Essay Database

Heart of Darkness – Passage Analysis “Once, I remember, we came upon a man of war anchored off the coast. There wasn’t even a shed there, and she was shelling the bush. It appears the French had one of their wars going on there-abouts. Her ensign dropped like a limp rag; the muzzles of the long six inch guns stuck out all over the low hull; the greasy, slimy swell swung her up lazily and …

…being an everyday European to a person who finds a sense of true reality. The flaw of not being able to see something for what it really is, and not being able to give it a proper label, is definitely the “European way”. He exposes himself to the drastically different environment of the Congo, which has a tremendous effect on him, making him wonder if in fact ignorant Europeans are living in a dream world.