Right now I am reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.
This novel is very difficult in that it uses a very advanced level of grammar,
which makes it complicated to follow at times. What I like about this novel,
despite my difficulty in decoding some parts, is that it uses such rich and
flowing language as to almost imitate poetry. The subject of the novel is a
European man's descent into the heart of Africa as a steamboat captain, and his
discovery of the harsh and dark condition of the land. The African natives are
being abused and forced into work for the European companies. The conditions
for the European workers are crude too, with a lack of supplies and danger
always being present. The story focuses on the images of the land and what the
narrator sees when he is there. Little to no focus is put on details of events
or everyday activities like eating meals. I get to experience the land from the
narrator's point of view. I feel his uneasiness, and his disgust at times. I
feel the dreariness of the land settling into me, I feel the need to get out,
to fix my steamboat as the narrator needs to do. The general plot, if looked at
without reading the actual story, is rather boring and uneventful so far. The
feeling and the tone are what have kept me interested. I feel as if there will
be a change soon, some sort of climax to steer the storyline elsewhere. I'll
keep you updated.
When i read this book i absolutely loved it. My teacher focused on the juxtaposition of light versus dark and ultimately good versus evil. It would be extremely easy to do a philosophical approach essay to this book because it is rich with ideas on humanity and society. Excellent choice.
ReplyDelete~Onyx L
I rememeber reading this book as well, I believe it was in the 10th grade. It was extremely difficult to read, and I remember skipping over a few parts cause it was a little boring. But I remember Onyx and I had the same teacher, and she did talk about light vs. darkness in the book, which I believe is very prominet. The book is very grim and chilling from what I can recall, but Aimee, are you seeing any of these light vs dark themes?
ReplyDeleteI also read this book and the word choice was definitely a detriment to me understanding the book as well. However, on the point of the narrator not expressing himself, I think his emotions tie into the land and the prominent characters he interacts with. Almost like he lives vicariously through those he meets.
ReplyDelete-Kevin W.