Psychological, Philosophical and Religious Elements of...

Psychological, Philosophical and Religious Elements of Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness is a kind of little world unto itself. The reader of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness should take the time to consider this work from a psychological point of view. There are, after all, an awful lot of heads and skulls in the book, and Conrad goes out of his way to suggest that in some sense Marlows journey is like a dream or a return to our primitive past--an exploration of the dark recesses of the human mind. Looking at the book from a psychological viewpoint, there are apparent similarities to the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud in its suggestion that dreams are a clue to hidden areas of the mind, and that at the heart of†¦show more content†¦There are at least two philosophical aspects of the Heart of Darkness. The first philosophical aspect is the aspect we might call moral philosophy. Certainly Heart of Darkness is preoccupied with general questions about the nature of good and evil, or civilization and savagery. And certainly Heart of Darkness raises and elaborates upon some quite specific moral questions: What saves Marlow from becoming evil? Is Kurtz more or less evil than the Manager and the pilgrims? Why does Marlow think that lies smack of mortality--that is, why does he associate lying with death--and what is happening to him--is he acting morally or immorally--when he lies to Kurtzs Intended? And what price must he pay for his lie? A serious contemplation of questions such as these can certainly shed some light. The second philosophical aspect are the questions of epistemology--questions that have to do with what kinds of things are knowable and what procedures we can use to know them. (Tessitore, 78). Certainly the way in which Conrad chooses to tell his story makes epistemological questions relevant. Here we have someone, an outside narrator, telling us a story he has heard from someone else, Marlow. The story Marlow tells seems to be about a man named Kurtz, but most of what Marlow knows about Kurtz he learns from other people, many of whom have all sorts of reasons forShow MoreRelatedSymbolism, Use Of Color, And Themes Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1657 Words   |  7 Pagesgreatest accomplishment of American short story and is viewed as the first American psychological novel, which makes Hawthorne win an incomparable position in American Literature. Hawthorne’s â€Å"unique gift† for using this kind of skills taps into the roots of man s moral nature and giv es vivid explanation of the implications in his works (Lei). Hawthorne is outstanding for his skillful employment of symbolism and psychological insight. Hawthorne set the stage for all other American Literature writers. 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