Studying a book as complicated as Heart of Darkness can leave you overwhelmed with choices. How to respond to the classism, racism, and psychosis in the book is just one of those choices. Another choice is which theory to use to understand the deeper meaning of the book. The modern student reading this book might be moved towards a Marxist or feminist response; the most discerning might decide that psychoanalysis is best. Using any of these theories would be impossible without a clear understanding of the language used in the book and how it has changed over time, thus changing how the book is interpreted across the other three theories studied in this course. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Looking at Heart of Darkness beyond what is simply said, language takes on a new aspect. The differences lie in the connotation and denotation of some words in the text, which change over time. For example, the word “wild” is used in one form or another throughout the text. The denotation, the literal meaning of the word (Fromkin 473) is ferocious, ferocious, cruel, savage, uncivilized, etc. (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary). It comes from the Latin word “silva” and evolved over time into the Middle English word we know today (Harper). However, the connotation – the implied meaning of the word (Fromkin 473) – in Heart of Darkness is exactly the opposite. Conrad implies freedom and innocence in his use of the word “savage” at various points in the text. In the first part of Heart of Darkness the word “savage” is used mainly to describe England as it must have appeared to the more “civilized” people. ” The Romans when they invaded (Conrad). It implies a scary, dark place, full of violent customs and at the same time it is also used to describe mystery and wonder. “Here he is before you – smiling, frowning, inviting, grandiose, mean, insipid or wild, and always silent with the air of whispering: 'come and find out'” (Corrado 20). The word “wild” in this case is used to imply a wild, uncontaminated and liberating place; an innocence reminiscent of creation and how the world must have appeared to primitive man as he moved from place to place. Considered in context at several points in this book, the savage has an air of innocence, of freedom that the more civilized white man lacks. “at the same time I noticed that the crowd of savages was moving away without any perceptible movement of retreat, as if the forest which had expelled these beings so suddenly had drawn them back in…” (Conrad 84). The natives were cruel, violent, savage in the eyes of the company Marlow worked for, but Marlow saw them as part of the world around them. Indeed, he saw in them a grace, an innocent majesty and freedom that he, as a member of a civilized society, could not achieve. Marlow mentions having to refrain from joining them in their dance and abandoning his post, mentions their beauty and emotional freedom, and mentions the unnaturalness of the "civilized" clothing and mannerisms that the company imposed on native employees, stating that they are “improved savages” (Conrad 52) and yet manages to imply that the improvement was not necessary in the first place. Indeed, he almost expressed a desire to be able to reach the heights of ferocity achieved by these people, and thus become free to express his true emotions without the constraints of civilization that bound him. Psychoanalysis of the same word in various forms repeated several times in the text would lead a student to believe that Conrad, through Marlow, was expressing the desire to'.