What Are The Similarities Between Lord Of The Flies And Heart Of Darkness
605 Words3 Pages
Through their dark, hopeless and horrible descriptions of life, Lord of the Flies and Heart of Darkness, presents the common theme that man; at his heart is an evil, violent and fallen being. Conrad believed in the idea that all human beings have a heart of darkness that is usually drowned out by the light of civilisation and that same heart might have the tendency to revert to savagery. Conrad portrayed the theme of civilisation and savagery smartly through the use of certain settings and symbols that would exhibit his ideas and concepts clearly.
Both Lord of the Flies and Heart of Darkness are intensely allegorical novels and emphasize the use of symbols in their characters. For example, the characters of Kurtz and Jack represent those who willingly give in to their heart of darkness while Marlow and Ralph represents those who see savagery and fights to return to civilisation. In Heart of…show more content… Marlow, fearing his intentions, pursues Kurtz into the darkness and confronts him, where Kurtz was attempting to join the natives, the ‘savages’, in their ritualistic chanting. “’Do you know what you are doing?’ I whispered. ‘Perfectly,’ he answered…’You will be lost’ I said ‘utterly lost”. This series of actions, with Kurtz sneaking off into the darkness and Marlow trying to a retrieve him, is symbolic of Kurtz’s desire to disappear entirely within his savage nature. Kurtz is actively seeking the darkness of his savage nature and yearns to join himself fully into it, yet the civilised forces (Marlow) try to bring him back into the light of order and peace. Marlow on the other hand also journeys away from civilisation