Heat of Darkness vs. Secret Sharer
Heart of Darkness vs. Secret Sharer
Does Conrad base the character development in his stories on his own explorations? Based on the similarities of “The Secret Sharer” and “The Heart of Darkness”, yes. Conrad’s main characters are both young, non-tested men who are exposed to the uncivilized human nature. There is also another character that is allows an insight into the main characters life. A lot of change takes place inside these characters throughout the story. Conrad develops his main characters in order to bring meaning to his own life.
The main characters of Conrad’s stories, Marlow from “The Heart of Darkness” and the Captain from the Secret Sharer, are most likely representing himself. Marlow is a young captain who is hardened and detached from civilization during his time on the Congo. He is wise, almost philosophical, skeptical, and courageous. This is the first command that Marlow has gotten, due to his aunt’s connections, but he has to wait for a while at a base because his boat needs repairs. While he is waiting for those repairs Marlow keeps hearing news about a man named Kurtz. He has become intrigued of the man and even starts to adore him the more he heard of him. Marlow starts to picture his voice, stories and appearances when the boat is finally repaired. He is the sent to pick-up the bedridden Kurtz and throughout his journey to pick him up, Marlow cannot help but be alarmed by the amount of darkness in the world.
The Captain of the unnamed ship is also a young captain who lacks the qualities to be an effective captain. He is new, lacks confidence, authority, experience, and is alienated by his crew who disrespect him. The first day that he is made captain, he takes the five hour watch, to better familiarize himself with the ship. On the night watch, he happens to find a man, Leggat, hanging on the side of the ship. Leggat was brought to the Captain’s room where he was given clothes, and he told the captain his story. Leggat had
Does Conrad base the character development in his stories on his own explorations? Based on the similarities of “The Secret Sharer” and “The Heart of Darkness”, yes. Conrad’s main characters are both young, non-tested men who are exposed to the uncivilized human nature. There is also another character that is allows an insight into the main characters life. A lot of change takes place inside these characters throughout the story. Conrad develops his main characters in order to bring meaning to his own life.
The main characters of Conrad’s stories, Marlow from “The Heart of Darkness” and the Captain from the Secret Sharer, are most likely representing himself. Marlow is a young captain who is hardened and detached from civilization during his time on the Congo. He is wise, almost philosophical, skeptical, and courageous. This is the first command that Marlow has gotten, due to his aunt’s connections, but he has to wait for a while at a base because his boat needs repairs. While he is waiting for those repairs Marlow keeps hearing news about a man named Kurtz. He has become intrigued of the man and even starts to adore him the more he heard of him. Marlow starts to picture his voice, stories and appearances when the boat is finally repaired. He is the sent to pick-up the bedridden Kurtz and throughout his journey to pick him up, Marlow cannot help but be alarmed by the amount of darkness in the world.
The Captain of the unnamed ship is also a young captain who lacks the qualities to be an effective captain. He is new, lacks confidence, authority, experience, and is alienated by his crew who disrespect him. The first day that he is made captain, he takes the five hour watch, to better familiarize himself with the ship. On the night watch, he happens to find a man, Leggat, hanging on the side of the ship. Leggat was brought to the Captain’s room where he was given clothes, and he told the captain his story. Leggat had