Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a well-known novel for many reasons, one being the ‘horror’ contained within it. Heart of Darkness has become known as one of the first works to introduce what is now considered modern horror. Conrad uses different types of techniques in Heart Of Darkness to bring about an unnerving sense to his readers. Heart Of Darkness has an extremely dark and depressing tone, and the protagonist is changed from a ‘good’ man into a cruel one. Heart of Darkness is also considered to be an allegory for colonialism as well as being a commentary on imperialism.
Although Heart Of Darkness fits into many genres, it seems that horror is the most obvious way to classify it. The first time Heart of Darkness could be considered a work of horror is in the very first sentence: “The Nellie, a cruising yawl… ” (Conrad 1). This line gives off a sense of tension and foreboding because of how it begins with ‘the Nellie. ‘ The reader has no idea what this means yet, but it is so vague and has an almost ominous tone. This first sentence is also quite short, only having eight words in it.
Heart of Darkness often uses short sentences to enhance the sense of mystery and suspense that already exists within the story from its mysterious beginning. In Heart Of Darkness the protagonist, Charles Marlow, makes a visit to Mr. Kurtz’s outpost for business reasons, but once there he comes across many oddities that make him uncomfortable: “We walked softly… and I was glad when we came to the boat” (Conrad 48). Here Conrad describes how this journey is very quiet and secluded as if something might be watching them or hiding in these dark places with them.
Heart of Darkness constantly creates a sense of unease and dread that makes the reader feel as if they are there with Marlow experiencing these things. The darkness around Heart Of Darkness comes from both literal and figurative darkness. In Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness is a metaphorical term for the darkness within Kurtz’s soul after all his sins have been found out. In Heart Of Darkness, Conrad describes how Kurtz has been changed from being a ‘good’ man into one who now acts as an evil demon: “The wilderness had patted him… nd… given him a new secret life more thrilling and important than any he had known before” (Conrad 9).
This description sounds very similar to that of Cthulhu from Howard Philips Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulhu. ” Heart Of Darkness also has many elements that are very similar to Lovecraft’s work. Both Heart Of Darkness and The Call of Cthulhu are about beings who are deemed superior, but are corrupted by their power. Heart of darkness is seen as a horror through the use of oppressive darkness, along with the references to other works in the horror genre.
There is no doubt that Heart Of Darkness falls into the category of ‘horror’ for many reasons. Heart Of Darkness uses foreshadowing techniques early on in the story. There are points within Conrad’s novel where he makes it seem as if something might happen later on, but then never does: ” was not a whisper” (Conrad 10). This quote by Conrad makes it seem like the forest might be ‘whispering,’ but instead it is actually Kurtz, who was hiding in the shadows. This added level of suggestiveness turns Heart Of Darkness into a work of horror rather than one where fantasy is more heavily used.
Heart of darkness is definitely meant to give off an uncomfortable feeling because that is exactly what horror does. The method Heart Of Darkness uses to create this discomfort that could be considered ‘horror’ is in its tone and foreboding sense in which no matter what happens Marlow remains constantly aware of the possibility that something bad might happen at any moment. Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad does not necessarily classify as just one type of genre, but it does fall into many commonly used categories of literature.
Heart of Darkness is a work that could be classified as horror, suspense, or even a mystery story because of its use of different techniques that create fear within the reader. Heart Of Darkness begins with the Nellie cruising towards Mr. Kurtz’s outpost and from there it is full of twists and turns of events that make Heart Of Darkness a work to remember. Heart Of darkness would definitely be considered an example of horror due to its atmosphere and themes, but one can not simply call Heart Of Darkness just one thing because it contains so many elements from other genres as well.
Heart of Darkness presents a wealth of “images and symbols” (332) but what predominates them all is the idea of destruction. Heart of Darkness is permeated with images of violence, savagery, and death; we can see in almost every page examples that underline William Blake’s lines: “and when they looked / They saw a world where everyone was like them: / Where everyone killed and raped and lied to one another” (Blake 71).
After a while, Kurtz slowly descends into darkness. He becomes less and less humane towards the end of his career. When Heart of Darkness opens, it is clear that Kurtz has gone mad from a lack of sleep and food.
Kurtz’s madness illustrates what happens when people lose all sense of humanity in the face of achieving their goals. The more one wants to reach a destination, the more power they can think themselves to have over others, including killing them or using them as tools for personal gain. Heart Of Darkness reflects the reality that greed rules over good intentions. In Heart of Darkness Marlow recalls how at one point Kurtz was calling him an idiot just because he wanted to get back to civilization before getting ill. By now Kurtz was intolerant of all notions but his own.
Kurtz’s statement, ‘The horror! The horror! ’ refers to the darkness that is Heart of Darkness and how it overwhelms any sense of good. Heart of Darkness is a work that evokes terror in its readers. It does this by putting them… We can see from Heart Of Darkness why Conrad thinks so much about the dangers… Heart Of Darkness contains many examples which show an awareness on Conrad’s part both of man-made horrors and those brought about by nature – … Heart Of Darkness has been distilled from Conrad’s experience as a seaman, traveller and exile; its subject matter echoes through much 19th century literature, from Dickens’ Bleak House to Conrad’s own Heart of Darkness.
Heart Of Darkness is a truly Modernist text in that it challenges notions of linear time and reality, making Heart of Darkness certainly worthy of greater consideration… Heart Of Darkness belongs not only to literature but also to music (the opera by composer Georges Bizet) and film (Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now).