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The Signifance of Structure in Creating Meaning - Heart of Darkness


 

As the most effective and commonplace form of audience positioning, structure is an important component of fictive novel writing. Joseph Conrad?s Heart of Darkness is deliberately complex in terms of its almost multi-foliate and polygon-like characteristics as well as the significance of the often intrusive narrator. The point of view that is thus created - is a significant contributor to the effectiveness of the work and its interpretation. A continuation of the polygon-like structure is also found as a strain within the characters themselves. This presents the reader with central characters of significant interest, and a more realistic view of humanity and its underlying flaws. By grafting the thematic structure upon this complex framework, a degree of realism in created and produces a dynamic and stimulating reading.


 


Relating to the theme of traveling ?into that immense heart of darkness? is the gradual inward thrust that occurs along Marlow?s venture ? both in a geographical sense and also in his venture for self-understanding. There are two narrators: an anonymous passenger on a pleasure ship (The Nellie), who listens to Marlow?s story - and Marlow himself, an often introspective middle-aged ship?s captain. The first narrator speaks in the first-person plural, on behalf of four other passengers who listen to Marlow?s tale. Marlow narrates his story in the first person, describing only what he witnessed and experienced, and providing his own commentary on the story. The primary structure is that of a tri-fold story ? Heart of Darkness itself, the story of Marlow and Marlow?s story. This layered structure is dominated by Marlow himself, and is occasionally interjected in order to destabilize certain elements of the text or to directly link Marlow?s story to his present world. Good examples of this include Marlow?s accusations against certain members of his ?gentlemanly? crew over moral stances and ?half crown tumbles?. The dominance of Marlow throughout the text presents the reader with a terribly biased and prejudged view of the events that take place in ?deepest, darkest Africa?. The result of this is a strictly colonial dominant reading that acknowledges Victorian values and ideologies at the expense of all others. Nevertheless, it is not a simple matter to evaluate whether Marlow?s attitudes are conservative or progressive, racist or ?enlightened.?


 


Marlow?s journey too is divided up into distinct sections, those being the initial expedition to the Centre Station from London, the beginnings of his journey upriver to meet ?Mista Kurtz?, and finally his meeting with Kurtz and the eventuating decline in action as he meets Kurtz?s intended. As I touched on earlier the reading through the novel becomes increasingly frantic and introspective. This gives each section a new character which attempts to augment different perspectives of thought ? which generally become less colonial and self-centered as time wears on. The distinct structuring is important as it highlights quite clearly the changes in Marlow?s character from staunch Victorian through to a far more experienced man with a globalised perception of the world. The absence of perpendicular arguments in the novel reinforces the effectiveness of this dominant reading which is presented through Marlow and his direct communication through the first person.


 


Clearly, Marlow?s story is shaped by the audience to whom he tells it. The anonymous narrator states that Marlow is ?unconventional in his ideas?, and his listeners? ?derisive grunts and murmurs? suggest that they are less inclined to question colonialism or to view Africans as human beings than Marlow. His criticisms of colonialism, both implicit and explicit, are pitched to an audience that is far more sympathetic toward the Victorian colonial enterprise than any 21st century reader could be. This framework suggests that the reader should regard Marlow ironically, but there are few cues within the text to suggest an alternative to Marlow?s point of view. Marlow is disgusted at the brutality of the Company and horrified by Kurtz?s degeneration, but he claims that ?any thinking man would be tempted into similar behaviour?. This ambivalent tone is the humane reading that many 20th and 21st century audiences construct due to their experiences with the ?racial other? and the less than imposing structures of free-form society. This reading as well as being my interpretation, also presents the frailty of humanity and its social stratifications. It was D.H Lawrence who exacted social structure as ?the painted firmaments of an umbrella, in and under the chaos of an everlasting whirl?. This demonstrates in a visual way how social construction has little or no command over the natural elements of our world and indeed us. It depicts a world outside of social and moral constructions and archetypes that is entirely real, natural, dynamic and strangely refreshing and enticing.


 


Both Marlow and Kurtz encounter a conflict between their images of themselves as ?civilized? Europeans and the temptation to abandon morality completely once they leave the context and constructs of European society. Kurtz is the living embodiment of denouncing ?the flicker in the darkness? that is civilisation. He is also character to which many modern readers are drawn due to his primal characteristics. He like the natural world is real, dynamic and enticing. Marlow states: ?I cannot understand why I was drawn to him?. This highlights the enticing and surprising nature of true humanity ? free of social archetypes and constructions. Constructed as focal point of the novel geographically and thematically, Kurtz and his representations are important in positioning the audience with an alternate view of social and moral stratification.


 


Foreshadowing permeates every moment of the narrative and mostly operates on the level of imagery, which is consistently dark, gloomy, and threatening. Similarly to the point of view, there is seldom opposition of these images and their representations. This darkness is a constant reminder of the quest itself into ?deepest, darkest Africa? and also perhaps the inherent darkness that surrounds the modern world. It functions too as a symbol for the ?flicker in the darkness?, which illustrates the place of civilization as insignificant and easily snuffed out. Being multi-foliate it also positions us to believe that even ?the greatest of cities? permeate darkness. This process of foreshadowing prepositions the audience to the journey of Marlow and immediately conveys a sense of drama and conflict. This form of imagery is effective in permeating the tone of the novel, whilst directing a position of uncertainty in the settings.


 


By following the classic quest structure, Heart of Darkness positions itself clearly as a quest ? both physically and spiritually. The paradox created through the opposing settings, and the characters themselves is important in establish that there is a huge void between truth and reality. It is this paradox that is central to the text, and destabilises some of the classical Victorian ideals held by Marlow. These include the staunch and almost dogmatic belief in Victorian culture itself, which is presented as the only moral benchmark ? largely through Marlow. The paradox is that any form of colonialism has inherent disregard for foreign cultures and ideals, not only non-British forms. A paradox also exists in Marlow?s interpretation of the landscape. The ?sea of forest? in the Belgian Congo, whilst almost entirely natural ironically is presented as being unnatural. This is contrasted with the Thames river mouth ? a now unnatural and polluted environment. Yet it is presented as though it was always this way with ?a welded sky without a joint, within the luminous space where tanned sails? and the gleams of varnished sprits?. This highlights both the staunchness of the frame narrator, and positions the reader with a benchmark to which others are compared. The result for the reader is again a interpretation dominated by critical comparisons of ?unnatural? things to an idealised civilization.


 


 


 


Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text?s major themes ? and many are used in Heart of Darkness to consistently position the reader to the dominant reading. Marlow gains a great deal of information by watching the world around him and by overhearing others? conversations - as when he listens from the deck of the wrecked steamer to the manager of the Central Station and his uncle discussing Kurtz and the Russian trader. This motif speaks to the impossibility of direct communication between individuals. Information instead, must come as the result of chance observation and interpretation. Words themselves fail to capture meaning adequately as Marlow frequently states, and thus they must be taken in their own context. The result is bias and misinterpretation. Another good example of this is Marlow?s conversation with the brick maker, during which Marlow is able to figure out a good deal more than simply what the man has to say. This motif positions the reader to closer attention to the minute details, rather than in its initial form.


 


Comparisons between interiors and exteriors pervade Heart of Darkness. As the narrator states at the beginning of the text, Marlow is more interested in surfaces, in the surrounding aura of a thing rather than in any ?hidden nugget of meaning? deep within the thing itself. This inverts the usual understanding of meaning. Normally the reader seeks the deep message or hidden truth. The priority placed on observation demonstrates that penetrating to the interior of an idea or a person is impossible in this world. Thus, Marlow is confronted with a series of exteriors and surfaces??the river?s banks?, ?the forest walls? around the station, Kurtz?s ?broad forehead??that he must interpret. These exteriors are all the material he is given and they provide him with perhaps a more profound source of knowledge than any falsely constructed interior ?kernel.?


 


Darkness is important enough conceptually to be part of the book?s title. However, it is difficult to discern exactly what it might mean, given that absolutely everything in the book is cloaked in darkness. Darkness thus seems to operate metaphorically and existentially rather than specifically. Darkness is in effect the only true colour as it is devoid of light and shade. This may sound simple, but as a description of the human condition it has profound implications. This positions darkness as absolute and finite, and suggests that the primal forms of humanity hold great and enticing truths.


 


Structure then, is the base upon which the entire thematic framework is layered, and as a result informs the position of the audience when reading. It presents an entirely colonial dominant reading, yet also has the ability to be interpreted today as an almost existential text ? positioning the reader to examine the truths of their character. Painted in poetic language, Conrad?s portrait of a colonial world is ambivalent in its construction ? with a not entirely finite perspective of the modern world. This proves that whilst structure strongly positions the reader, the reader is as much responsible for the generation of their own meaning and interpretation.


 






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