Heart of Darkness- Part 1

[Jonah Bae]

Jonah Bae | Response to Joseph Bailey |

I think your take on the opening scene is very interesting. we differ in how we perceive the narrator's description of the scene, as you interpreted the use of words like "gloomy" and "sombre" as indicating peace and tranquility, while I interpreted them as the opposite, instead being indications of a recurring theme where other factors in the setting apart from the sea are described as depressing or melancholic. Additionally I did not make it as far in the story as you did, as my response only pertains to the first 2 pages, and I am happy to see that you had interpreted the narrator's position on the city as being one of distaste, as this would support my own response that every part of the setting besides the ocean is degraded by the narrator as being a negative entity.

[isabellacruz]

Response to 2 classmates: 


Replying to Jonah Bae:

Wow I love how complex your response was on the prompt of setting identification in “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad. You include very sophisticated viewpoints, including the setting itself and the shifts in the scenery. Additionally, your question is very interesting. I also wonder about why the setting transforms from sunny and bright to dark and vice versa. This adds more of a mysterious factor to the text, while adding confusion upon the readers. I feel as if the author incorporates this component in order to add a layer of complexity for the audience, therefore instilling a sense of curiosity. Thank you for sharing Jonah, great discussion!

Replying to Isabella Aguilar:

Great discussion Bella! Considering the points mentioned regarding the setting, you clearly identified the vivid imagery surrounding the various scenes in the story. Similarly in my discussion, I also noted that the author includes vivid imagery and complex language. I find it highly interesting that each scene resembles a contrast from the previous. Through the layers that Conrad includes, it develops the story more thoroughly, while also including levels of nuance for the audience to visualize effectively. Your question is also very interesting as it discusses the significance that the sea holds to the meaning of the character and the story. Great job!

[PARKER CAMERON]

In the Novel the heart of darkness, the setting travels through a variety of cycles including hectic, calm, and everything in between. In the beginning of the novel, you see the seas are calm and relay a sense of relaxation for Marlow. This can be seen when Marlow describes his setting as “The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest. The flood had made, the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down the river”. As the story progresses we see Marlow becomes more and more descriptive describing things like the sea as a "vanishing flatness" and the sky as "a sea the color of lead". Marlow and the Author's vivid descriptions of the setting and the story around them helps us as the readers to understand the characters'situations as well as their motivations. As the setting changes we see a shift in tone and mood in the story as we see the setting focused on the sea and sky to focus on nature and the world around him. This ultimately helps us to better understand Marlow as a character and also understand his thought processes in the novel the heart of darkness

[Nathan k]

In part one of “Heart of Darkness” the author, Joseph Conrad, starts the beginning of the novel with a strong imagery with a deep description of the boat and the ocean. “The flood has made, the wind was nearly calm and being bound down the river, the only thing for it was to come to and wait for the turn of the tide.” The author continues with vivid descriptions by stating “sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion, a straight back, an ascetic aspect, and, with his arms dropped, the palms of hands outward”. The setting of the story shifts “he broke off. Flames glided in the river, small green flames, red flames, white flames, pursuing, overtaking, joining, crossing each other.” This creates the shift from the calming description of the ocean to the deep imagery of Marlow's character and his expedition. “The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and lights began to appear along the shore” This is another example of the authors imagery and how it is prevalent to set the tone for the rest of the novel. This creates the effect to lead on how Marlow continues in his expedition. Don’t copy me I don’t have good work! “In about forty- five seconds i found myself again in the waiting-room with the compassionate secretary, who, full of desolation and sympathy, made me sign some document.”Flames glided in the river, small green flames, red flames, white flames, pursuing, overtaking, joining, crossing each other.” “ a narrow and deserted street in deep shadow, high house, innumerable windows with Venetian blinds, a dead silence, grass sprouts between the stones, imposing carriage archways right and left. “ describes how the image of the next part of the text continues.

How does the oceans imagery significant to connecting the character to the text and how the calming imagery adds to the character.

[ryanchen]

The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad commences forth with its illustrative scenery in its opening part. The sailors start the day amicably, remarking on the glory and beauty of their surroundings at sea. “The day was ending in a serenity of still and exquisite brilliance. The water shone pacifically; the sky, without a speck, was a benign immensity of unstained light; the very mist on the Essex marshes was like a gauzy and radiant fabric, hung from the wooded rises inland, and draping the low shores in diaphanous folds (Conrad 4)” However, Conrad hints towards the harsher reality that they would have to face, with a noticable shift towards the sinister. “Only the gloom to the west, brooding over the upper reaches, became more sombre every minute, as if angered by the approach of the sun. And at last, in its curved and imperceptible fall, the sun sank low, and from glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without heat, as if about to go out suddenly, stricken to death by the touch of that gloom brooding over a crowd of men (Conrad 4)” It is later remarked that the “serenity became less brilliant but more profound” (Conrad 4), possibly hinting at how the beauty of the landscape is diminished by some sort of inevitable moral repugnance, and the human introspection that a protagonist must consider. As night befalls, an inauspicious tone becomes an all-pervading force in the setting. “And farther west on the upper reaches the place of the monstrous town was still marked ominously on the sky, a brooding gloom in sunshine, a lurid glare under the stars (Conrad 6)”

I recognize that Heart of Darkness is one of the most influential works at bringing awareness of the moral ills of colonialism and dispelling some of the beliefs of racial supremacy in previous classes, therefore, I recognize the dark turn that the book will indubitably have. However, I have questions on how this setting perpetuates the theme of the novel, with whether the remarks on the surrounding ocean landscape have any meaning beyond foreshadowing of the following events that are to occur.

[stephenb1]

In the Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, he gives us an insight into the setting of the story through immense imagery and vivid details about his recounts of travelling down the Congo. In the beginning of the story, it starts out as rather peaceful. Conrad illustrates a peaceful setting as shown through him saying "...the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down the river, the only thing for it was to come to and wait for the turn of the tide…”(Conrad 68). This effectively creates a stamp in the setting shift from Conrad simply laying down to where Marlow's journey really starts. Once Marlow starts his recount of his journey the setting complete changes as we go through flashbacks in Marlow's mind with him saying “Flames glided in the river, small green flames, red flames, white flames,pursuing, overtaking, joining, crossing each other…” (Conrad 70). This vivid detail is completely different than the calm soothing intro that Conrad gave at the beginning of the story. This intro that Marlow is giving is a rather energetic, terrifying and interesting recount. Marlow then continues on to explain his recounts of the expedition and this further shifts the setting by changing the way that the reader perceives the expedition. Rather than the reader thinking the the expedition was calm and soothing like Conrad's recount, they see that the expedition was rather like Marlows being fiery and energetic with may doubts. Marlow's doubts really contradict the setting that we saw first in the story and only by reading the rest will we really be able to see how the setting evolves through the Heart of Darkness.

[David M]

Nov 2, 2022 14:09:54 GMT -8 MAX FEINGOLD! said:

In the story "Heart of Darkness" when describing the Nellie the author Joseph Conrad uses soft diction like"at rest" "nearly calm" "come and wait" (Conrad 65). Versus when describing the area around the town he uses mysterious and perilous words such as "canvas sharply peaked" "air was dark" "mournful gloom, brooding motionless" (Conrad 65). When compared, the town itself is "the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth" which could imply foreshadowing of what might happen to the town. The text then moves forward to an opinionated first person narration of themselves and their crew mates. An example of this would be, “We four affectionately watched his back as he stood in the bows looking to seaward” (Conrad 65). The narrator calls and describes each crew mate as their occupation and not their name, and the occupations are higher-paying occupations in which we could interpret the ship as a more expensive ride. The river that the boat is sailing on the changes “Forthwith a change came over the waters, and the serenity became less brilliant but more profound” “The tidal current runs to and fro in its unceasing service, crowded with memories of men and ships it had borne to the rest of home or to the battles of the sea” (Conrad 66). All this adds to the deeper meaning of the setting, and it gives personification to the river.

Overall, after the narrator described his friendly relationship with his crew mates, why would he not refer to them by name but rather by their occupation, like “Lawyer” and “Accountant”?

Considering their already weird society, it's all possible that unlike our standards, in their mind referring to them by occupation is generally more casual and demonstrates respect. As they're also capitalized, it's like a title, something that they are defined as and therefore want to be referred to as such. 

[bella]

Nov 2, 2022 13:56:31 GMT -8 isabellacruz said:

In the novel "Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer," Joseph Conrad creates a vivid imagery of illustration regarding the setting of the scene. It is evident that the setting takes place out on the sea as described in the text, "The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of sails, and was at rest," (Conrad 65). Additionally, the scene is described in more detail, giving the reader more familiarity as the text says "The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway," (Conrad 65). Not only does Conrad utilize vivid imagery of the scene, he moreover includes the description of time, allowing the reader to envision when actions of events occurred. The text mentions that "The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and the lights began to appear along the shore," (Conrad 67). To develop more sophistication, the setting plays a further role of characterization of the figures of the story. The individuals on the ship regard themselves as "seamen," in correlation with the setting. In reason of the story's plot revealing itself on the water, the characters tend to use the setting as personal character traits as well. In "Heart of Darkness," we see that the text instantly depicts the scene with much detail for imagery, however it also serves as the introduction to allow for character development. Inclusion of the elements of detail, vivid imagery, and the heavily nuanced diction produces an intricate story line later to be followed by the reader. From initially reading the text, one question I have is if the setting seems to be depicted more in a calm sense or rather in an eerie sense. 


- I agree with this discussion! Well done! I agree with the vivid imagery helping create an image of setting for the reader. The setting of the sea is described vividly throughout the novel with the use of imagery words and phrases that use elements to create the full scene of the story for the reader. Using the first scene was a perfect example of all of the descriptive evidence. The novel starts with a sea description that is calm but strong. I liked the point about reader familiarity. The words used to describe action in the story was a nice touch and something you made me aware of. These words and phrases strengthen the novel and captures the readers interest to continue reading and stay captured in the story. I agree with the calm sense rather than eerie yet the sea still having a strong and powerful connotation that connects the character and his mates together.  Great summary all around and I agree with all of your points and views.

[MAX FEINGOLD!]

Nov 2, 2022 14:04:54 GMT -8 bella said:

Throughout the novel, The Heart of Darkness, the author illustrates setting by using many different strategies such as descriptive language, imagery, and figurative language to portray the elements of setting throughout the story. He almost begins the story with, “The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway”. This imagery allows the reader to create a vision of a sea that is stretching far along into a pathway. The imagery used throughout the novel adds vivid detail and element to the story. He writes, “...his work was not out there in the luminous estuary, but behind him, within the brooding gloom”. His use of such vivid language such as “luminous estuary and brooding gloom”, adds importance to the setting and story. Such language allows the reader to have a more accurate and precise setting made up in their mind. The phrase, “Between us there was, as I have already said somewhere, the bond of the sea”, is the use of figurative language that paints a picture of the man having a bond with the sea and his people such as the captain and crew mates. It shows the true connection between the men at sea and shows them becoming a team essentially with but against the sea. The passion for the sea is what bonds them together to trust each other and have a connection together. One reader can gather all this information simply by the author's use of setting description and the choice of words and tools he uses. I am wondering, what is the connection between the sea and this character and what is the significance of the sea throughout the story?

The relationship that the narrator has with the sea is definitely an interesting one, I believe that because the character has been at sea for so long, they are able to connect with the sea better, the narrator even uses the sea as a reason to why him and his crew mates are close, saying that between them they have "the bond of the sea" (Conrad 65). And although I cannot say for sure what the significance of the sea is throughout the story I can give an educated guess, since the story is called "Heart of Darkness" and the setting of the story involves a lot of darker and sadder words I believe that someone could very possibly die to the sea in this story, with the comparison of the Nellie and the Town to the sea-reach on the first page it give a very big omen of misfortune. Using words like "mournful gloom" and "brooding motionless" on the first page give me an idea of death since mourning is typically something you do when someone close dies and brooding motionless" is like someone who has died.

[Elizabeth Herrera]

In the text, "The Heart of Darkness" a majority of section 1 is consumed by Marlow's dialogue in which he explains the sense of darkness in vivid detail. The setting describes the eeriness of the gloom and silence in the town that the characters are located in. For example, the text states, "The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth."(Conrad, 65). First of all, this gloom has been personified to be able to "brood" which demonstrates the extent of the darkness and how it was felt by the townspeople. The significance of the greatest town on earth feeling this darkness so profoundly is daunting because normally they are meant to have more connection and light-hearted sentiments associated with them. Another example of this darkness in the setting, states, "A narrow and deserted street in deep shadow,high houses, innumerable windows with venetian blinds, a dead silence, grass sprouting between the stones, imposing carriage archways right and left, immense double doors standing ponderously ajar." (Conrad 73). This time the silence is brought into the picture which makes the already gloomy darkeness stretch on as silence does. Furthermore, the author states, "I came upon more pieces of decaying machinery, a stack of rusty rails. To the left a clump of trees made a shady spot, where dark things seemed to stir feebly" (Conrad, 80). The effect of such rusty and shady pieces in this setting adds to the darkness and begins to add weight to how scary it can be to lurk in the darkness. Another instance in the text states, "The great wall of vegetation, an exuberant and entangled mass of trunks, branches, leaves, boughs, festoons, motionless in the moonlight, was like a rioting invasion of soundless life, a rolling wave of plants, piled up, crested, ready to topple over the creek, to sweep every little man of us out of his little existence." (Conrad, 98). This example is at the end of the first section and combines all the examples of darkness accumulated into one; the gloom, the silence, the rolling wave motion stretching on forever, like the darkness.

[stephenb1]

Nov 2, 2022 14:00:59 GMT -8 Jonah Bae said:

Jonah Bae: Heart of Darkness opens with a setting in its first paragraph, upon the Nellie. The book states of the ship, “The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest. The flood had made, the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down the river, the only thing for it was to come to and wait for the turn of the tide.” (Conrad 65). The setting at this point is described as relatively peaceful and calm, seeming to have only just made it out of a flood or series of strong winds. However, the Heart of Darkness does not stop with its description of setting here. The next paragraph continues on describing the setting—but not of the Nellie anymore. The setting continues to “zoom out,” with the book stating, “The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway. In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint…A haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness….and the greatest, town on earth.” (Conrad 65). With a strict focus on the physical locations described rather than the adjectives attached to them, Conrad first introduces the location of the ship as the first setting, before pulling out to the river the ship rests in, then to the ocean that the river flows into, then to the shores along that ocean, and finally out to the town that populates those shores. Additionally, by introducing the ship as the first setting, it frames the “other settings” from the point of view of the ship, as though the entire scene was viewed from the Nellie. However, the setting of the opening scene extends well beyond just the locations themselves. Early, it was seen that the Nellie was described as a calm and still vessel. The other locations (river, ocean, shore, town) have similar descriptors attached to them. The rivers and ocean are described as vast and expansive, however, the description of the town and fog/air that rests over it is the most interesting. The text states, “A haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness. The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth.” (Conrad 65). There is a strong dichotomy and juxtaposition in the way that the setting is described here; for the air is described as dark, gloomy and almost suffocating, while the town is described as a large and great town, spurring into the imagination scenes of lights and sprawling cities. This juxtaposition both serves to highlight the town as a center of civilization against the town and sea it rests near, especially during the night, but also to separate the large and sprawling town from the still and small ship that it is being observed from, leaving behind and air of dissonance as the two settings do not relate to each other that well—already foreshadowing the plot and how it highlights the differences between colonists and natives.

In the next scene, a name and further, more succinct descriptions, are given to the settings described in the first scene. The text states, “”The water shone pacifically; the sky, without a speck, was a benign immensity of unstained light; the very mist on the Essex marshes…” (Conrad 65). It is clear now that the story is set in the English town of Essex, and not London (as what could have been derived from the description of the city as a vast and great city by the River Thames), and in one word the book reveals the environment of the setting: a marsh. However, the important information is not in the town names or the specific terrain of the story, but its focus on the ocean and sea again. The book started on a boat, described a river, then an ocean, and has now once again focused on the shining waters, adding up to the narrator’s position as a sailor. The text also continues its trend of juxtaposing different aspects of its setting, stating, “...the very mist on the Essex marshes was like a gauzy and radiant fabric, hung from the wooded rises inland, and draping the low shores in diaphanous folds. Only the gloom to the west, brooding over the upper reaches, became more sombre every minute, as if angered by the approach of the sun.” (Conrad 65). The waters being described as “shining” is more reminiscent of a bright beach and ocean, however, the descriptions of gloom, mist and a marsh are less jubilant, suggesting a theme that the setting may not be exactly as it seems.

A shift in the setting happens quickly in the next section. The text begins this scene by stating, “And at last, in its curved and imperceptible fall, the sun sank low, and from glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without heat, as if about to go out suddenly, stricken to death by the touch of that gloom brooding over a crowd of men.” (Conrad 65). The shift observed here is the beginning of a more dreary shift, as the text begins by describing a factor of its setting rather than a location. Additionally, the text shifts from just mentioning adjectives like “gloom” into outright saying that the Sun was stricken to death and its rays dulled. The next sentence states, “Forthwith a change came over the waters, and the serenity became less brilliant but more profound.” (Conrad 65). A shift is observed again here as what appeared to be a clearly depressing description of fading light is turned into something “profound” and “tranquil,” again reemphasizing the theme of the sea being a point of brightness in the story. It is constantly the subject in the setting that is described with the most hope and positivity, advising the idea that the narrator may have some affinity for it (which may set up future themes). This affinity for the sea is confirmed in words when the narrator states, “And indeed nothing is easier for a man who has, as the phrase goes, 'followed the sea' with reverence and affection” (Conrad 65).

One question I have is why the narrator seems to be so conflicted on their opinion/view of the setting; one moment it is dark and gloomy and misty, and the next it is perfectly sunny.


Stephen Barnett: I really love how deep that you dove into the story with the little amount of time that we had. To give a response to your question, truthfully i do not know. It seems to me that the narrator may be traumatized from their expedition or the recounts of them and that may be the reason why they are changing the setting so much. This is just speculation though.

[Nathan k]

Reply!
Jonah: wow good description of part one of heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad. You really rock! You really touch on where the setting shifts and how it applies. I really loved your question Jonah it made me question the text too on why the tone of the story shifted so suddenly and didn’t really acknowledge it. The amount of work and amount quotes can allow for the text to show all the shifts and all the different settings shown in the text.

[ricardoherreraiii]

In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad goes into great detail to describe and provide a complex image of the setting. “The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth" (Page 1). This provides some of the initial setting that is the men being over the fresh body of water. “The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and lights began to appear along the shore. The Chapman lighthouse, a three-legged thing erect on a mud-flat, shone strongly. Lights of ships moved in the fairway— a great stir of lights going up and going down. And farther west on the upper reaches the place of the monstrous town was still marked ominously on the sky, a brooding gloom in sunshine, a lurid glare under the stars.” The still water and misty weather leads into nightfall, and the sinking of the sun. To deal with the impending darkness of the night, lights go up quickly. It is here that we are first able to see the contrast between the darkness and the light, as not only do they appear to bring some light into the city, but the boats have this light as well. A shift to the darkness and the lights going up instantly hint towards some thematic conflict between light and darkness, as the darkness even makes the large town seem ominous to the perspective of the speaker. “And at last, in its curved and imperceptible fall, the sun sank low, and from glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without heat, as if about to go out suddenly, stricken to death by the touch of that gloom brooding over a crowd of men.” The word "death" also signifies some correlation between darkness as the sun is dying which leads to the darkness, a foreboding tone that is made evident by the use of the word "gloom" to describe the change in the setting. Afterwards, Marlow provided their own story in which he and some others had explored the Thames before, and the area was described as though it were the "end of the world," providing not only his own thoughts on his past journey but also the conditions in which he saw them. “Imagine him here—the very end of the world, a sea the colour of lead, a sky the colour of smoke, a kind of ship about as rigid as a concertina—and going up this river with stores, or orders, or what you like. Sand-banks, marshes, forests, savages,—precious little to eat fit for a civilized man, nothing but Thames water to drink.” In this quote it's described as though there were little ways of survival despite him choosing to go on the journey. “Here and there a military camp lost in a wilderness, like a needle in a bundle of hay—cold, fog, tempests, disease, exile, and death—death skulking in the air, in the water, in the bush.” This further provides how the wilderness and those living in the forests/jungles could be seen. The words "disease," "exile," and "death" show how he had a distaste for the wilderness, and later goes on to apply the same logic to the natives living in this wilderness. This provides another contrast between the invaders of this land, being Marlow and the others, to the natives from the perspective of one of the invaders. It shows how his perspective is one that puts down the culture and area built up here naturally, and hints at how it is going to be torn down by the conquerors.

Question: What do you think the shift from day to night means in the context of part 1 of the story?

[Kendal Bulman]

The text “Heart of Darkness”, by Joseph Conrad, begins with a peaceful setting to create a slow, vivid start that eases the reader into the story. Such is shown through the introduction of “The flood had made, the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down the river, the only thing for it was to come to and wait for the turn of the tide” (Conrad 65). However, this also gives way to the inference that the calm water will change to unrest and possible excitement. The text later states, “Afterwards there was silence on board the yacht. … We felt meditative, and fit for nothing but placid staring” (Conrad 66).The author connects the sea to the concept of serenity to give an understanding of the narrator’s enjoyment of being on the water. As the story progresses from day to night saying, “The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and lights began to appear along the shore” (Conrad 67), it reveals a shift in mood. The darkness creates a new environment that foretells a dark and restless setting that creates unsettling feelings within the reader. However, even as the setting darkens and the surroundings become unfamiliar, the author instills confidence in the narrator through saying, “One ship is very much like another, and the sea is always the same. In the immutability of their surroundings, the foreign shores, the foreign faces, …” (Conrad 67). This emphasizes that even as the narrator is unsure of their surroundings, they are confident being on the water and understanding the sea. One question is why the setting shifts from calm to unsettled so quickly, when the story has barely begun?

[Blair Landherr]

Heart of Darkness is set in the 1900s. It begins the story in London on the Thames River, where the protagonist describes his experiences traveling through a different river. We know that the narrator is on the Thames because it says, “The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway.” We can see the time of day when it says, “And at last, in its curved and imperceptible fall, the sun sank low, and from glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without heat, as if about to go out suddenly.” This shows that the time of day was dusk, and the sun was going down. There is a lighthouse near them that they see light up. Marlow begins to tell the story of his experiences as a freshwater sailor. The setting switches to a doctor’s office as he prepares for his journey on the river. He then begins describing his journey on the river and the area that he was in. He says, “The edge of a colossal jungle, so dark-green as to be almost black, fringed with white surf, ran straight, like a ruled line, far, far away along a blue sea whose glitter was blurred by a creeping mist. The sun was fierce, the land seemed to glisten and drip with steam”. The way Marlow describes the setting sets the tone for the story. He describes the setting as “the oily and languid sea, the uniform sombreness of the coast.” This setting description shows that Marlow was not super happy at the time.