Character Growth in Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay...

Character Growth in Conrads Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness explores the intellectual, emotional and moral growth of characters throughout the novella. This character growth has been a recurring theme in literature, with the poet William Blake, among many others, exploring theories of the movement between innocence to experience. Although Conrad does not strictly address character growth in this manner, characters that do and do not undergo psychological growth are portrayed quite differently. Those who undergo these psychological changes are portrayed favorably, that is Marlow, the frame narrator, and Kurtz. These characters throughout the novel undergo significant change, for some it is gradual†¦show more content†¦At the start of the novella, the reader is faced with the frame narrator’s thoughts, feelings and opinions, which in relation to colonialism are rather optimistic and naà ¯ve to the reality Marlow later reveals. The setting is the river Thames, London, where the Nellies narrator s ays the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway, going on to say the biggest, and greatest town on earth, and expressing colonialism as the dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths. His opinions represent hope, possibility and optimism. This initial description then can be juxtaposed to the end of the novel, after hearing Marlow tale, when he says, the Thames seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness. It can be seen as evidenced above that the narrator undergoes a significant growth, from one extreme polarization to another, however throughout the text there are various small changes that can be inferred which lead to the eventual change (seen at the end of the novel) of the frame narrator. As expressed by Hena Maes-Jelinek He is the only one who takes part imaginatively in Marlows tale - and is changed by it. His active participation in the story alludes that he is slowly undergoing a significant change, he says I listened, I listened on the watch for the sentence, for the word, that would give me the clue to the faint uneasiness inspired by this narrative. TheShow MoreRelatedEssay Symbolism In Heart Of Darkness1077 Words   |  5 PagesJoseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness lies a tale saturated with subtle, yet, significant imagery that brings forth the true meaning of the novella. Throughout Heart of Darkness Conrad uses a plethora of simple colors, objects, and places to convey multifaceted images and ideas. His fine execution of the tools of the English language allows him to quickly lure the reader aboard the Nellie and not release him until the horror is over. 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