The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.pptx

A Novel about British Imperialism by Joseph Conrad.
Since its publication, Heart of Darkness has fascinated readers and critics, almost all of whom regard the novel as significant because of its use of ambiguity and (in Conrad's own words) "foggishness" to dramatize Marlow's perceptions of the horrors he encounters.

1. About the Novel Since its publication, Heart of Darkness has fascinated readers and critics, almost all of whom regard the novel as significant because of its use of ambiguity and (in Conrad's own words) "foggishness" to dramatize Marlow's perceptions of the horrors he encounters. Critics have regarded Heart of Darkness as a work that in several important ways broke many narrative conventions and brought the English novel into the twentieth century.

2. Key Facts Full Title : Heart of Darkness Author : Joseph Conrad Type of Work : Novella (between a novel and a short story in length and scope) Genre : Symbolism, colonial literature, adventure tale, frame story, almost a romance in its insistence on heroism and the supernatural and its preference for the symbolic over the realistic

3. Key Facts Time and Place Written : England, 1898–1899; inspired by Conrad’s journey to the Congo in 1890 Date of First Publication : Published in 1902 in the volume Youth: A Narrative; and Two Other Stories Narrator : There are two narrators: an anonymous passenger on a pleasure ship, who listens to Marlow’s story, and Marlow himself, a middle-aged ship’s captain. Point of View : The first narrator speaks in the first-person plural, on behalf of four other passengers who listen to Marlow’s tale. Marlow narrates his story in the first person, describing only what he witnesses and experiences, and provides his own commentary on the story.

4. Key Facts Tone : Ambivalent: Marlow is disgusted at the brutality of the Company and horrified by Kurtz’s degeneration, but he claims that any thinking man would be tempted into similar behavior. Setting (time) : Latter part of the nineteenth century, probably sometime between 1876 and 1892 Setting (place) : Opens on the Thames River outside London, where Marlow is telling the story that makes up Heart of Darkness. Events of the story take place in Brussels, at the Company’s offices, and in the Congo, then a Belgian territory. Protagonist : Charlie Marlow

5. Key Facts Major Conflict : Both Marlow and Kurtz confront a conflict between their images of themselves as “civilized” Europeans and the temptation to abandon morality completely once they leave the context of European society. Rising Action : The brutality Marlow witnesses in the Company’s employees, the rumors he hears that Kurtz is a remarkable man, and the numerous examples of Europeans breaking down mentally or physically in the environment of Africa. Climax : Marlow’s discovery, upon reaching the Inner Station. Falling Action : Marlow’s acceptance of responsibility for Kurtz’s legacy, Marlow’s encounters with Company officials and Kurtz’s family and friends, Marlow’s visit to Kurtz’s “Intended.”

6. Key Facts Themes: The hypocrisy of imperialism, madness as a result of imperialism, the absurdity of evil Motifs: Darkness (very seldom opposed by light), Interiors vs. surfaces (kernel/shell, Coast/inland, station/forest, etc.), Ironic understatement, Hyperbolic language, Inability to find words to describe situation adequately, Images of ridiculous waste, Upriver versus downriver / toward and away from Kurtz / away from and back toward civilization (quest or journey structure.

7. Key Facts The Congo River ( also known a s the Zaire River ; French: (le) fleuve Congo (Zaïre) ) is a river in Africa and the world's deepest river with measured depths in excess of 220 m (720 ft). It is the second largest river in the world by discharge (after the Amazon). The Congo- Chambeshi river has an overall length of 4,700 km (2,920 mi), which makes it the ninth longest river (in terms of discharge, the Chambeshi is a tributary of the Lualaba River, Lualaba being the name of the Congo River upstream of the Boyoma Falls, extending for 1,800 km). Measured along the Lualaba, the Congo River has a total length of 4,370 km (2,715 mi), The Congo Basin has a total area of about 4 million km², or 13% of the entire African landmass .

8. Characters Marlow - The protagonist of Heart of Darkness. Marlow is philosophical, independent- minded, and generally skeptical of those around him. He is also a master storyteller, eloquent and able to draw his listeners into his tale. Although Marlow shares many of his fellow Europeans’ prejudices, he has seen enough of the world and has encountered enough debased white men to make him skeptical of imperialism .

9. Characters Kurtz - The chief of the Inner Station and the object of Marlow’s quest. Kurtz is a man of many. He is a gifted musician and a fine painter— Leadership qualities and a man who understands the power of words, and his writings are marked by an eloquence that obscures their horrifying message. Although he remains an enigma even to Marlow, Kurtz clearly exerts a powerful influence on the people in his life. His downfall seems to be a result of his willingness to ignore the hypocritical rules that govern European colonial conduct: Kurtz has “kicked himself loose of the earth” by fraternizing excessively with the natives and not keeping up appearances; in so doing, he has become wildly successful but has also incurred the wrath of his fellow white men..

10. General manager - The chief agent of the Company in its African territory- runs the Central Station. He owes his success to a hardy constitution that allows him to outlive all his competitors. Average in appearance and unremarkable in abilities. Possesses a strange capacity to produce uneasiness in those around him, keeping everyone sufficiently unsettled for him to exert his control over them. Brick Maker - Whom Marlow also meets at the Central Station, is a favourite of the manager and seems to be a kind of corporate spy. He never actually produces any bricks, as he is supposedly waiting for some essential element that is never delivered. He is petty and conniving and assumes that other people are too. Chief Accountant - An efficient worker with an incredible habit of dressing up in spotless whites and keeping himself absolutely tidy despite the squalor and heat of the Outer Station, where he lives and works. He is one of the few colonials who seems to have accomplished anything: he has trained a native woman to care for his wardrobe.

11. Pilgrims - The bumbling, greedy agents of the Central Station. They carry long wooden staves with them everywhere, reminding Marlow of traditional religious travelers. They all want to be appointed to a station so that they can trade for ivory and earn a commission, but none of them actually takes any effective steps toward achieving this goal. They are obsessed with keeping up a veneer of civilization and proper conduct. Motivated entirely by self- interest. They hate the natives, treat them like animals, although in their greed and ridiculousness they appear less than human themselves. Cannibals - Natives hired as the crew of the steamer, a surprisingly reasonable and well- tempered bunch. Marlow respects their restraint and their calm acceptance of adversity. The leader of the group seems to be intelligent and capable of ironic reflection upon his situation. Russian Trader - A Russian sailor who has gone into the African interior as the trading representative of a Dutch company. Boyish in appearance and temperament, and seems to exist wholly on the glamour of youth and the audacity of adventurousness. His brightly patched clothes remind Marlow of a harlequin. He is a devoted disciple of Kurtz’s.

12. Helmsman - A young man from the coast trained by Marlow’s predecessor to pilot the steamer. He is a serviceable pilot. He is killed when the steamer is attacked by natives hiding on the riverbanks. Kurtz’s African Mistress - A fiercely beautiful woman loaded with jewelry who appears on the shore when Marlow’s steamer arrives at and leaves the Inner Station. She seems to exert an undue influence over both Kurtz and the natives around the station, and the Russian trader points her out as someone to fear. Like Kurtz, she is an enigma: she never speaks to Marlow, and he never learns anything more about her. Kurtz’s Intended ( beloved )- Kurtz’s naïve and long- suffering fiancée, whom Marlow goes to visit after Kurtz’s death. Her unshakable certainty about Kurtz’s love for her reinforces Marlow’s belief that women live in a dream world, well insulated from reality. Aunt - Marlow’s doting relative, who secures him a position with the Company. She believes firmly in imperialism as a charitable activity that brings civilization and religion to suffering, simple savages. She, too, is an example for Marlow of the naïveté and illusions of women.

13. The men aboard the Nellie - Marlow’s friends, who are with him aboard a ship on the Thames at the story’s opening. They are the audience for the central story of Heart of Darkness, which Marlow narrates. All have been sailors at one time or another, but all now have important jobs ashore and have settled into middle- class, middle- aged lives. They represent the kind of man Marlow would have likely become had he not gone to Africa: well meaning and moral but ignorant as to a large part of the world beyond England. The narrator in particular seems to be shaken by Marlow’s story. He repeatedly comments on its obscurity and Marlow’s own mysterious nature. Fresleven - Marlow’s predecessor as captain of the steamer. Fresleven, by all accounts a good-tempered, nonviolent man, was killed in a dispute over some hens, apparently after striking a village chief.

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15. THEME (Section I) A few white men sitting on the deck of The Nellie in the mouth of river Thames. Marlow an odd person in a group sitting in a posture of Buddha. Thinking of his Congo mission- a barbaric and uncivilized place. Thinking of his own land two thousand years ago when invaded by Romans. For him Roman were merely conquerors not colonisers. The comment is an ironic criticism of his own people and their tendency of colonialism. Marlow’s fascination of waters, distance, mystery and adventures brought him to this profession. Imagines Congo – a huge snake whose mouth was in a sea, and curling body spread across the vast regions of Congo.

16. THEME (Section I) Flashback- Marlow talks about his experiences in Congo. Marlow visits to Company office to Brussels for interview. Stuck by the oppressive atmosphere there. Interview was just a farce: Normal medical check up. Doctor takes measurements of his skull. Wanted to check whether the life in Congo bring about any change in them. “Unfortunately, nobody had ever returned from there”- Doctor. Also asks psycho- medical history of Marlow’s family. Marlow visits his aunt before proceeding for his duties. She helped him to get this job. Her impression: Marlow going to sow the seeds of education and civilization among the barbaric. Marlow comments: “Women live in the world of dream.”

17. THEME (Section I) Marlow began his voyage in French steamer. After thirty days reaches at the mouth of Congo. Changes to vessel for 200+ miles river journey to company trading station. Atmosphere at station: Like Brussels, gloomy and dull. Lifeless – inhibited devastation Marlow describes. Six natives (labourers of the company) with iron chains tied to iron collars around necks driven by another native. Harassment of own people to please the master. Sees number of half naked natives whose ribs could be easily measured. “As if awaiting for death.”-Marlow. Marlow meets an immaculately dressed person-Chief Accountant- on the station. Nothing in the office except this man and his books was good in the office . Tells Marlow about outstanding and amazing agent Kurtz. Marlow hears for the first time.

18. THEME (Section I) After ten days Marlow set out for the central journey. Two hundred miles journey of fifteen days on feet through thick and dense forest accompanied by sixty men. Marlow observed deserted colonies during the journey. Natives carrying whatever weapons and searching for ivory. Station was also badly maintained. Bad News:The steamboat he was supposed to head had sunk and gone to the bottom of Congo by inexperienced pilots. Marlow’s first job now : to bring it to the shore- get her repaired. A time consuming process. Manager welcomed Marlow but blame him for being late. Unimpressive, inattentive but egoistic personality. Tells Marlow about Kurtz –ailing in the deeper forest.

19. THEME (Section I) Marlow begins task- to bring the sunken steamer to shore. Meets number of white men doing nothing but gossiping, back biting, doing conspiracy and spreading bad news about each other. Only topic of IVORY. Imbecile(stupid), rapacity (greed). Heartless to the natives. Steamer brought on the shore but shortage of rivets hamper the work. No proper response from the company. Finally Marlow gives up hopes- sought another remedies. Meets Brick Master who has made no brick for one year as raw material is not arrived- he complains. Kurtz is a man with divine power : Brick Maker to Marlow. He was sent by the company on the mission to end the superstitions that ruled the nature.

20. THEME (Section I) Marlow meets a man with huge moustache- heartless to the natives. “If they have broken the law they must be punished. The fact : the whites were imposing their own law of their land on the natives in their land. Marlow equates this man Mephistopheles , a man with no principles or values. His attitude suddenly changes when he learns that Marlow was about to set out to see Kurtz. Marlow pays no attention. A Group of Rowdy arrived- Called themselves Edorado Exploring Expedition. The leader of the group was the Uncle of the manager of the station. Marlow disdains them. He is thinking about Kurtz.

21. THEME (Section II) One evening Marlow tired after days work, lying on the deck- Heard two voices: Manager and His Uncle about Kurtz- Kurtz collected huge amount of ivory, more than ivory collected all other agents put together. Manager is envious to Kurtz and his popularity. Kurtz is not fit for the job but his nephew because of his sturdy body. Dilapidated steamer is repaired and ready to sail. A journey to the inner station begins: few white men, manager. Marlow experiences thickness and horror of the forest on both banks. Rare light during journey . Skilful journey. Marlow discovers: Human nature, wherever you is the same

22. THEME (Section II) The accompanied natives with steamer were cannibals. But they restrain themselves by touching any white person during the voyage. Journey continues: Marlow comes across a neatly built hut, built in reeds. He enters carefully. Found a tattered book about steam engines. He takes books with him. Just eight miles away from destination. Marlow decides to take halt as intuition of some danger. Manager opposes. Morning- a thick layer of for around. Shrieking sounds come from the shore. Sensation of danger. Whites panic. Fog lifted a little. Attack from the shore- arrows. Helmsman seriously injured. Marlow honks ship whistle loudly. Attackers run away. Damage is averted cleverly. Marlow too eager to meet Kurtz.

23. THEME (Section II) Closer to the destination. Marlow observes from glasses. Notices old building on a hill surrounded by a wire compound, pillars. They recognize the inner centre of the company. Steers boat close to the shore. Meet a Russian man. Marlow’s first impression– harlequin. Russian- the owner of the hut and the book. He is thankful to Marlow for reading the book with interest. He looked Kurtz as his mentor- Uneasy for his depart but know Kurtz can get Proper medical treatment in England.

24. THEME (Section III) Marlow is curious about Russian, his arrival and motive. Kurtz was another puzzle for Marlow. Esp. Natives’ fascination for him their oppose to his leaving the camp. Charm and trick of Kurtz to win natives. Winning them with the command of language. Dark side of Kurtz- Lust for power, greed for ivory etc. Marlow sees the decaying heads and skulls of the natives on the poles of the fence. When Kurtz is being taken, natives shouting and clamouring. Kurtz somehow put up his hand and silenced them. Natives withdrew without any complaint. Marlow impressed with the brightness in the eyes of Kurtz. But his voice was grave, profound and vibrating. Couple of bronze figures- one of them was a woman- Chief and Kurtz’s native mistress with headdress and strange ornaments. Marlow noticed a conflict beween good and bad in the mind of Kurtz.

25. THEME (Section III) Next afternoon- return journey of the steamer. Crowd of natives yelling, gesticulating. Kurtz is looking at them longing, saying something. Angry somewhat. Marlow blew the whistle of the ship. Terrified natives ran away in the dark forest. Kurtz’s health continues to deteriorate. He spoke about himself, ivory, his intended. Oscillated mind. He takes Marlow into confidence- handed to him a packet of papers and photograph of his beloved in England. Requested Marlow to give it to her. Marlow promises to complete his last wish. Kurtz dies two days after. Companions decide to give the burial rites and hurriedly conduct funeral on the shore of Congo. Back to Company. Many men tried to take possession of the papers with Marlow by any ways.

26. THEME (Section III) Marlow succeeds to stress Kurtz’s girl after a year. She is still mourning as if Kurtz died yesterday. Asks the last words of Kurtz to Marlow. Marlow lies it was her name on his lips. She becomes happy. Said I knew it – I was sure. Marlow was pained that he had lied but happy for her satisfaction. Gave her the packet. The narration of Marlow ended and it was then that the listeners became aware that they had missed the first tide.

27. Conrad’s World View For Conrad, the world as we experience it is not a place that can be reduced to a set of clear, explicit truths Instead, its truths (of the psyche, of the human mind and soul) are messy, vague, irrational, suggestive, and dark. Conrad’s intention is to lead his readers to an experience of the “heart of darkness.” His goal is not to shed the light of reason on it, but to recreate his experience of darkness in our feelings, our sensibilities, our own dark and mysterious hearts.

28. Historical Context

29. Marlow’s & Conrad’s 1889- 90 journey into “ Heart of Darkness ” Joseph Conrad (1857- 1914)

30. Belgian Congo/Zaire

31. King Leopold II • In 1878, King Leopold II of Belgium asked Stanley to found a Belgian colony in the Congo. The King charged Stanley with setting up outposts along the Congo River, particularly at Matadi. • • • Leopold II described his motives to the rest of Europe as springing from a desire to end slavery in the Congo and civilize the natives, but his actual desires were for material gain. In 1885, at the Congress of Berlin, an international committee agreed to the formation of a new country to be known as the Congo Free State. In Heart of Darkness , Conrad refers to this committee as the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs . Leopold II, who was to be sole ruler of this land, never set foot in the Congo Free State. Instead, he formed a company, called simply “the Company” in Heart of Darkness , that ran the country for him.

32. The Ivory Trade • • • • A prevalent feeling among Europeans of the 1890s was that the African people required introduction to European culture and technology in order to become more evolved. The responsibility for that introduction, known as the " white man's burden ," gave rise to a fervor to bring Christianity and commerce to Africa. In return, the Europeans took huge quantities of ivory out of Africa. During the 1890s, at the time Heart of Darkness takes place, ivory was in enormous demand in Europe, where it was used to make jewelry, piano keys, and billiard balls, among other items. From 1888 to 1892, the amount of ivory exported from the Congo Free State rose from just under 13,000 pounds to over a quarter of a million pounds.

33. The Ivory Trade • In 1892, Leopold II declared all natural resources in the Congo • Free State to be his property. This meant the Belgians could stop dealing with African traders and simply take what they wanted themselves. As a consequence, Belgian traders pushed deeper into Africa in search of new sources of ivory, setting up stations all along the Congo River. One of the furthermost stations, located at Stanley Falls, was the likely inspiration for Kurtz's Inner Station.

34. Belgian Atrocities in the Congo committed many well-documented acts of atrocity against the African natives, including the severing of hands and heads.

35. • Belgian Atrocities in the Congo Reports of these atrocities reached the European public, leading to an international movement protesting the Belgian presence in Africa. These acts, reflected in Heart of Darkness , continued, despite an order by Leopold II that they cease. • Heart of Darkness was an important literary intervention into the emerging debate about atrocities in the Congo. • Edmund Dene Morel, who founded the Congo Reform Association in 1904, described Conrad's story as "the most powerful thing ever written on the subject." For Morel, the title became synonymous with the "tortured African world" of the Congo that suffered under the autocratic rule of King Leopold, a man Morel described as "a great genius for evil."

36. Belgian Atrocities in the Congo In 1908, after the Belgian parliament finally sent its own review board into the Congo to investigate, Leopold II was forced to give up his personal stake in the area and control of the Congo reverted to the Belgian government. The country was granted its independence from Belgium in 1960, and changed its name from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Zaire in 1971.

37. Order in the midst of Chaos: Patterns of Three: Three chapters Three times Marlow breaks off the story Three stations Three women (Aunt, Mistress, Intended) Three central characters (Kurtz, Marlow, Narrator) Three characters with names Three views of Africa (political, religious, economic)

38. Narrative Style in HOD Frame Narrative Circular Structure Light and Dark Transformation

39. Narrative Style in HOD Heart of Darkness is a frame story (a story within a story). The first narrator sets the scene, describes the boat and the Thames, and introduces Marlow, the primary narrator. The structure mimics the oral tradition of storytelling: Readers settle down with the sailors on the boat to listen to Marlow's narrative. – Oral storytelling brings with it associations of fables, legends, and epic journeys. Readers are introduced to the idea that the tale Marlow tells is a quest, a myth.

40. Narrative Style in HOD The book is divided into three chapters that indicate changes in Marlow's attitude towards Kurtz or the idea of Kurtz. In Chapter One, Marlow begins to build a picture of Kurtz from other people's descriptions of him. Chapter Two sees Marlow's growing obsession with meeting and talking with Kurtz. In Chapter Three, Marlow and Kurtz actually meet. • The story within a story technique also distances Conrad as the author. Readers are unsure whether they are reading the tale at second- or third- hand. It becomes difficult to distinguish whether the opinions expressed are Conrad's own or the narrator's. •

41. Narrative Style in HOD The book has a distinct circular structure : the first narrator begins and ends the novel in the same evening while on the boat moored on the Thames. "Darkness" (excess, madness, destruction) is not only in the jungle but everywhere , even in London, which was the heart of the British empire and its colonialism. There is a clear progression downward to hell that recalls Dante’s Inferno , and perhaps also Hamlet’s descent into madness.

42. Moral Interpretation Heart of Darkness is preoccupied with general questions about the nature of good and evil , or civilization and savagery. Moral ambiguity is a central concept in the novel, and is expressed throughout the narrative in the tension between opposing forces. Irony is also deeply embedded in the novel. – At one level, it shows the hypocrisy of the Europeans’ “moral” purpose of invading Africa, when their motive is really only commercial. – At another level, it shows how these European emissaries, instead of 'suppressing savage customs,' actually become savages themselves.

43. Moral Interpretation Civilization versus wilderness Culture versus savagery Fascination versus repulsion Freedom versus restraint Innocence versus experience Justice versus injustice Reality versus unreality Strength versus weakness Success versus failure Work versus idleness

44. Ambiguity & Clarity Moral ambiguity and irony are not the easiest forms of expression to cope with when you are a student and are asked to express yourself clearly and directly. But it is precisely because the world often appears to be ambiguous and ironic that we must strive to speak and write clearly. Otherwise, there is only darkness, only confusion .

45. Thank You