Joe Conrad :: essays research papers fc

Joseph Conrad was a very talented author. He started writing at the age of thirty-two, and begantelling many tales of his life story on the sea. In his juvenility he was a sailor and traveled to many placessuch as the Orient, and the Congo. It are his experiences on the Congo that serves as his primarysource for his story The mettle of Darkness. This book was actually a story of a man, CharlesMarlow, telling the story of his experience in Africa. While in Africa, Marlows attitude towardslife changes as shadower be seen in the following excerpts from the book.     "We live in the flicker-may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling" (68). WhenMarlow gives that quote, he has non withal started his story. He is on a ship after a bad storm, and isabout to begin. This particular quote has a zest to it. It tells one to live all(prenominal) moment to thefullest because life is but a flicker. This quote also tells the reader that Marlow wants to live along life. After finishing the book, his statement seemed a billet strange because Marlows tonebecame less enthusiastic at the end. However, Marlow survived through the experiences he toldin his story. If he is pipe down able to look back at his life and say, "may it last as long as the old earthkeeps rolling," then he must make the most out of it, and not let a few bad experiences changehis attitude towards it.          I couldnt help asking him once what he meant by coming there at all. To make          money of course. what do you think? he said, scornfully. Then he got fever, and          had to be carried in a hammock slung under a pole...(86)     This quote tells the reader much about the type of men that went to Africa. Most wentonly for the money-not giving a second thought to their health and safety. This particular mangot d eathly ill, and still was concerned only for money. Conrad was making a statement in thisquote that too many people today do things only for money. Nobody full treatment because they have apassion for what they do. People are too willing to put their lives on the line just to make a littlemoney. Marlow was disgust when the man snapped at him. Marlow he went to Africa becausehe had desired to do so since he was a little boy. He was an explorer at heart, and did not fortune his