Answer the following question after reading Heart of Darkness Is the Essay

Answer the following question after reading Heart of Darkness Is the quest for knowledge a destructive endeavor, why or why not - Essay Example The story is about the men's inner confusion when faced with compelling situations, cruelty towards other humans, and what they become after leaving civilization and humanitarian values. In the end Mr. Kurtz, a man with quest for knowledge ended up insane and worthless to his company, shows the paradox underlying Conrad's intention to question the purpose of his mission. Whether quest for knowledge is a destructive endeavor or not, main question that may arise in the story of "Heart of Darkness," is clearly emphasized through large number of resources by Conrad. We all know that quest for knowledge is not a waste of time, as knowledge could be applied to life both in learning about self and the world, and it is a way to make life productive and eventful. The "Heart of Darkness" carries story within the story, of which "the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale" (Conrad 2000. p.18). It gives a clear picture on the depth of knowledge Conrad has and forces the readers to search more and more sources to enrich their knowledge. "The basic narrative structure of Heart of Darkness is a frame-tale with inset stories, an experiment with 'oblique narration', a tale within a tale" (p.xxv). For any reader who is reading it for the first time, it will not be possible to understand the message or inner meaning of the novel completely. Subsequent reading will reveal that much of the meaning in "Heart of Darkness" is found in the periphery of the book, and not in the centre of the book or the heart of Africa. H eart of Darkness is a good example to cite the downfall of morality and withering away of a civilized man, Mr. Kurtz in the African Congo. Pursuit of knowledge is presented through the anecdotal narration of Mr. Marlow, a seaman. He begins his story sitting cross legged, resembling a "Buddha preaching", and ends it sitting 'indistinct and silent," "in the pose of a meditating Buddha" (ibid p.16,123). Mr. Marlow described as sitting "like a meditating Buddha' reveals he has achieved some sort of enlightenment. It symbolizes the preaching of an enlightened person and how he is going to deliver knowledge to his attentive disciples like the sermons of Lord Buddha. By following the words of Marlow, and the narrative style adopted by Conrad it is doubtful whether the ultimate goal of imparting knowledge was achieved or not. As the narrator is not maintaining continuity to his narration, and his audience is also inattentive, proves this symbolism failed to deliver any purpose. Another incidence that link to an effort to gather scientific knowledge comes from Marlow's visit to a doctor before his departure to African Congo and what transpired between them. It indicates another incidence of thirst for knowledge and its ultimate outcome. For Marlow's enquiry about the investigations carried out by the doctor and the reply he receives "this is my share in the advantages my country shall reap from the possession of such a magnificent dependency" has not been effectively established anywhere in the novel. To his further question, whether the doctor also measures the crania of those returning, the reply was he never sees them and "moreover the changes take place inside." It indirectly points out that the navigators to Africa are experimental pieces and majority lost their senses