We Live As We Dream

497 Words2 Pages
"We live, as we dream—alone"(44). The main character, Marlow, mentions this quote when describing the sensation he felt on his journey to find Kurtz. Marlow is suggesting that we essentially live alone because it's impossible for someone to feel what you feel. Among other things, this quote is filled with imagery. Reading it makes you recall past dreams as well as the isolation one feels during dreams. In most dreams, the dreamer exists in a world all their own that no one else can experience. Conrad's quote makes you visualize this isolation. The quote is also a simile. It compares life to a dream, indicating that both revolve around solitude. The quote even exhibits a bit of foreshadowing. The quote suggests that we live alone, and as it turns out, several characters end up living alone. Kurtz ends up living alone (and dying alone) because he is taken away from the natives who admire him. Marlow ends up living alone because the one person he thought he could relate to ends up dying right in front of him. Even the Intended lives alone because her husband can no longer be with her. Conrad uses all these stylistic techniques in order to accentuate the idea that man lives alone. "We live as we dream--alone" (Conrad 131). Marlow expresses this feeling en route to Kurtz. Aside from learning the horrors of inner evil, Marlow learns the solitude that each person lives in because no one will ever feel the exact same way another does. Even before Marlow has a complete grasp on his inner evil, Kurtz dies, leaving Marlow stranded on the verge of his primitive instinct . This quote compresses life into the capacity of a dream. While dreaming, one is often taken into a world of absurdity that can be felt by the dreamer alone. Conrad frequently uses words that typically describe an intangible idea, such as a dream, to describe the wilderness that surrounds Marlow. This
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