Heart of Darkness essay topics
1. What similarities exist between Heart of Darkness and “At Play in the Fields of the Lord”? How does the White Man’s Burden impact both stories? What makes one culture believe it is superior to another? Should one society impose its standards on another?
2. What thematic parallels exist between Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies? Suggestions: effects of isolation and the true nature of man.
3. What is the true essence of human nature? Are we good or are we bad? Do we learn to adjust to and accept our own society’s rules and regulations simply because we have to? In an environment void of restrictions or boundaries, how would we behave? How does this apply to Heart of Darkness?
4. Address the psychological aspect of Heart of Darkness. How is this book the study of one man’s psyche? Is Mr. Kurtz the central character? What about Marlow? How did what he witnessed affect him? Who is affected the most by the jungle experience? What about other characters: Fresleven, the young Swede, the Central Station manager, the Russian assistant, the chief accountant?
5. Address the theme of symbolism in Heart of Darkness, specifically the symbolic value of the colors black and white. In what way is black considered to be “good” and white considered to be “bad”? What point is Conrad attempting to make with this type of reverse symbolism?
6. How does Conrad indicate that the White Man’s Burden has been prostituted into a convenient façade for the exploitative nature of colonialism? What is Conrad’s perspective on the uninvited invasion of native territories by European countries?