Although Joseph Conrad and Thomas Hobbes lived in different time periods and never had the opportunity to meet, they both shared different ideas regarding human nature while harboring also some differences in ideologies. Conrad's Heart of Darkness highlights many of these similarities and differences between Conrad's views and Hobbes' philosophies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Conrad's characterization of Marlow and Kurtz makes these two characters resemble two sides of the Hobbesian philosophy that a society is necessary to control people and prevent them from living in a primitive and chaotic state, free from moral constraints and considerations. Conrad describes Marlow, before leaving for the Congo, as a man who comes from Britain, a rich, organized and structured country full of “high houses, innumerable windows with Venetian blinds” (Conrad, 1899, p.13). According to this aspect of Hobbes' philosophy, the central government of Western civilization suppressed Marlow's innate and primitive characteristics, and when Marlow reaches the Congo, Conrad paints him as a confused man, who initially finds it difficult to accept the fact that he is the natives that the people of Western civilizations are ultimately all part of the same race, because to Marlow the natives appear more like animals than human beings and he reflects on the horrible thought of [the natives'] humanity - like yours - the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate tumult” (Conrad, 1899, p.58). Seeing this savage state of the people in the Congo is at first a profound surprise to Marlow, but in contrast, Conrad soon indicates that Kurtz, a veteran of the area, has adapted to this situation during his time in the area. Although Kurtz once spent his days in Western civilization, Conrad characterized his activities to show that his time in the depths of the Congo had a strong impact on him, as "the wilderness gave him a pat on the heart , and behold, it was like a ball - an ivory ball; and he caressed him, and - lo! his soul with inconceivable ceremonies of some diabolical initiation" (Conrad, 1899, p. 79). Far from a central government like the British, the chaotic nature that Hobbes describes in his philosophies presents itself as Kurtz, surrounded by the wilderness of the non-Westernized Congo, returns to a primitive state. Conrad not only reflects this philosophy in the characters of Marlow and Kurtz, but also disperses it in less important characters who also display this natural state. For example, Conrad mentions a captain called Fresleven whom he initially describes as “the gentlest and quietest creature that ever walked on two legs” (Conrad, 1899, p.12). Conrad, however, does not further characterize this character in a way that follows that statement: he chooses instead to state that the captain beat one of the native chiefs in front of a large crowd until the chief's son speared the captain and chose to Ask Marlow to mentally justify this man's action by believing that this act occurred because "he had already been a couple of years out there engaged in the noble cause" (Conrad, 1899, p.12). This mental justification is perfectly in line with the Hobbesian belief in the importance of an authoritative force, since without it the captain acted in a manner completely contrary to the European description of the captain after spending some years in the Congo. Conrad's depictions of these characters, from Marlow toFresleven, align with Hobbes' branch of philosophy regarding the nature of humanity, as these characterizations follow this line of thought: once people are away from a central government, they will face primitive transformations like those that Kurtz and Fresleven have addressed. Conrad promoted the belief that human beings exist in a natural state of internal conflict and warfare based on personal interests and desires. The Pilgrims and Kurtz embody this belief as Conrad creates Westernized imperialists who are so obsessed with obtaining this wealth that they exist almost in a state of worship as “the word 'ivory' rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. It would seem that they were praying to him” (Conrad, 1899, p.35). Conrad centers Kurtz and the Pilgrims' interests on wealth to highlight their internal conflicts involving ivory. Ultimately, their love of ivory transforms them into greedy creatures whose desires for wealth triumph against their moral strictures as the Pilgrims exploit the natives for labor and “[wrest] the ivory from the natives” (Conrad, 1899 , p.52). Conrad places Kurtz at the head of this pack that is obsessed with wealth as Kurtz “[steals] more ivory than all the other agents put together” (Conrad, 1899, p.77) without regard to the consequences his actions will have on those. from which he stole. Conrad reflects this internal war, as described by Hobbes, over and over again as he mentions the consequences of these conflicts due to the desire for wealth. Furthermore, Hobbes promoted the belief that people naturally fear other people invading them, and therefore might choose to strike first as an anticipatory defense. Conrad echoes this belief in the interactions between Europeans and the natives living in the Congo. When Conrad describes Marlow floating down the river in the fog, he incorporates an attack by the natives even though the Europeans had not directly acted in any way to threaten them as “sticks, sticks, flew hither and thither – thick: they darted past my nose , falling beneath me, striking behind me against my wheelhouse” (Conrad, 1899, p.73). In line with Hobbesian belief, Conrad chose to have the natives along the river attack first against the Europeans because they feared that the Europeans would cause them more harm if they chose not to strike. After Kurtz's death, Conrad illuminates Marlow's mental turmoil as he fears “the possibility of a sudden assault and massacre, or something of the kind, which I saw imminent” (Conrad, 1899, p.108). Conrad once again incorporates Hobbes' belief by opening a window into Marlow's thoughts on the fear of attack acting as a defense. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay One area that Hobbes and Conrad adopted contrasting ideas about women. Hobbes insisted on the equality of all people, especially women, because he believed that all people were subject to domination and possessed the ability to potentially dominate other people. Conrad, however, portrayed the women in Heart of Darkness in a different way than the men, noting "how far from the truth the women are. They live in a world of their own, and there has never been anything like it, and never may be" (Conrad 1899). Conrad implies that women have harsh realities around them while men face facts. Instead of forcing Marlow to recount Kurtz's true last words which reflected the horror in the Congo, Conrad chooses to have Marlow preserve the woman's innocence because he doesn't think she can handle the truth and chooses to have him lie to the Fated One. , informing her that "the last words he spoke were - the..