Exploration of Alienation and Isolation in Jo...

Exploration of Alienation and Isolation in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Author Name : Ashish Kumar

ABSTRACT Heart of Darkness, a literary classic by Joseph Conrad, tells a scary story about what it means to be human against the background of European colonialism in Africa. This research paper begins a hard journey into the story's scary themes of alienation and isolation. Conrad's life was full of times when he was sent away and had to live alone. At age four, he saw his father move from Warsaw to the faraway Russian city of Vologda because he was involved in politics. Almayer, Marlow, Kurtz, Willems, Decoud, Mrs. Decoud, Jim, Stein, Nostromo, and many other important figures go through mental or physical crises. This study looks at how the characters are disconnected from their surroundings, how their social bonds are breaking down, and how their identities are falling apart on an existential level. Its goal is to show the haunting psychological and philosophical effects of detachment and isolation in Conrad's story.