English Language and Literature Studies; Vol. 5, No. 1; 2015 ISSN 1925-4768 E-ISSN 1925-4776 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 13 Historicizing Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness: A Critique of King Leopold II’s Colonial Rule Isam Shihada1 1 Associate Professor of English Literature and Gender Studies, Department of English, Gaza Strip, Palestine Correspondence: Isam Shihada, Associate Professor of English Literature and Gender Studies, Department of English, Gaza Strip, Palestine
are scarce in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The ones that do exist, however, are carefully crafted characters who serve to develop major themes in the novel. The women of Heart of Darkness all serve a purpose, whether or not it is immediately apparent. The doors to the trading company are manned by two women who Marlow sees as “guarding the door of Darkness” (12). As they sit there, they both knit “black wool” (11). A clear representation of the mythological Fates, these two women determine the
Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness utilizes light and dark to shape his character’s beliefs and actions during the period of Belgian imperialism. For centuries, light and dark have been common motifs in literature, used to depict the subconscious personality of characters. Conrad uses the contrast of light and dark to highlight both the power and oppression felt during Belgian imperialism in the African Congo, resulting in a change of character in Marlow and Mr. Kurtz. In Thomas Foster’s How to
Title: Heart of Darkness Author: Joseph Conrad Date of Publication: 1899 Genre: fiction, novella, historical fiction Biographical Information about the Author: Joseph Conrad’s life is very similar to the plot of Heart of Darkness. He was born in Poland, moved so that he would not be enlisted into the Russian army, and instead joined the French Merchant Marine and worked his way up to become a Master Mariner. Progressing from this experience, his life became similar to Marlow’s in Heart of Darkness