An essay explaining the title Heart of Darkness, an original essay
Heart of DarknessFull description
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Heart of Darkness by Orson WellesDescripción completa
Heart of Darkness by Orson Welles
Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Joseph Conrad. Before its 1902 publication, it appeared as a three-part series (1899) in Blackwood's Magazine. It is widely regarded as a significant work ...
Heart of Darkness by Orson Welles
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Welch 1 Peter Welch Mr. Wood Honors English III 19 January 2015 Kurtz s !ragic Hero Joes"h #onrad$s 1%99 no&el Heart no&el Heart of Darkness tells the story o' #harles Marlo() a shi" ca"tain) and his &oyage into #entral 'rica 'rica as "art o' an i&ory trading co*"any. +n his ,ourney) Marlo( hears ru*ors o' a *an na*ed Kurtz. ll accounts tell Marlo( Marlo( that Kurtz is a great and "o(er'ul *an. -or the &ast *a,ority o' the no&el) Kurtz is unseen. It is only at the end o' his ,ourney (hen Marlo( 'inally *eets Kurtz. !heir *eeting is shortli&ed) as Kurtz Kurtz dies a'ter only /eing "art o' the story 'or a 'e( days. I' there is one ad,ecti&e to descri/e Kurtz) it (ould /e enig*atic. l*ost all that is no(n o' Kurtz is hearsay) and his "hysical "resence in the no&el is incredi/ly shortli&ed. es"ite this) Kurtz 'its the the criteria o' a tragic hero. Kurtz is a tragic hero /ecause he is 'ated 'or greatness and ne&er reaches his true "otential) "oten tial) his do(n'all is a result o' his o(n decisions and 'la(s) and he co*es to a *o*ent o' realization a*idst his colla"se. In an essay on the archety"ical tragic hero) Play(right rthur rthur Miller (rites s a general rule) to (hich there *ay /e e3ce"tions unno(n to *e) I thin the tragic 'eeling is e&oed in us (hen (e are in the "resence o' a character (ho is ready to lay do(n his li'e) i' need ne ed /e) to secure one thinghis sense o' "ersonal dignity. -ro* +restes to Ha*let) Medea to Mac/eth) the underlying struggle is that o' the indi&idual atte*"ting to gain his 4right'ul4 "osition in his society. Miller6 In a (ay) Kurtz Kurtz 'its this criteria. Kurtz$s 'iance) (ho* Marlo( *eets at the end o' the no&el) ne( Kurtz /e'ore he le't 'or 'rica. 'rica. 7he calls hi* a *an o' 4"ro*ise)4 4greatness)4 a 4generous *ind)4 and a 4no/le heart4 896. l*ost e&ery/ody else (ho *eets Kurtz corro/orates this
Welch 2 descri"tion. Kurtz isn$t literally /orn into a line o' ings lie Ha*let or gi&en a "ro"hecy that he (ill /eco*e a ing lie Mac/eth) /ut Kurtz still "osses great "otential to /e a leade r) and e&ery/ody (ho no(s hi* thins o' hi* as a leader. Marlo( s"eas (ith one o' Kurtz$s cronies on his tri"
This visitor informed me Kurtz's proper sphere ought to have been politics `on the popular side.' … [he] confessed his opinion that Kurtz really couldn't write a bit 'but heavens! how that man could tal". #e electri$ed large meetings. #e had faith don't you see% he had the faith. #e could get himself to believe anything anything. #e would have been a splendid leader of an e&treme party.' `hat party%' ( as"ed. `)ny party*' answered the other. `#e was an an e&tremist.' +,- Kurtz /irts with power and greatness in his life. hen he lives in )frica* he becomes a powerful leader a demigod of sorts to the native people. 0ut* this is not the position of power for which he was fated. 1eading a nearly subhuman group of burglars from town to town* raping* pillaging* and murdering is not something a man with a 2noble heart3 would do. (n his former life* Kurtz could have pursued politics or another respectable profession in which his talents of leadership could be used. (nstead* Kurtz wastes his potential on the $rst powergrab he encounters. The archetypical hero has /aws* and those /aws are almost invariably responsible for his downfall. 4or e&le* in Oedipus the King nobody can be blamed for 5edipus's downfall e&cept 5edipus himself. 5edipus's hubris and ignorance lead to his own destruction. This thin"ing applies to Kurtz as well. 1i"e all men* Kurtz is susceptible to corruption and greed. #e is inclined to seize all that is available to him. This comes in the form of both ivory and supremacy over the native people. The reader sees Kurtz through
the lens of 6arlow. 6arlow is the only character in the novel who is able to recognize Kurtz as being corrupt. 6arlow spea"s on Kurtz's $&ation on physical wealth7 2 ou should ha&e heard hi* say) $My i&ory.$ +h) yes) I heard hi*. $My Intended) *y i&ory) *y station) *y ri&er) *y$ e&erything /elonged to hi*.4 286 Welch : Kurtz$s o/session (ith (ealth and "o(er is also e3e*"li'ied in his atte*"ted esca"e 'ro* Marlo($s shi". es"ite the 'act that he is in des"arate need o' *edical attention) Kurtz cra(ls o'' Marlo($s shi" on all 'ours to return to his "eo"le in the ,ungle. Without *uch trou/le) Marlo( 'inds Kurtz. Marlo( s"eas to Kurtz) sy*/olically and literally looing do(n on hi*. Marlo( has his head in the *o*ent) understanding the need to lea&e on the /oat) (hile Kurtz /a//les on a/out his standing in the nati&e tri/e. Kurtz$s 'la(s are (hat ill hi* in the end. I' Kurtz had not in&ol&ed hi*sel' so *uch (ith the nati&es) he (ould not ha&e gro(n ill. ll the other Euro"ean characters in the no&el li&e through their ti*e in 'rica (ithout *a,or illness. -or this reason) Kurtz$s illness a""ears to the reader as an act o' ;od. ;od "unishes Kurtz 'or the &iolent atrocities he has co**itted. tragic hero co*es to a realization o' his o(n 'la(s during his do(n'all. !his characterisic o' a tragic hero can again /e e3e*"li'ied /y looing at Oedipus the King. t the end o' the "lay) +edi"us sta/s his eyes out. He realizes and ad*its to his ignorance and the 'la(s in his (ays. Kurtz$s sel'realization is *uch *ore su/tle than that o' +edi"us) and it co*es in only a 'e( (ords. With his 'inal /reath) Kurtz "ronounces the "hrase 8:6 Marlo( is haunted /y the (ords) and co*es to analyse the* hi*sel'. He says
( was within a hair's breadth of the last opportunity for pronouncement* and ( found with humiliation that probably ( would have nothing to say. This is the reason why ( a8rm that Kurtz was a remar"able man. #e had something to say. #e said it. 9ince ( had peeped over the edge myself* ( understand better the meaning of his stare* that could not see the /ame of the candle*
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but was wide enough to embrace the whole universe* piercing order to print this from Scribd, enough toInpenetrate alldocument the hearts that you'll beat in the dar"ness. #e first need to download it. had summed up he had :udged. `The horror!' +,, 6arlow is impressed and captivated by Kurtz's ability to e&press the essence Cancel Download And Print of his life in only four words. #e even says that this summation of life ma"es Kurtz a remar"able man. The reader is led to believe that Kurtz is spea"ing on both the horrors of imperialist )frica and the horrors of his own actions in his dying words. elch , Kurtz is a uni;ue character and certainly enigmatic* but he functions as a tragic hero nonetheless. #e is a great and powerful man by nature* but his /aws destroy him* and prevent him from reaching his full potential. Kurtz's $nal words show that he has an understanding of his own condition and the horrors of the world in which he lives. These words perfectly encapsulate his life and show that he truly is a tragic hero.