HEART OF DARKNESS THEMES

J.M. Collins
Themes should be expressed in complete sentences.
A topic or subject is not the same as a theme.
Example of a topic: love
Example of a theme: Sometimes love can hurt.
Example of a topic: man vs. nature
Example of a theme: Nature can overpower mans best intentions and efforts.
Example of a topic: greed
Example of a theme: Greed empties a mans character and produces a hollow man.
A theme expresses an attitude or observation about the topic that can be proven with text
examples.

Examine these possible themes for Joseph Conrads book. Add five statements of your own.
1. Moral, purposeful work is the psychological salvation of humanity.
2. Restraint is the basis of civilization.
3. Moral isolation is the necessary pre-condition of true self-knowledge.
4. The most a man can hope from life is a little knowledge of himself.
5. Courage and adventure are worthless without ideals.
6. Humankind cannot perfect its nature gradually.
(no utopia - no Fabian socialist progression to perfection)
7. The human heart is dark and requires individual responsibility.
8. Colonial imperialism caused the vilest scramble for loot in the history of human conscience
and geographic exploration.
9. Going native is perilous to the body and soul.
10. The essence of civilization is the preservation of appearances.
11. The intellect can be sane at the same time that a soul is mad.
12. Discipline (restraint, order) is the only viable code for survival.
13. Man must endure through fidelity, duty, discipline, and courage.
14. The cosmos is indifferent to human beings.
15. We live as we dream . . . alone.
16. Civilization is a house of cards built on attractive lies and deceptions which are necessary to
maintain it.
17. How civilized is civilization? Civilization is not civilized at all.
18. A brutal truth is preferable to hypocrisy, greed, and lies.
19. Each human being lives by the light of personal truth, although that truth may be limited,
misguided, or misunderstood.
20. Civilization is a beautiful creation, capable of great good, but its fragile foundation does not
bear close examination.
21. A human being capable of great good is capable of great evil, and those capable of only
mediocre good are capable of mediocre evil. Potential defines capacity.
22. Fidelity to work and duty is the basis of sanity.
23. Humans choose their own nightmares and must remain loyal to them.
24. Lies are the most detestable of sins, the most corrupt and deadly to the human soul.
25. The Noble Cause brought destruction rather than enlightenment.
26. Exploitation is the result of one cultures presumption of superiority over another.
 HEART OF DARKNESS THEMES
J.M. Collins
Thesis development exercise:
Go for it.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Answer the question.
Clarify.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>State your tools of analysis.
So? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>State the significance.
(Create significance with which someone could disagree and state proof.)
Samples:
Topic #13
(not effective) In Heart of Darkness, the women represent civilization.

(somewhat effective) Although Conrad could be accused of sexist neglect of the female roles in
Heart of Darkness, he uses the women of his novel for important symbolic purposes.

(effective) In Heart of Darkness, Conrad uses the female characters to contrast the spririt of
civilization with the spirit of the wilderness.

Identify the most effective thesis sentence in each group (based on specifics and significance).
#27.
In Heart of Darkness, Conrad uses European society and individuals to illustrate the moral
destructiveness of self-deceit on both the deceiver and the deceived.

Heart of Darkness offers a devastating look at the primary ingredient of hypocrisy in European
imperialism: self-deceit.

The central role of lies in Conrads Heart of Darkness reveals the most heinous lie of all: self-
deceit.

Topic #2
In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz becomes a victim rather than perpetrator, thus revealing the penalty
he pays for failing to recognize the claims of darkness on his soul.

In Heart of Darkness, Kurtzs presumption that he is master and not slave illustrates the tragic
irony of mans own self-deceit.

In Heart of Darkness, Conrad exposes the hubris of human presumption through the oblivious
Kurtz who fails to recognize his own self-inflicted destiny.

In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz believes himself to be powerful, but he is really powerless, a captive
of the powers of darkness.

Heart of Darkness shows readers a man who believes he possesses the world but who owns
nothing, not even his own soul.

Practice: a. Develop a thesis paragraph for each selected most effective thesis statement.
b. Discuss with your group what elements would be essential for proof and for
anticipation of any objections from another persons viewpoint.