Conrads Heart Of Darknesss :: essays research papers

Quinn on tenderheartedness of DarknessWe cannot read Quinns shipwreck survivor without re-evaluating ourselves. Quinn confronts us with powerful revelations about mankind. According to Quinn, if we continue to live in our taker modus vivendis, we will eventually destroy ourselves. Conrads tit of Darkness illustrates a real behavior manifestation of Quinns insights. Written nearly a century ago, Conrads tale of early English imperialistic taker lifestyle still resembles present day taker lifestyle. We still try to rule opposite lands and people. We still have the attitude that everything centers on man. We still exhaust footings resources and kill its creations. Above all, we still do all this with ignorance.With shipwreck survivor as a guide, we can better understand how Conrads much intricate story critiques taker lifestyle. Laying out the major issues in castaway will reveal insight to the imagery and symbolism in Heart of Darkness.Quinn states that man conceives that t he leaver community to be a place of uncontrolled chaos and savage, relentless competition, where every creature goes in terror of its life (Quinn 117). Not until takers conquer these places of lawless chaos can these lands be heaven for man (222). Until then, these lands and its inhabitants are wrenched and in the wrong. Conrad establishes this mentality at the beginning of Heart of Darkness. We are instantly aware of the imagery of dark and light. Traditionally, dark represents abuse and light represents good. Conrad begins with associating savagery with darkness and civilization with light. Conrads protagonist, Marlow, explains his version of the pedigree of England. He asserts to his shipmates, When the Romans first came here, nineteen hundred years ago fairylike came out of this river Thames since. But darkness was here yesterday (Conrad 3). Takers demand that everyone and everything essential be civilized. To takers, civilize means living by their beliefs and their lifes tyle. Like gods, takers believe they know what is right and what is wrong to do, and what theyre doing is right (Quinn 167). Everything and everyone is to live the taker lifestyle because that lifestyle is the right way to live. Oddly enough, the taker culture actually performs the bring opposite results from what it attempts to accomplish. As Ishmael preaches, everything was in good order. It was the Takers who introduced disorder into the piece (146). When man thought he was not exempt from the laws of nature, he and everything was fine.