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

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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