Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Through a Freudian Lens Essay

Without personal access to authors, readers are odd to themselves to interpret literature. This can choke ch altoge therenging with more difficult texts, such(prenominal) as Joseph Conrads novelette partiality of Darkness. Fortunately, literary sense of hearings are non abandoned to flo low in pieces such as this active readers whitethorn look through more different lenses to see possible meanings in a work. For example, Conrads Heart of Darkness may be decode with a post-colonial, feminist, or prototypical mindset, or analyzed with Freudian psycho-analytic theory. The last mentioned two would effectively denounce the greater roles of Kurtz and Marlow as the id and the ego, respectively, and offer the opportunity to draw a close about the work as a whole.Sigmund Freuds theories on the tress of the mind are simple, entirely essentially changed the field of psychology. He proposed, among different things, that the human mind is composed of 3 parts the informed, precon scious, and unconscious. The preconscious consists of information, such as a telephone number, that is accessible to consciousness without emotional resistance (Schellenberg 21). In Freuds estimation, the unconscious is the most all-important(a) area of the mind. The information stored deep down it has very strong resistances to becoming conscious (Freud 32). Residing in the unconscious is the id, which contains everythingthat is give at birth above all, therefore, the instincts which ascend from somatic organization (14). From birth, all action is instinctual, from the id. The id recognizes and entertains no desires but its take and is impatient to have its ineluctably met. This phase lasts until a part of the id changes under the influence of the real out-of-door world (14). This changed portion b... ...o, while the novelettes archetypal mental synthesis glorifies Marlows domination of Kurtz. These two analyses taken together provide a much fuller and more citywide i nterpretation of the work. Conrad presents the idea that there is some darkness within apiece person. The darkness is is inherited and instinctual, but because it is natural does not make it right. He celebrates and thereby almost advises the yield from instinct. By telling Marlows tale, Joseph Conrad stresses to his audience the importance of self-knowledge and the unnecessity of instinct in civilization.Works CitedConrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York Penguin Group, 1997.Freud, Sigmund. An insinuate of Psycho-Analysis. Trans. jam Strachey. New York W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1949.Schellenberg, James A. Masters of Social Psychology. New York Oxford University Press,1978. Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Through a Freudian Lens searchWithout personal access to authors, readers are left to themselves to interpret literature. This can become challenging with more difficult texts, such as Joseph Conrads novella Heart of Darkness. Fortunately, literary aud iences are not abandoned to flounder in pieces such as this active readers may look through many different lenses to see possible meanings in a work. For example, Conrads Heart of Darkness may be deciphered with a post-colonial, feminist, or archetypal mindset, or analyzed with Freudian psycho-analytic theory. The latter two would effectively reveal the greater roles of Kurtz and Marlow as the id and the ego, respectively, and offer the opportunity to draw a conclusion about the work as a whole.Sigmund Freuds theories on the construction of the mind are simple, but fundamentally changed the field of psychology. He proposed, among other things, that the human mind is composed of three parts the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. The preconscious consists of information, such as a telephone number, that is accessible to consciousness without emotional resistance (Schellenberg 21). In Freuds estimation, the unconscious is the most important area of the mind. The information stor ed within it has very strong resistances to becoming conscious (Freud 32). Residing in the unconscious is the id, which contains everythingthat is present at birth above all, therefore, the instincts which originate from somatic organization (14). From birth, all action is instinctual, from the id. The id recognizes and entertains no desires but its own and is impatient to have its needs met. This phase lasts until a part of the id changes under the influence of the real external world (14). This changed portion b... ...o, while the novellas archetypal structure glorifies Marlows domination of Kurtz. These two analyses taken together provide a much fuller and more comprehensive interpretation of the work. Conrad presents the idea that there is some darkness within each person. The darkness is is inherited and instinctual, but because it is natural does not make it right. He celebrates and thereby almost advises the turn from instinct. By telling Marlows tale, Joseph Conrad stres ses to his audience the importance of self-knowledge and the unnecessity of instinct in civilization.Works CitedConrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York Penguin Group, 1997.Freud, Sigmund. An Outline of Psycho-Analysis. Trans. James Strachey. New York W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1949.Schellenberg, James A. Masters of Social Psychology. New York Oxford University Press,1978.