Реферат: The Struggles Of Life Essay Research Paper
Parkdale. She wanted trees and grass in their backyard, which is not conceivable when living in
a small apartment. Minna, like Robert, wants to escape the reality of life as she knows it, and be
in a place where everything is splendid. Minna ?wanted even once a week to make her way
down the and into the street without the ever-present threat of someone else?s panic waiting to
grab her sleeve.? (Stones 44) Minna seems to enjoy working with the homeless, but she
would just like to get away once in a while to have more peace and security. Minna and Robert
5
both want deliverance from the horror in their lives. In the novel Heart of Darkness Kurtz?s final
words are, ?The horror, the horror? (Conrad 118). These words are Kurtz?s final judgement of
what he succumbed to in both the Congo and in his psychological journey into his own heart of
darkness. The horrors that Robert and Minna face are reality and must not be forgotten. The
difference between Kurtz and Robert and Minna is that Kurtz succumbs to his inner demons and
goes mad, whereas Robert and Minna do not.
Robert has experienced every aspect of the brutality of war. His psychological change is
evident through his outlook on life:
Robert struck a match and caught the rat by
his tail. It squealed as he lifted it over the
edge and set it free. Robert wondered afterwards
if setting the rat free had been a favour ? but in
the moment that he did it he was thinking: here
is someone still alive. And the word alive was
amazing. (The Wars 127)
Robert has witnessed deaths by the thousands, and the difference between a human and animal
life has escaped his mind. In this instance, Robert?s act of setting the rat free is one that could
be questioned because of the deaths that he has seen. However, because of the impact of war on
his mind, Robert recognizes the beauty of life in the midst of madness. Robert feels that he
contributed to the saving of a life, which allows him to feel better for that one instant until he
goes back out to fight again. Minna?s psychological change is evident when she makes the
homeless person feel wanted. ?Just to be seen and heard and acknowledged. That?s what they