Currently Reading...

  • 1984-Goerge Orwell

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Phew...finished

Last night I finished a short story that, believe it or not, wasn't assigned in this class. The book being (as mentioned in my first post) "Heart of Darkness". I have to say, it was a pretty interesting read.

However, it was a pretty tough read as well. Because the entirety of the story is literally being told by a character in the book, most of the story is in walls of text page after page. There are only a few actual breaks for dialogue, as the character telling the story is only quoting what he heard others say.

Another thing that made the book difficult to drudge through was the fact that it's quite realistic. By that I mean the plot doesn't fall into place like you would expect it to. There is no (clear) rising action, compromise, and falling action. Things just unfold as they do, which makes sense because (if I recall) the story is a true recollection of author Joseph Conrad's experiences in the Congo.

Also, it was quite eye opening to see how utterly racist this book is. The author, and the characters in the book view the Congo natives as nothing but un-evolved human beings. They took it upon themselves to "salvage" them. By this of course I mean, turning them into slaves and taking their resources. The author stated these views as if they were fact too, not acknowledging the ignorance of such beliefs. This of course, was probably the common opinion at the time "Heart of Darkness" was written.

However, if you enjoy hearing stories about the morality and complex nature of the human mind I suggest you read "Heart of Darkness" too. My only recommendation is that you don't go into it expect a romanticized adventure story with a clear-cut conflict and resolution. I know this is a turn off to most people, but it's a fresh deviation from standard novels.

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