Doubt,+Ambiguity+and+Uncertainty


 * || //**Heat and Dust **// || //**Wide Sargasso Sea **// || //**Heart of Darkness **// || //**Things Fall Apart **// ||
 * Synopsis || # The parts in the novel that are not directly covered by the diary entries (either Anne’s or Olivia’s) remain quite ambiguous (especially the events that occur after the abortion and how the two women lead their lives in later years)
 * 1) There is an ambiguity surrounding the presumably supernatural power of Maji; the narrator does not understand how Maji can have such power, but can only sense/feel the existence of such ability || 1. Annette has doubts about her security (fears that the black servants will cause harm), while Antoinette also spends troubled childhood, uncertain of where she belongs (rejected from different groups, even from family), thus, also having doubts regarding her security.

2. Rochester is constantly met with doubts upon making his decision to marry Antoinette, and after the marriage is unsure about what and whom he should trust (he especially has some strong doubts about trusting the servants)

3. Antoinette is now in England (Part 3). Yet, locked up inside the room she stays in, she is unsure of where she is, and does not believe that she is actually in England when the servant tells her she is || # Kurtz’s character remains ambiguous until Marlow actually gets to Kurtz in person; up to this point, the readers’ or Marlow’s image of Kurtz is solely based on the words that other characters speak about him 2. Part 2 (Antoinette’s times spent with Rochester in Jamaica) 3. Part 3 (After Rochester and Antoinette relocate themselves from Jamaica to England) || 1. Throughout part one and two until Marlow meets Kurtz in person 2. Throughout the novel 3. Throughout the novel ||  || 2. Rochester, Antoinette 3. Antoinette || # Kurtz, Marlow (cited text) ||  || # "Can you give me peace?" (47) “they are more alive than you are, lazy or not, and they can be dangerous and cruel for reasons you wouldn’t understand” (19) ||  ||   || (cited text) || 1. “There are no glimpses of Olivia in later years…” (155)
 * 1) Marlow’s journey itself centers around his exploration into the dense, hidden areas in Africa; it is unclear what really is inside the dense jungles (i.e. cannot expect the natives’ sudden attack from the inside because what/who is hiding inside is not clear, what is really happening at the Company’s stations is also not clear until Marlow visits each one)
 * 2) While the physical aspects in Africa that Marlow encounters are unclear, the innermost motives and thoughts of the characters that Marlow meets (especially the European colonists) in Africa are often ambiguous as well (hence, doubts regarding what their true goals/desires are arise) ||   ||
 * Real time || 1, 2. Anne’s story: 1970’s, Olivia’s story: 1920’s || 1, 2, 3. novel is set shortly after the 1833 emancipation of slaves in Jamaica (how much time elapses between the characters’ relocations is unclear) || 1, 2, 3. Late 19th century ||  ||
 * Narrative placement || # Pattern seen throughout the novel, most prominent towards the end (after abortion, later years living in isolation - Olivia)
 * 1) Anne’s narration after meeting Maji || 1. Part 1 (Antoinette’s childhood)
 * Characters involved || # Olivia, Anne
 * 1) Maji, Anne || 1. Antoinette, Annette
 * 1) Marlow
 * 2) Marlow, General Manager, Chief Account, etc. (European colonists) ||   ||
 * Significant lines of dialogue
 * Significant descriptions

2. “I assumed that she knew by some kind of second sight - it always seems to me that she has powers that others don’t… I can’t describe the strange sensations…” (119) || 1. “we were not in their ranks…” (9)

2. “She trusted them and I did not. But I could hardly say so.” (53) “the advance and retreat, the doubts and hesitations” (38)

3. “They tell me I am in England but I don’t believe them. We lost our way to England. When? Where? I don’t remember…” (107) || 1. “Hadn’t I been told in all the tones of jealousy and admiration that he had collected, bartered, swindled, or stolen more ivory than all the other agents together…” (48) “his words…the deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness.’ (48)

2. “I had also judged the jungle of both banks quite impenetrable” (44) “I had to discern mostly by inspiration, the signs of hidden banks…” (36)

3. “inscrutable intention”, “the mere incidents of the surface, the reality… fades. The inner truth is hidden…” (36) “I felt often its mysterious stillness watching me …” (36) ||  ||
 * Symbols ||  || Cardboard - room in the house that Antoinette stays in England (isolation, rejection from the outside community, harshness symbolized) || Dense natural surroundings in Africa that cover/hide the inside (hidden human nature symbolized) ||   ||
 * Motifs || Power, isolation || Sickness as a result of restlessness (inner struggle along with confusion), rejection (lack of belonging), relocation/movement || Hypocrisy (outside vs. inside contrast), darkness ||  ||
 * Narrative /style aspects || Parallelism (in terms of narrative structure) || The narrator for each ‘part’ in the novel is the one detailing his/her own trouble rising from uncertainty (since the character directly narrates the story, his/her inner conflict can be revealed through his/her own words) || Carefully trails/follows Marlow’s developing thoughts/opinions towards other characters (i.e. Kurtz, other European colonists, natives) à often characterized by his feelings of uncertainty, ambiguity of the situation ||  ||
 * Literary features || Parallelism, motifs || Narrative structure, motifs, symbol || Motifs, symbols, narrative style and structure ||  ||