Illusion of Love and Marriage in Youths of Modern Society in Joseph Conrad’s Selected Short Stories

Abstract

This paper analyses Joseph Conrad selected short stories, ‘The Lagoon’, ‘Amy Foster’ and ‘Youth’. It examines the illusion of love and marriage in youths of modern society where the youths experience the different feelings and emotions. Providing stereotypical characteristics to characters, Conrad depicts the state of contemporary society which has picked fall marriage and love, addressing the lost immigrants, dreams of youth and struggle of youths for their existence. Conrad attempts to visualize the love and marriage that has been imagined and practiced through the modern society which has been affected by illusion. The paper contends issues of illusion which creates the clash of identity and human relation with the relation of modern society. The theme of the stories shows the consequences of modernism in youths in modern society. The central theme of these selected stories is that modernism creates illusion in which the youths neither totally avoid the traditional values and beliefs nor accept the modern norms and concepts. The characters undergo high level of illusion on the cultural and social myth, which limits and controls modern- day society leading towards upheaval and struggles in their life. In this way, this paper discloses new avenues examining a particular theme with special attention to contextual relations.