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filia_secunda 's review for:
Heart of Darkness
by Joseph Conrad
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely a horror novel, and it's based on what Conrad himself saw while working in the Congo in Marlowe's position. Even the frame story at the beginning, on the boat floating peacefully in the Thames, makes it clear what the book is going to be about, using a humorous story about a Roman captain having to deal with the "savages" of Britain - and he wrote this book for a British audience. *Heart of Darkness* is there to cut into the vicious ego of Europeans who believe themselves to be superior to others, and reveal the demonic influence hidden behind the supposed good intentions of "civilizing the savages."
He also makes it clear that the Belgian rule of the Congo was not just evil, but incompetent and badly managed - so the Europeans were not only wrong to view themselves as more morally upright, but even to view themselves as more efficient than others.
He also makes it clear that the Belgian rule of the Congo was not just evil, but incompetent and badly managed - so the Europeans were not only wrong to view themselves as more morally upright, but even to view themselves as more efficient than others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation, War
Minor: Animal death, Sexism, Grief, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, Classism