Karl's Criticism

In Frederick Karl's psychoanalytical criticism he states "But not before we are filled with a sense of the absurd- a sense of the absurd gap between what we profess to be and what we are, a sense of our consequently and inevitably skewed relationship with objects, with our milieu, with the universe itself." Karl brings to light the evident disconnect humans face with their surroundings and more frightening, themselves. Karl believes that everyone has their true self and then their facade that they must put on in front of others. However true this may be, one must then examine how the world would be if it wasn't. If everyone simply said exactly what they were thinking all the time and acted on every impulse one had, chaos would ensue. Who we are and what we think are two completely different things and molding them into one would not only result in a blatant lack of personal privacy, but also a lack of mental stimulation. 

Murfin

One important idea that Murfin's Psychoanalytic Criticism explains is how human's mind's allow them to experience books through their own eyes. What this means is that instead of simply viewing a book as a character's journey through hardships, humans put themselves in the shoes of the main character, which helps them further understand the hardships and emotions that character goes through. This explains why most people are drawn to stories that don't necessarily match up with their own life, because our ordinary daily  problems aren't interesting; however, exploring uncivilized Africa, THAT'S interesting.  

Heart of Darkness: Question 1

All of the characters in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness don’t have any names except for Marlow, Kurtz, and Fresleven the Dane. Most are referred to by their occupations proving Conrad’s view on identity and how society unfairly categorizes people based on occupations rather than character. Some examples of the occupations Conrad names characters are Accountant, Lawyer, Brickmaker, Manager, and Fireman. Another reason Conrad may do this is to provide more of an explanation of a character by using a word that better describes that person rather than a name which could be given to any person regardless of skill.  

Heart of Darkness: Question 2

Marlow begins his tale of a journey to the heart of darkness with an account of London in “very old times, when the Roman’s first came here” to not only provide an ominous background and a dark tone, but also to show a comparison of London in a darker time to the more upbeat people’s view of London. Also true with the English colonization of Africa, London was not always the thriving city it is today. The point made here by Conrad is that no city starts perfectly functioning, it takes time and work to get to the perfect perception true today.