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Heart Of Darkness Literary Analysis

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"Now, we must all fear evil men. But, there is another kind of evil which we must fear most... And that is the indifference of good men" (Duffy). This quote by Troy Duffy makes a statement about an evil that one often overlooks. Throughout history, evil men have committed horrendous crimes deserving of death. However, people often forget that the apathetic man has something to be blamed for. In Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, he shows how good men become desensitized and leave all logic, decency, and concern when removed from civilization. Conrad's novel illustrates a plethora of themes about man when placed in such a primitive environment. In his novel, Conrad uses the literary elements of symbolism, characterization, and setting to illustrate the theme that humans become depraved when removed from civilization.
The literary concept of symbolism is exemplified in people, places, and things in order to portray how depraved humans can become. One primary example is the heads of the "criminals" atop of poles outside Kurtz's hut (Conrad). This symbolizes Kurtz's physical and mental downgrade from domesticated to savage. He has figuratively and literally become an animal at this point in time. He is so broken off from decency that he no longer cares how violent and brash his actions are. Furthermore, there is another example …show more content…
The jungle in the Congo contained chain gangs, slavery, and death (Conrad). The physical place of the third world country of the Congo is an extremely primitive and savage area. The atrocities happening there are undeniable. The inner station is an even more evil setting than the outskirts of the Congo (Conrad). Marlow can visually see even more enslavement and brutality as he delves deeper into the jungle. Through setting Conrad has successfully established the insanity that humanity embraces when separated from

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