Flight: The Only Escape

Flight, the ultimate form of freedom, haunted the first pages of Song of Solomon like and unattainable vision. As expected from an African American author, discrimination, the undying remnant of slavery, marked her. Although blacks were officially free, the black Americans would need the civil rights movement to properly defend it. So far, the story focuses on the characters who, trapped inside poverty and racism, loose themselves. In this hostile society, hope dies and death seems like the only choice.

The very beginning of the book makes references flight and freedom. Robert Smith unable to continue bearing the heavy shackles of living in such conditions, decided to break free. Here, he bids farewell to his family and describes his suicide in peculiar way: "I will take off from mercy and fly away on my own wings. Please forgive me" (Morrison, 1). The insurance agent wanted to fly away "on his own wings". These represent the only action he with out the restraint of a repressive society: suicide. Although he knew freedom came at a great cost, he wanted to try it before that hostile environment expunged all traces of will to live in him. Clearly, it shows how the harsh conditions for black people in the United States affected them.

The next allusion to flight comes 9 pages later when Ruth Dead gives birth to Macon Dead III. Ironic, seeing a "dead" woman gave birth. Still, we should not blame the characters for their names. Society imposed that state of living death. With out true freedom, good living conditions and a definite future, the Dead epitomize the results of a discriminatory system in African Americans. Probably, the loss of hope shocks the reader the most. Only "when the little boy discovered, at four, the same thing Mr. Smith had learned earlier – that only birds and airplanes could fly-he lost all interest in himself"(9) like many others under the same regime of discrimination. That system forbade hope even to children. This shows how profound the impact this time period had on Tony Morrison.

With these two examples the author sets a clear tone and purpose of the book. She wants to create a crude and harsh image of life under racism. Evidently, the book opposes strongly the harsh events that surrounded that time period but she does not necessarily intend the work to solely critique. Morrison wants to show her view and share part of her experiences through the book: her only pair of wings.

Adventure, Danger, The Mind

A clear similarity exists between The Age of Wonder and Heart Of Darkness. Both have characters searching for something in an unknown and dangerous land. Also, these journeys explore the author's mind. Depicting such hostile environments shows the dangers of knowing a truth about one's self. Meanwhile the marvels that could potentially appear in such voyage represent the everlasting possibility of wonder especially when understanding the human mind: a collection of thoughts and memories so complex it could house an entire continent.

In the case of Conrad, he sought Kurtz: an ideal of himself. After fighting his unconscious, a powerful being represented as the wilderness, he found the truth behind that ideal. Despite all the apparent dangers he experienced while traveling, only finding Kurtz truly devastated him. With this, Conrad proved that finding an undesired truth endangers the explorer's psyche the most.

Richard Holmes one the other hand uses a different style to achieve the same objective. He does not use elements as evident as a meditating Buddha to clarify his intentions. Through the character's description the reader infers the setting surrounding the character and how this setting will help us explore Holmes' mind. Joseph Banks is "cheerful, confident and adventurous: a true child of the Enlightenment." (1) This in combination with his actions helps depict him as a young, energetic and slightly naïve person: a perfect scientific explorer ready to extract the truth from an unyielding wilderness of thought. Still, a key element differentiates him from a typical scientist. He has the "dreaming inwardness of Romanticism". Although we first imagine him as a scientist, only a spark of romanticism and idealism guides him. Through his research of nature and this voyage he seeks himself.

Ultimately, both travelers wish to find themselves. Despite similarities in the stories, both are destined to fin a different reality. The dangers these two characters face must remind us of perils in self discovery. Especially in the case of Conrad, finding the truth does not necessarily mean improving.

Referencing the Different Levels

Unfortunately, we often have a short lived memory for the atrocities of the past. What should be symbols of shame stand as proud representatives of a country’s glory. Yet, in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, these monuments could also have a meaning related to Conrad’s alter ego. In chapter 19 of King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild “The arch’s massive stone and concrete bulk brings to mind Conrad’s description of the unnamed European capital in Heart of Darkness as “the sepulchral city.” But of the millions of Africans whose labor paid for all this and sent them to sepulchers of unmarked earth, there is no sign” (294). With this allusion, the author could try recalling the strong feelings of anti-colonialism Heart of Darkness conveyed. Although he achieves such an effect, Hochschild could have chosen many other publications with a similar content. Particularly, choosing a book with such underlying meanings means Hochschild wants a similar effect in his work.

Those great monuments, part of “the sepulchral city” represent the images of success achieved through selfishness and materialism. With out enslaving his heart (Africa) to his mind (Europe) a monument like that would remain in the imagination. This unparalleled wealth led to squandering of the heart forgetting the sacrifices necessary to reach that ultimate achievement. Whether Conrad had to immolate friends, family or love to reach his goals no longer mattered. This lead to a death in life where the usual human characteristics disappear. Eventually his dead humanity would consolidate into a monument to that would turn that into the sepulchral city.

Anyhow, other than triggering such references from the reader, the deeper meaning of these works intend o obviate the underlying meaning and making the reader think. This allusion suggests the work wants active readers that will understand it. Also, the strong connection between this and the surrounding context make the connection between the two stands out. We could even find a similar process Conrad goes through his book but throughout the entire work.

Return To “The Sepulchral City”

Joseph Conrad ends his book with an enigmatic paragraph I must analyze in order to understand the true meaning of the book. With it Conrad tells an important part of the book's meaning and connects the context where the book's narration takes place and the plot's events. Here, he concludes his book: "The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky- seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness." (146).

We can divide this sentence into two main parts. The first part describes the boats surroundings. These continue being dark, gray and dead which creates symmetry with the book's beginning. A dead landscape, covered with clouds that met with the sea in the horizon. These bleak surroundings represent the solitude and uncertainties that surrounded Conrad's mind. Although these characteristics exist symmetrically in the book, one thing changed: an exit to that world. Whether industrialization and all that makes a modern man created these distinct characteristics in him does not matter. In end, Conrad tries to give us Africa as an exit to that darkness. In that "heart of an immense darkness" we should find and therefore, we need a description of the Africa presented to us in the book's narrative in order to understand this possible exit.

Marlow's voyage to meet an ideal Kurtz that was only a disappoint reality, we can characterize Africa. The continent was wild, savage, untamable unpredictable and, above all, real. Seeing the artificial lives Europeans had, Conrad saw reality in an Africa. The false ideals his imperialistic society imposed on him died there. Although they were great, like Kurtz was, truth would inevitably overpower them. Indeed, for Conrad the only exit from that artificial bleak and industrialized Europe was that "heart": Africa.

A Hero Left In Oblivion

Kurtz personifies the ideal colonizer. He endured the jungle, the savages and still managed to gain a profit for the company. His achievements' recognition gave him fame and glory, specially, among those that would later join the company's ranks. Despite all these efforts, in the end, the company abandoned him. This event has different interpretation depending on the reader's point of view on the book. This quotation shows the moment of Kurtz's abandonment: "There hasn't been a drop of medicine or a mouthful of invalid food for months here. He was shamefully abandoned. A man like this, with such ideas. Shamefully! Shamefully! I-IT- Haven't slept for the last ten nights…." (Joseph Conrad, 109).

First, this interpretation assumes Heart of Darkness focuses purely on anti-imperialism. In this case, Conrad reveals the true cruel and cold nature of the company's profit driven existence. This would explain why he highlights "medicine and food", goods, civilization should provide. The company's actions also dehumanize Kurtz's great image as a mighty colonizer and diminished the legend behind him. Instead of receiving a hero's treatment, they leave him in oblivion, hopefully, to die there silently. Not only does this reveal the falsehood in the company's propaganda, but it also shows how it dehumanized both the conquerors and the conquered in the processes.

On the other hand, we have a metaphorical interpretation for this quotation. If our narrator really takes us into Conrad's mind, then Kurtz represents the ideal he desperately tried to reach. Despite all his efforts, it remained unattainable. He might have reached the reality of Kurtz but the ideal died that moment. All through the book, he seemed untouchable, immortal and almighty. In the end, he was human.From this we can conclude that Conrad also experienced a similar process when he tried to turn into that ideal. Unfortunately, even after reaching it, he remained flawed and vulnerable. Like the company abandoned Kurtz, Conrad left his ideal alter ego in the most unreachable corners of his mind, to die in oblivion.

Anti-Imperialism: Mine

When the explorers sent to conquer and tame these newfound lands, they thought the white race should own everything. Unfortunately, history proved Conrad right when each of the conquered regions began to regain their independence. Although that feeling of property over the savage lands died towards the end of the imperialistic times, the few veterans like Kurtz strongly believe in it. This moment reflects Kurtz's obsession with possessing everything and it could form part of a metaphor that represents the greed of the European nations for the wealth in its new properties: "'My Ivory.' Oh yes, I head him. 'My Intended, my ivory, my station, my river, my everything belonged to him. It made me hold my breath in expectation of hearing the wilderness burst into prodigious peal of laughter that would shake the fixed stars in their places. Everything belonged to him- but that was a trifle. The thing was to know what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own." (89)

The first part of this quote shows the greed and the feeling that it developed on the Europeans. It consumed and made them very materialistic. This feeling created an apetite for owning things they could not actually have. An
intended too far away to even confirm her existence, a river as untamable as any other, a station fragile when facing the perils of the aborigines and a precious resource that kept the entire system in place exemplifies this range of unattainable objects. Then comes nature laughing at their wasted pride, reminding us that it is impossible to truly own anything. Meanwhile, as european nations dreamt of wealth and ownership beyond their borders, other perils awaited them. "Powers" like division inside the countries' hearts and threats to the amongst each other endangered them greatly. In the end, despite their apparent size, power and fame (like Kurtz) their true form is weak and overgrown. Despite their size they are weak or the author implies it.

Clearly, Imperialism is a main theme on the book and even three blogs do not cover its entire extent in the novel. It plays a key role as a setting but it becomes even more important as Conrad uses other elements to critique it. This is his style. It characterizes the book and must be noted when talking about Conrad's work.

Anti-Imperialism: The “Unavoidable” Duty

Whenever we discussed European Imperialism, their feeling of responsibility towards the "inferior races" always appears. As expected, Conrad also had to talk about somehow in his novel. Still, the style with which he presented is noteworthy. Sometimes, textbooks can confuse you into thinking explorers and colonizers viewed themselves "Something like an emissary of light, something like a lower sort of apostle. There had been a lot of such rot let loose in print and talk just about that time". (19) Still, we must remember "the Company was run for profit". The aunt, like the general public in the mother land that never actually saw a colony, believed the government propaganda based on the white's moral duty to their inferiors when colonizing them. Only people like the narrator that actually went there understand the truth behind it.

In this few sentences we see how Conrad incorporates seamlessly this critique to his narrative. Apparently, he never stops telling the story of the man who will son depart in an adventure for exploring a continent, now plagued with the infamous results of colonialism. With this, we can confirm Conrad intended with such subtle style, especially when surrounding such a delicate topic for his time, to introduce his radical point of view softly. He does not bother to change the focal point of the story, but with other elements he conveys the true meaning he wishes his readers to understand. The first time we saw allegory and now we see an indirect speech that conveys his true ideas. I expect this established style to continue as the book develops. Hopefully, in the future, his characters will serve other purposes and not only as puppets to portray his views. Rather than seeing them placed on the background as his ideas take the spotlight, they could take a more active role with out affecting his style or the story later on.

Anti-Imperialism: The Endless Repeat

Since the novel's start, it develops a clear setting that determines the character's actions. During Conrad's times colonialism ruled the world. Although he did not necessarily live during the era of "blank spaces on earth" (10), the desire for exploration these brought did move the exploration movement that resulted in the colonial system that appears so prominently in the novel. In these first pages, he portrays the birth of colonialism with a powerful image evoked here: "Now when I was a little chap I had a passion for maps. I would look for hours at South America, or Africa, or Australia and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map (but they all look that) I would put my finger on it and say, When I grow up I will go there".(10)

Furthermore, with this quote we can imagine the young nations of Europe looking at the rest of the world with innocent eyes filled with curiosity and dreams. Soon, "the glories of exploration" seduced these infant countries into taking such enormous pieces of the world that, even the vast wealth acquired during their conquest, could not keep the empires whole. Indeed, when these matured as empires, they had gone everywhere they had put their "finger" on. Essentially, with this quotation, Conrad vividly shows the birth of colonialism.

Since the beginning the author shows key elements that define his style. We can expect imagery and metaphor to show deep social critique pouring out of every chapter, if not every page. Although his writing may differ greatly for other texts dealing with the same topic, I find his main theme horrendously repetitive in the school's curriculum. Anyhow, however much I dislike the topic, his description is the best one I have read. Only for this, I will dedicate my three blogs to the creative ways he used to teach this overused, over talked and over discussed school subject.