Joseph Conrad: Master of Characterization Thesis

Joseph Conrad: Master of Characterization

Joseph Conrad was born Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in 1857. He was born in Poland but did not spend a long time there as his family was exiled to Russia in 1862. His politically active parents died when he was young. His mother died when he was seven and his father died when he was eleven. Widmer maintains that exile and losing his parents had obvious "traumatic effects on the young Conrad" (Widmer). Conrad was placed in the care of his uncle who might have been stern but allowed Conrad to travel when he was 16. Conrad was fascinated with the sea and this passion prompted his uncle to allow him to move to Marseilles, where he lived for almost four years. He obtained apprentice jobs on ships, where he traveled the sea. Widmer notes that in the meantime, "Conrad's efforts to be a British novelist were arduous and anxious" (Widmer). He is one of the most well-read authors of dramatic realism and his works reflect an era of literature that attempts to delve into the human psyche. Perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of Conrad's writing is the fact that he was not writing his stories in his native tongue. Widmer also writes that he "chose not just to write of his experiences and concerns but to make a commercial career as an English storyteller" (Widmer). Widmer states that Conrad was "vehemently not a bohemian, he saw the writing career as a settled and orderly way of life, in contrast to his maritime career" (Widmer). He married and "settled into conventional British middle-class family life" (Widmer). He had two boys. His life was not easy, however, Widmer maintains that Conrad had incurred major debt, suffered from illnesses, and was in "anguish over writing" (Widmer). He became popular with novels such as Heart of Darkness and Nostromo because these novels reveal something shocking about history and mankind.Download full
paper NOW!  ⬇️

TOPIC: Thesis on Joseph Conrad: Master of Characterization Joseph Conrad Assignment

I selected this author because I am interested in this time in history. Imperialism and colonialism are significant in history because they reveal how the world was changing. While Conrad's stories are fiction, they provide insight into the human condition. The mentality of the British demonstrates how people can become power hungry and begin to believe that they know what is best for everyone. Kurtz, in Heart of Darkness, portrays this notion perfectly. Nostromo is also an excellent character study. While many would like us to think that Imperialism was a good thing because it brought European ways to "backward" civilizations, these novels tell another story. While one may think he is doing good, he might actually be doing harm and destroying himself in the process. This is what we see with Kurtz, Nostromo, Decoud, and Gould all represent what can happen to someone when they allow themselves to become affected by greed. I enjoy how these stories are like historical fiction with such rich characterizations. They illustrate how imperialism was good only to one group of people and that was the controlling group. The victims are the ones that are controlled and this can never be good for anyone. These stories illustrate just how bad colonialism was for both sides.

Widmer offers a unique look at the Conrad's work. Often referring to it as mediocre, he maintains that it has a place in modern literature because Conrad works with "simple ideas" (Widmer) and "wanted a 'Fidelity' which he did not really possess. He insisted on conventional notions without real faith in them, made even more impossible by extreme situations; in dramatic and dialectical fact, he insisted on harsh skepticism and self-destructiveness" (Widmer). Widmer's also asserts, "Conrad tried to form a precarious fideistic dialectic from his doubts and fears. His desire for simple virtues and fidelities, on the explicit assumption that 'man is a desperately conservative creature,' remains poignant" (Widmer). Regardless of what one thinks of the author's work, this one fact remains the same. Conrad's characters do nothing if they do not reveal the frailties of man. Widmer claims that Conrad knew "values have to be simple or most men will be excluded from them . . . The unexamined life, Conrad deeply felt, must be worth living because the examined life is suicidally dangerous" (Widmer). While many might not agree with this assertion, it points a finger at what lies at the very heart of Conrad's literature. The examined life might be more painful to live because we must be accountable for our actions and accept consequences, while the unexamined life, as we see with Kurtz and Nostromo, leads to moral barrenness.

Michael Gorra views Conrad in a different light. He writes, "Nothing about him seemed designed for comfort, and those readers who got past Conrad's difficulties of form still had to confront his sardonic view of human endeavor and his unforgiving scrutiny of a world that does not much bear looking into" (Gorra). This scrutiny, however, is what makes these novels real to us. Gorra notes that while Conrad might have received some criticism for his works, "all of them now stand among the reasons why he seems with each decade more central" (Gorra). The world we live in may change. Technological advancements alone separate us from those that lived just a century ago. What we must remember is that however things in the world may change, mankind stays relatively the same. We are the same greedy people that we have always been. We are the same people that think we are doing good when we are actually causing harm. We are the same people that think we deserve things that only end up making us rotten to the core. This is not a pretty picture of mankind, but it is realistic. Conrad conveys this with his characters. Gorra writes that Heart of Darkness is a picture of the "isolated individual -- of 'Man'" (Gorra). Indeed, Kurtz was a man that started out going to the Congo with one intention. However, that intention had some unintended consequences that had negative effects on Kurtz and those around him. He fell victim to the natives' belief that he was something special and began to worship himself as they did. He did not worry that he had no contact with the outside world and, as a result, became corrupted by idolatry and greed. His mind swirled around ivory and little else. He never had enough and would not think twice about murdering someone to get it. The alienation caused him to break emotionally. Nostromo is materialistic and becomes addicted to it. Decoud realizes this as he observes the egomaniac. Nostromo cannot see it himself, however, and continues to slip into further mental decay. Everything revolves around him. Gorra notes, "Life does not narrate, it produces impressions instead, and the mind's task lies in unfolding, in disentangling, whatever of the 'enduring and essential' may be snatched from that undifferentiated stream of experience; as though truth were not given, but made" (Gorra). This is what happens when reading Conrad. He paints the picture and allows us to decipher the truth of it.

Widmer and Gorra view Conrad's work differently. Widmer sees Conrad's points regarding humanity as weak and contrived. He does not see it as anything other than mediocre and simple. He does not appreciate Conrad's ability to shine the light on these men that have obviously been eaten away by immorality. Widmer does realize Conrad's efforts but he does not recognize them as anything spectacular. Gorra, on the other hand, presents a clearer view on Conrad's work. He understands what Conrad meant to do with these characters and believes he did so masterfully. It was interesting comparing the notes of these two critics and coming to my own conclusion that I side more with Gorra. I believe that… [END OF PREVIEW] . . . READ MORE