How is the Congo River described in the Heart of Darkness?
“It had become a place of darkness. But there was in it one river especially, a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depth of the land.”
How does Marlow describe the Congo River?
Marlow describes a map image of the Congo River in Africa as being like a snake (p6) and himself as a “silly little bird.” What snake-like qualities does this reference transfer to the River, and how does the transference set us up for the rest of the novel’s events?
How does Marlow describe the Congo jungle?
Marlow comments: “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it . . . I’ve never seen anything so unreal in my life” (37). In contrast, the wilderness appears solid, immovable, and ominously threatening.
How does Conrad personify the Congo River in Heart of Darkness?
The Use of Personification in “Heart of Darkness” In one instance of this, Marlow describes the Congo River as being “deadly – like a snake” and another instance the river bank is described to have been invaded by “mangroves that seemed to writhe at us in…
How does Conrad describe the Congo?
To Conrad, Africa is the very representation of darkness. Marlow often says, “We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness” (Conrad 96), to describe his journey on the Congo with a feeling of the unknown coming towards Marlow and his men.
Why is Congo significant in Heart of Darkness?
The River. The Congo River is the key to Africa for Europeans. It allows them access to the center of the continent without having to physically cross it; in other words, it allows the white man to remain always separate or outside.
Why does Marlow compare the Congo river to a snake?
Thus, Conrad’s comparing the river to a snake also suggests the danger Marlow will find in Africa and the temptations to which Kurtz succumbs when he sets himself up as a god to the natives. Despite the uncertainty of what lay there, Marlow had to go.
How does Marlow describe the African coast?
Conrad’s protagonist, Marlow, relates his first sight of Africa: “Watching a coast as it slips by the ship is like thinking about an enigma. There it is before you—smiling, frowning, inviting, grand, mean, insipid, or savage, and always mute with an air of whispering, Come and find out.
How does Conrad describe Africa?
Not only does he describe the actual, physical continent of Africa as “so hopeless and so dark, so impenetrable to human thought, so pitiless to human weakness” (Conrad 94), as though the continent could neither breed nor support any true human life, but he also manages to depict Africans as though they are not worthy …
Why was the Congo perfect for Leopold’s purposes?
The Congo was a perfect colony for Leopold II for several reasons. First, ivory and rubber were plentiful and could be systematically gathered and shipped to Europe.
What does Marlow keep comparing the river to?
Why does Marlow compare the Congo River to a snake?
How does Marlow view Africa in Heart of Darkness?
Though Joseph Conrad’s plot and characters in The Heart of Darkness critiques European imperialism in Africa, his prose itself belies an inappropriate view of Africa and its people as mysterious, barbaric, and obscure: Marlow thinks of Africa as “a blank space of delightful mystery” or as “a place of darkness” (Conrad …
What did Conrad say about Africa?
Conrad, he says, portrays Africa as “‘the other world’, the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization”, which Achebe attributes to Conrad’s “residue of antipathy to black people”.
Why did George Washington Williams care about the Congo?
In the late 1880s, Williams turned his interest to Europe and Africa. After having been impressed by meeting King Leopold II of Belgium, he traveled in 1890 to the Congo Free State (then owned by the king) to see its development.
How does Conrad describe the river in Heart of Darkness?
Now the Congo is a river just like the Thames. Yet, Conrad has his character Marlow observe that sailing the river is much like moving back in time, before England, before civilization. He describes it with words relating to darkness: gloom, shadows, and lacking the brilliant tones of the Thames River.
How does Marlow describe his travels in Africa?
On a number of occasions, Marlow describes his travels in Africa as what? A nightmare. Marlow realizes what quite early after his arrival? That the natives are treated very cruelly, the whole business operation is very inefficient and wasteful, ant that greed motivates the company and its employees.
Why is Congo called the Heart of Darkness?
The dense forest of the “Democratic republic of Congo” is called as the heart of darkness because the vegetation of democratic republic of Congo is dense. Explanation: The vegetation on the inner forest is too dense for any kind of quick travel, so the river helps the characters physically move more regularly.
What does Congo River convoluted movement suggest?
It symbolizes the characters’ movement away from civilization as well. The thick vegetation on its edges and the fog the characters encounter on the river help illustrate the increasing darkness as they move towards Kurtz.