Doppelganger

Doppelganger is a book that I wrote after I read ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad. The book deals with psychological and physical transformation of the Europeans and the journey of an individual for self-knowledge in Africa. Marlow goes there as captain and finds Kurtz, a wealthy ivory agent with deteriorating health. Marlow's journey to meet Kurtz and bring him home to Europe is symbolic of his journey to the heart of darkness, the hidden mind.

Heart of Darkness emphasises on the theme of human nature; the darkness of mankind. The symbolism of the book expands on the idea of struggle between good and evil.

I was inspired by Heart of Darkness and decided to write a book: Doppelganger. It has a lot of similarities to Heart of Darkness. I had used the name Kurtz for one of the characters in my book. Like in Heart of Darkness, at the end how he says “The horror! The horror!” it was also said in Doppelganger. The horror that lies inside one’s self. In the end one relates to the feelings within as opposed to the alleged horrors around them. This all the bad doing that they have done.

I believe that humans can change after a life changing experience. Kurtz a rich ivory hunter who was ‘cilvilised’ adapted to the harsh African environment. He has been fully transformed by his experience in the Congo. He has looked deeply within himself and has seen his full potential of savagery, and yet he has accepted the fact. Like Andrew, when he was in the Dark Sydney, he was drugged with QZ45. That had removed all of ‘human’ barriers and had unleashed his animal side. He did not fight against the drug but gave in to it. I tried to show the dangers of the nature of violence.

I, as an author I have tried to send out messages that Australians living in such a privileged country should not take things for granted. Like Andrew when he first went to the Dark Sydney and knew the worst about life, he came home and cherished everything he had even though that it was secondhand or...