Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad is dramatic tale of an arduous trek into the darkest part of Africa at the turn of the twentieth century. The story follows the protagonist Marlow, an English marine merchant, as he travels through the African jungle up the Congo river in search for a mysterious man named Kurtz. Through Marlow's narration, Conrad provides a searing indictment of European colonial exploitation inflicted upon African natives. Through his use of irony, characters, and symbolism in the novel, Conrad aims to unveil the underlying horrors of colonialism. By shedding light on the brutality of colonialism in Heart of Darkness, Conrad shows that European values have been irrevocably eclipsed by darkness.

From his first mention in the novel--“[Mr. Kurtz] is a very remarkable person”--it is made clear to readers that Kurtz is no ordinary member of the Company. Before narrator Marlow actually encounters this man, he is described as “exceptional”, “of the greatest importance to the Company”, and a “universal genius”. Readers learn that Kurtz came to Africa “equipped with moral ideas” and has brought in an unprecedented amount of ivory, which is the primary goal of the Company. Overall, Kurtz is a prodigy, expected to move up the Company hierarchy quickly, and becomes a sort of obsession for Marlow. Despite this, higher-ups in the Company seem to fear, and

The Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, is one of the most critically debated novellas of its time. It is about a man, named Marlow, who joins the Trading Company, specifically having to do with the ivory trade, so that he can adventure into the African Congo. The setting of this story is around the time of the colonization of Africa. Due to the time period and the sensitive things that are addressed in the story, there are many ethical decisions and dilemmas found in the Heart of Darkness. This is discovered in the time period itself, in Kurtz’s decisions, and in Marlow’s loyalty.

    The question of justice is crucial.  During the final scene of his narrative, Marlow reflects on Kurtz, remembering what Kurtz had said:

Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, was written in 1899, near the end of the imperialism of Africa. Far from European civilization, the imperialists are without rules and ransacking Africa in search ivory and glory. One of the most significant themes in Heart of Darkness is the psychological issues catalyzed by the lawlessness of the jungle. Due to the breakdown of societal convention, the characters of Heart of Darkness are exposed to not only the corruption of imperialism, but the sickness of their minds.

Written in the late 1800’s, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a novella about one man’s travel into the Congo Free State by way of the Congo River. The title “Heart of Darkness” actually holds two different meanings. Heart of Darkness is both a metaphor for a psychological “dark side” of man, and an allusion to Africa. The title suggests both a physical and mental reference.

Marlow remains “loyal to Kurtz to the last” (Conrad 67). In doing this he feels as though he has to lie to Kurtz’s Intended to keep from ruining Kurtz’s name. Marlow also doesn’t want to ruin his own image of Kurtz. He is not only trying to protect Kurtz but also himself.

Arthur Koestler’s Darkness at Noon and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness offer important realizations about the honest nature of the world through effective portrayals of how truth, or the lack thereof, contribute to the unity of humanity. Darkness at Noon displays an in-depth life story of Rubashov, a man imprisoned for political crimes, who becomes torn between the evolving ideology of the Party and his own moral ideals. Focusing on his incarceration, the story provides effective insight into why Rubashov admits to the absurd charges, despite their falsehood. Heart of Darkness depicts the journey of a man, Marlow, traveling to Africa to finally fulfill his personal obsession of meeting Kurtz, a man of supposedly great integrity and morality. However, throughout the journey, Marlow grows increasingly cynical toward the efforts of Kurtz as he realizes the true nature of these efforts. In both novels, the truth that is useful to humanity is one comprised of lies, which brings individuals together for a unified cause. The falsehood, however, reveals the true nature of the ideology that is filled with actions of oppression and degradation. Koestler’s, Darkness at Noon, and Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness, reveal how truth is useful for purposes of unification among humanity, and falsehood harmful to morality and justness of individuals.

British Imperialism is the idea that it is the white man’s duty to civilize other, more primitive, people (Cody). Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, is a story about a man named Marlow who travels up the Congo River with a European trading company. In the story Marlow see’s many horrifying things, and slowly he becomes desensitized to what is really going on. In the beginning he is highly critical of the trading company, but by the end he has become so used to the things he has seen that they no longer shock him. Heart of Darkness is not only a criticism of Imperialism, but it is an explanation of how a man can go from inherently knowing something is wrong, to viewing it as normal.

Marlow’s false perspective on kurtz is demonstrated in the following quote: “Nevertheless I think Mr. Kurtz is a remarkable man,’ I said with emphasis. He started, dropped in me a cold heavy glance, said very quietly, ‘he was,’ and turned his back on me.(Pg.57)”. This shows that Marlow's perspective on kurtz is not true because the manager, who has better knowledge of kurtz, secretly disagrees with him. When kurtz got to africa, things dramatically went rogue. Kurtz and his philanthropic notions demonstrated in his initial report: “Each station should be like a beacon on the road towards better things, a center for trade of course, but also for humanizing, improving, instructing.(Pg.29)”is abandoned after getting to africa.

Even though we hear from Russian about how badly he have treated the natives and even to him still then all these people are kind of worshipping him like Kurtz is some kind of god father. So we don’t know what is that he have done that makes them his follower. The reason for worshipping Kurtz can’t be because of fear because if it is so then the Russian at Kurtz’s back would be cursing him but he doesn’t do any of that so we really don’t know what is there in Kurtz that captures people’s mind. We can also see that Marlow even after hearing Kurtz’s misdoing is also appreciating him as shown in the line “I think Mr. Kurtz is a remarkable man”

Marlow seems to not be able to actually truly face the reality of Kurtz. It can be seen due to the fact that if Marlow truly did understand the evil nature of Kurtz then he would not have converted his mindset back to the original thoughts. Marlow was around Kurtz presence for a limited time, but he insists on the fact that he knew Kurtz as much as it is “possible for one man to know another" (3.54). Later when cross-examined, the question of whether Marlow idolized Kurtz is asked, Marlow ignores the thought of it. Nothing but wonder is left on what Marlow’s response to this could have been. Marlow seemed to be clearly “in love” with Kurtz, (due to the fact that he would admire him in

 Marlow's journey leads him in an urgent search for Kurtz, the one man who can provide him with the truth about himself. Like Marlow, Kurtz came to the Congo in hopes to bring "light" and civilization to a backwards society. He is a highly-educated, refined gentlemen; yet, in the end, the brutal nature of the Congo forces him to resort to the life of a murderer and pilferer. The name Kurtz itself has symbolic meaning. "The physical shortness in Kurtz implies a shortness of character and spirit" (Heart of Darkness: A systematic evaluation). Marlow and Kurtz both symbolize the two conditions of human nature. "Kurtz represents what man could become if left to his own intrinsic devices outside protective society. Marlow represents a pure untainted civilized soul who has not been drawn to savagery by a dark, alienated jungle." (Heart of Darkness: A systematic evaluation). When the two come face to face, each man sees a reflection of what he might have become in the other. In Kurtz, Marlow sees the potential

 However, Marlow has heard so much about him through the stories that have been shared that Kurtz seems to become a distant friend.

The two major themes of Heart of Darkness are the conflict between “reality” and “darkness,” and the idea of restraint and whether or not it is necessary. Conrad’s passage describing the restraint of the hungry cannibals exemplifies both themes:  It describes how reality shapes human behavior, and contrasts the characters of Kurtz and Marlow.  “Reality,” as it is used here, is defined as “that which is civilized.”