A journey is an indefinable experience that alters us. A path taken to fulfil ones purpose. Throughout the tribulations, developments and joys of ones journey, an identity can be changed, shifting the subjects view point on the world. As Nelson Mandela once famously said “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered”.
My three texts ‘Heart of Darkness’, by Joseph Conrad, ‘The Ivory Trail’, created by victor Kelleher and ‘Our journey had advanced’, written by Emily Dickinson all convey the aspects of a physical, inner or emotional journey through the use of techniques.
In all three of my texts, symbolism plays a critical role in defining the aspects of a journey. Throughout the novel ‘Heart of Darkness’, a man’s reflection upon a time in his life which unveiled the darkness and mystery of an uncivilised wilderness. Marlow the central character informs his fellow crewman of his time involved in the ivory trade as a sailor, his time in the darkness.
During his extensive voyage, Marlow viewed the isolated, endless coastline of darkness, positioning himself in an unfamiliar territory. As Marlow states in the novel “For a time I would feel I belonged still to a world of straight forward facts, but the feeling would not last long”.
To reinforce the darkness aspect, Marlow, along with the other fellow Europeans view the natives to have been engulfed in the darkness of the African Wilderness. This objective is made clear in the novel when Marlow recounts “The black men each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected together with a chain”. Conrad’s use of Symbolism positions the reader to travel in the depths of the darkness and experience the emotional journey of the character.
This aspect of darkness can be viewed in Victor Kelleher’s image ‘The Ivory Trail’. The faint purple in the corners of the image reflect a darkness growing into the...