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영어

When Conrad started his literary career, the movements to subvert conventional ideas and pursue the new perspectives, squirmed under the serene and satisfactory surface for most of the civilized countries. Above all, anthropological discoveries such as Darwin and Lamarch shattered their conceit and made them feel a fear that they too could fall back into savage state again; their origin is not different from other races, or even from other species, and all people live under the same natural law. Heart of Darkness shows the restlessness and bewilderment which the late victorians experienced when they were forced to take off their convention and conceit. Kurtz and Marlow go to Africa in search for prosperity and humanitarianism as “apostles of light”. But they face the reality of Africa changing into an arena where Europeans exploit natives and compete with one another in order to take more things, regardless of moral obligation. Finally, Kurtz is completely consumed into darkness of Africa, but Marlow returns to the civilized world. Above all, in this novella the confusion which Marlow faces in the jungle is visualized with the management of light and darkness imageries corresponding with usages of the pronouns “we” and “they”. In his narrative, Marlow uses the oxymoronic expressions for light and darkness; light is sombre, but darkness is strong. With the confusion between these imageries, he also shows his psychological bewilderment through the fact that he becomes separated from “us” after his experience in Africa, and he discerns the darkness that his brethren can't see. In conclusion, his tale is about his experience of losing his naive dream of adventuring an exotic land. Instead he becomes aware of the hypocritical side of imperialism and the existence of darkness under the light of civilization.