Chaos Theory Portrayal in Heart of Darkness - 1101 Words

In Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, the strongest conflict is an internal conflict that is most prominently shown in Marlow and Kurtz. This conflict is the struggle between their image of themselves as civilized human beings and the ease of abandoning their morality once they leave society. This inability has a close resemblance to the chaos theory. This is shown through the contrast of Kurtz as told by others and the actuality of him and through the progression of Marlows character throughout Heart of Darkness. Dictionary.com defines chaos theory as the phenomenon of unpredictable and complex dynamic systems that are highly sensitive to small changes in external conditions. In Heart of Darkness, the difference in input is†¦show more content†¦Then the lines become even more blurred and Marlow seems to forget what he used to be. He refers to his helmsman as an improved specimen and to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat, walking on his hind-legs.(61). He feels he is training this dog of his to be of better use whereas before he entered the Congo, he felt some kinship to these people. More kinship than to call them a fool-nigger(76) when they attempt to protect themselves with a gun. In the end, he sides with Kurtz. Its not clear whether he is simply choosing Kurtzs method of honest evil over the companys ruse of civilization or if he truly believes in what Kurtz was doing. Nevertheless I think Mr. Kurtz is a remarkable man (105) influences the thought that he supports Kurtzs methods. Kurtzs method of holding a gun to a mans head in order to take their ivory. Kurtzs method of beheading ‘rebels and posting their heads about his house. Kurtzs method of intimidating the local populace into believing that he is a god. This is what Marlow is calling a good method; coming from a ‘remarkable man. This image is at odds with the person we are first introduced to. Joseph Conrad portrays t hese two characters in very similar ways. They both were very educated men with definite constructs of power. Both come from countries with a King, or Queen depending on the era, and are subordinate to someone. When they leave Europe, theseShow MoreRelatedMy research paper is entitled, Analyzing Heart of Darkness through a Feminist Lens. Through this3100 Words   |  13 PagesMy research paper is entitled, Analyzing Heart of Darkness through a Feminist Lens. Through this paper, I will investigate and examine Heart of Darkness by means of Feminist Criticism and literary theory. I aspire to thoroughly analyze the entire narrative, in order to pull out and pinpoint various aspects and examples linked to feminist theory. 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Having an eye on these approaches, this section offers a critical thinking about the nature of the relationship between the British and the Indians. 2.1 The Indian Landscape and the Sense of Displacement As in Heart of Darkness, the Indian landscape appears very hostile to the colonisers as if it conspires and plots against them. It depicts their socio-psychological dilemma in the foreign land and the traumatic influences of their colonial system. It resists and fights