Monday, March 30, 2015
Prompt 12
In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness the author writes in a narrative style with Marlow and an unnamed man. When the unnamed man speaks, the novel is open to more commentary in the story. When Marlow takes over we are given different viewpoints, allowing the story to have more depth between the two speakers. Because of this the novel is given a unique structure by the author, almost as if there is a story within the story. A story between an unnamed narrator and Marlow where the unnamed narrator interacts with the main character. This relationship helps the storyline to progress and carry to create more detail and views to be expressed to describe the journey the speakers take. This opens up the story to a pessimistic and poetic tone because of the structure and the narrative style. All of these elements help to impact the meaning of “Heart of Darkness” because the reader is given a viewpoint from two men in an environment that is out of their comfort zones, opening them up to true thoughts that are common to the cultures they’ve grown up with. The point of views from the narrators completely change the story depending on their backgrounds they’ve known their entire life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Lilly, you are so right when you say that points of view completely change the story! If Heart of Darkness was not written from the perspective of Marlow and the unnamed narrator, then our understanding of the book would be entirely different and would not possess the same qualities which make is such an impactful and bold read. The speakers' points of view do cause the reader to recognize the poetic tone, as well. Because we are given different viewpoints within this text, it causes the reader to gain more than one perspective for a time and generation like this one. This book and the way it is told causes its readers to think and to look at the vulgarity of "hearts of darkness."
ReplyDelete