through the African continent are related to the reader by an anonymous narrator, causes the insights gained by Marlow as a consequence of his quest being conferred upon a specific group of individuals, whose preconceptions regarding the true nature and motivations behind colonialism are challenged.

Like the narrator, Marlow is someone who once admired the noble questers of the past like Sir John Franklin and Francis Drake, who undertook journeys of exploration and conquest and were lured by the mystery of unknown continents. But now Marlow assumes a role as the figure of enlightenment, 'sitting cross legged on the deck like a European Buddha' (p.10), who will give these preconceptions of the narrator, which the reader who may also be inclined to share, a greater depth and complexity.

Marlow The Obstinate Quester

Marlow describes his initiation into the African trading company as plagued by dark omens and hints of corruption, as he sees women knitting black wool and is examined by a doctor who talks of profound psychological alterations occurring in Europeans who travel into the continent. He portrays himself as an obstinate quester, with an element of hubris, who desired to undertake his journey regardless of the potential dangers - perhaps like the individuals related by the narrator in the opening such as Sir John Franklin, who journeyed unprepared into the hostile wilderness.


→ 0 Comments

Posted in callebs realty