Identity In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

Who are you? No, really, have you ever considered that question? Identity is the collection of attributes that defines how we see ourselves. In this big world, each individual is like a grain of sand on a beach; none of them are any more significant than another. At the same time, there are the occasional grains, which are larger than the rest, the ones with greater influence than the others. In essence, Emerson’s words are as true as when he spoke them. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, and Albert Camus’ The Stranger, there is a significant theme of lost identity. Although the three novels are different, they establish the unsettling existence of the characters.
Need transition Conrad uses mood and atmosphere …show more content…
The story begins with the line, “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin” (1). Although it never explains how Gregor is transformed into a bug. Even as a bug, all he worries about is getting to work and does not give a thought to having the body of an insect. Gregor has devoted himself to a life of work. In fact, when the office clerk, who came by to check why he was not at work, runs out of disgust because of Gregor’s appearance, and Gregor tries to explain to him, “ I’ll get dressed right away, pack up my samples, and go. Will you, will you please let me go? Now sir, you see, I’m not stubborn and I’m willing to work; traveling is a hardship, but without it I couldn’t live (…) A man might find for a moment that he was unable to work, but that’s exactly the right time to remember his past accomplishments and to consider that later on, when the obstacle has been removed, he’s bound to work all the harder and more efficiently” (15). He had lost his humanity because of the dehumanizing effects of his job and life in general. After realizing that this life would never be the same again Gregor starts realizing certain truths about his existence, which had not come to his realization before. He starts to reflect on his own being. “On the wall directly opposite hung a photograph of Gregor from his army days, in a …show more content…
The novel begins with, “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday” (3). His indifference to Maman’s death foreshadows his approach to everything else in his life. At the funeral, he declines to view the body, but keeps a vigil with it overnight, in accordance with the custom. After the funeral, he goes swimming and to the movies with a woman acquaintance. It is evident he is lack of