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Post by Lacey Doby on Mar 30, 2014 18:19:53 GMT
Ready...Set...Go!
To tell the honest truth, this was super difficult for me. Most of the story occurred outdoors, so I had to look in more abstract areas in order to find anything. I think I found a pattern though... Conrad often included characters or situations that appeared one way and were something else, for example, the cannibals have a certain stigma about them that Conrad challenges. "Fine fellows--cannibals--in their place. They were men one could work with, and I am grateful to them," (Condrad 34). On the exterior, cannibals are morbid and scary people, but in HOD, they actually end up being hard workers who are very helpful and respectful to those around them. The strongest example of interiors and exteriors was earlier on page 34, as Marlow is discussing going up the river. He talks about how the surface of the water may look fine, but just below the surface could be a snag or a rock of some sort that would have "ripped the life out of the tinpot steamboat and drowned all the pilgrims..." (Condrad 34). He then suggests that the surface is reality, and below it is the inner truth. Basically, it seems to me that Conrad is saying not to judge a book by it's cover, which he literally does on page 38 just to drive the point home. Then again, I could be totally off-base. What you ya'll think? |
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Post by jennyxu on Mar 31, 2014 1:40:24 GMT
I like the river example! Conrad definitely discusses the inner truth beneath the surface with interiors and exteriors.
The interior and exterior motif also applies to a lot of character descriptions in the book. For example, when Marlow describes the manager: "He originated nothing...Perhaps there was nothing within him...Once when various tropical diseases had laid low almost every 'agent' in the station, he was heard to say, 'Men who come out here should have no entrails.'" (Conrad 18). The power of these characters lay in some physical, rather than mental, aspect of their strength. It suggests that the "wilderness" breaks the interior of men. Kurtz is the counterexample, with mental abilities, that realizes the "horrors" of what they're doing in the Congo, the greed in the heart of darkness.
The exterior is of course also the surroundings, "this land, this river, this jungle, the very arch of this blazing sky, appear to me so hopeless and so dark, so impenetrable to human though, so pitiless to human weakness" (Conrad 49). When the men journey into this wilderness, they lose their sense of self and values, and give in to "the horrors". The exterior destroys the interior, in a sense. This could be an interpretation of this motif maybe.
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Post by juliamoreland on Mar 31, 2014 1:54:18 GMT
WHOOAA LACEY I LIKE THAT! This was also super hard for me as well, and I formed my own idea (see below), but your interpretation is totally different and super cool.
To start off, I didn’t know what type of interiors or exteriors Parris was asking for. Can the different levels of narration put you more on the interior? Does he mean interior and exterior of the mind? Or of Africa? Or of boats, or rivers, or...or... yeah that just made me overwhelmed.
To narrow my search, I chose to focus on whenever the word "interior" was used. This pointed me to find the interior and exterior metaphor to be about Africa.
"In the interior, you will no doubt meet Mr. Kurtz" (19), and with names such as the "inner station" I found that the more and more Marlow becomes isolated from his previous life, the more he had progressed into the "interior" of Congo. The goal of the trip is to find Mr. Kurtz, who is deep on the interior. To connect these ideas, I found the exterior to be the life full of riches and Americans, the one that Marlow feels on the exterior of once he returns home. The interior is the heart, the heart of Congo and the heart of all these goals and dreams.
Lacey, it connects back to your point too because on this journey to the interior of the Congo, Marlow discovers the truth about himself and an entirely different culture. On the exterior, he was just an American who thought the place looked cool on a map.
Also some other interesting places I found interiors and exteriors popping up:
"The yarns of seamen have a direct simplicity, the whole meaning of which lies within the shell of a cracked nut" (5). Not sure about this one, but it is again "the truth lies inside"
When the doctor is measuring Marlow's head, "Oh, I never see them, and moreover the changes take place inside, you know" (11) Inside his head, or inside the Congo? I thought this one was also interesting.
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Post by Lacey Doby on Apr 1, 2014 2:00:00 GMT
Interiors and Exteriors I found that we might use in the presentation next class (also the stuff included above and any others you can think of!):
Ex: cannibals are scary
In: "Fine fellows" who help people out and are actually kind of respectful (what, with the hippo meat and all that). Pg 34-35
Ex: Super old book that looks "not very enthralling."
In: filled with handwritten notes. Pg 37-38
Ex: Kurtz is seven feet tall, people fear him, and his reputation as a powerful man proceeds him.
In: Kurtz is sickly and weak. Also, his insides are full of greed hence, "the horror! The horror!" when his life possibly flashed before his eyes. (could do all kinds of analysis here)Pg: 69
Ex: English people take advantage of African people and think of themselves as higher because they are civilized.
In: They are causing people to suffer and die horrible deaths/they have greed in their hearts. (Could analyze this a whole bunch too)
Ex: Person
In: Heart
Ex: Congo
In: Heart of Darkness
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Post by juliamoreland on Apr 2, 2014 1:40:37 GMT
I like it Lacey! Is anyone else from A4 in our group?
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Post by sammywong on Apr 2, 2014 2:02:52 GMT
Hey guys! I'm in this group. I'll probably be posting frequent, short examples I find in the book. Let me know what you guys think! Lacey, I think we should start with creating a google docs powerpoint just so we can all exchange ideas on a more quicker, user friendly medium. I know we were already talking about doing this in class anyways. My email address is samanthawong321@gmail.com
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Post by sammywong on Apr 2, 2014 2:18:23 GMT
I also found very beginning of the book (page 5) the comparison between Marlow and the other seamen.
"The yarns of seamen have a direct simplicity, the whole meaning of which lies within the shell of a cracked nut. But Marlow was not typical (if his propensity to spin yarns be excepted)and to him the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernal but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze, in the likeness of one of these misty halos that, sometimes, are made visible by the spectral illumination of moonshine."
We know Marlow is something special. His perspective on things in Africa are waaayyyy different than anyone else's. I think we should definitely be holding some sort of discussion about Marlow before we dive fully into internal/external deep stuff. Marlow seems to be the key to the mystery behind why interiors and exteriors are importance, since he obviously values the exterior as part of the wholeness, as not separate from the interior (as not an obstacle to get to the "destination" of the interior) but as the answer and part of the true destination.
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rishi
New Member
Posts: 38 
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Post by rishi on Apr 2, 2014 2:20:02 GMT
rishims96@gmail.com
I want to focus on the interior/exterior relationship of the Europeans in the novel. Like Sammy, I will shortly find some quotes (mostly to support what I am writing right now), but right now, I am going to briefly explain my thoughts. The external appearances and descriptions of Europeans in the novel contrast their true, innate selves. One of the major themes of Conrad's novel is man's inherent darkness (hence the title, Heart of Darkness). Conrad develops this theme by highlighting the irony in common European beliefs. At the beginning of the novel, Marlow describes how peaceful the River Thames seems. He also notes that London is one of the wealthiest and most successful cities in the world. Furthermore, the European characters in the novel, especially women, are characterized to represent "light" while those of Africa represent the "dark." However, most, if not all, of the Europeans in the novel are ignorant to the fact that they are truly dark at heart: while Marlow journeys to the Inner Station, he witnesses the violence and cruelty with which Conrad defines the human heart. To put it simply, the exterior of the Europeans seems civil, but their interiors are savage.
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Post by sammywong on Apr 2, 2014 2:46:15 GMT
Just to put something up in the air, do you think it is possible that external/internals are not necessarily contrasting, but that the external is a vital tool in uncovering the internal?
From my quote above, Marlow states that a glow is used to bring out the haze. Then he goes on a tangent about moonshine (exterior) being used to uncover this mist/haze (interior). Referencing Rishi's idea of the river, the European river seems calm and tame but in reality the people of Europe are sometimes cruel in what they do and are definitely not what they seem to be. I would argue though that it is too black and white to say the exterior is the antithesis for the interior.
My current stance is that the exterior is very misleading, so misleading that if you look close enough it actually leads you to the truth/interior.
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rishi
New Member
Posts: 38
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Post by rishi on Apr 2, 2014 3:05:08 GMT
I think that the obvious point Conrad is trying to make when using interiors and exteriors is that they contrast, but I really like your idea about the externals being used to discover internal truths. It's original, and I think it works. Maybe we can find some quotes from later in the novel that incorporate your idea.
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Post by danyhong55 on Apr 5, 2014 23:53:12 GMT
Although I really like the Lacey's idea, I'm more on the side of the opposite right now. I think that looking at the exterior is the Truth, objectively and the interior is the deep philosophical meaning that we give to the "exterior" shell. Marlow seems to be attracted the mysteries that surround the Africa and Kurtz and tries to explore what they are. But to say that he is only looking at it through a very shallow lens, a personal lens, doesn't feel right.
Marow has an insatiable drive to see things as they are. He is very disconnected with the world and sees it almost as an outsider. Seeing the world from the exterior. He remarks at the cannibals as agreeable and helpful in what they do. On the other hand, the deep meaning that the pilgrims give the same people is disgust and reluctant acceptance. To me that is sort of the interior exterior motif.
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Post by yongkim on Jun 4, 2014 0:08:25 GMT
Although we did the presentation on interiors and exteriors, looks like I forgot to post on the forum!
The motif of interiors and exteriors is evident as well as subtle in Conrad's writing. Unlike everyone else, I decided to take a different approach to this topic. In class, we talked about the odd narrative style (a point of view within a point of view within a point of view). The point of view of Marlow (who is on the exterior) tells us more about Kurtz (the interior). The perception is that Kurtz is a powerful man; however, we later see at the end of the book that he is stricken with pain in fear as he repeats, "The horror! The horror!" The insight we get of Kurtz is all thanks to Marlow (who is on the exterior of Kurtz' narration).
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Post by Marshall on Jun 4, 2014 17:06:33 GMT
Most of the story occurs on one of two boats, outside, so a literal interpretation might not work. Unless we’re talking about the difference between the two. The things we’re normally taught are opposites remain fine until you question them. Marlow is in the steamer, but I think the gap between him and the wilderness is more psychological than a few sheets of metal. The separation spans races and entirely new realities. Beyond that I really like the passage that’s already come up:” ripped the life out of the tinpot steamboat and drowned all the pilgrims” talking about rocks and snags below the surface. This is also a perfect and related metaphor for the jungle right next to their tinpot. Right below that surface, there’s something that could kill them all. Whether it’s a native, or whatever eerie call took in Kurtz.
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Post by ubuvolesivez on May 31, 2019 14:22:32 GMT
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Post by uboytoweucol on May 31, 2019 16:10:29 GMT
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