Oppositions in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness Essay

Kurtz’s lack of restraint and hunger for ivory consumes not only his soul but drains all of his physical existence. Upon seeing him, Marlow states, “I could see the cage of his ribs all astir, the bones of his arm waving (126)”. Conrad focuses on the physical features of Kurtz to display the madness that has consumed him. However, though Kurtz’s body is deteriorating, Kurtz’s mind continues to thrive. Conrad shows this in Marlow’s shock of witnessing a flame of passion that remains in Kurtz’s eyes as he converses without signs of exhaustion (126). Conrad continues to describe Kurtz as a shadow composed of tranquility and satisfaction. Conrad’s incorporation of this detail signifies the evil and greed that consumes Kurtz and is reflected through his physique. However, the power of Kurtz’s presence is personified through the action of his words. As the strength in his voice captures Marlow’s attention, it merely reflects his influence upon his followers. The power reflected through his voice displayed his confidence as well as his position as a leader for the natives. Hi demeanor displays an air of arrogance that makes others feel less equal to him. Those who follow him fear him, but also continue to respect him.

The mysteriousness of the title is the first indicator of the mysteriousness of Marlow's journey into Africa. Seemingly no one--Marlow, Kurtz, the reader--is quite certain if any conclusions he draws over the course of the story are completely accurate.

This is occured when kurtz first had a glimpse of the possible power that could be obtained in the jungle of africa. Once he saw the possibilities, he quickly drops his philanthropic notions and from that point on, his greed grew. This supports the fact that kurtz’s worry to discover the best ways to deliver the “light”  of civilization to the congo as demonstrated in the following passage: “ I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a women, draped and blindfolded, carrying a lighted torch. The background was somber-almost black…(pg.21 & 22)” was also unaccounted for and begins to show kurtz transformation. Kurtz greed for power begins to expand, affecting everything in the jungle.

However, it is not out of spite, or even just fulfilling his mission. Willard’s esteem for Kurtz is what brings him to the killing. The suspense given to the scene shows the great deal it took for the action to occur. However, Kurtz and Willard were aware there was no way Kurtz could make it back alive. By abandoning the military, he was succumbing himself a life of despair, and that is what he had.

Over time, Kurtz slowly lost his restraint due to being in an uncivilized habitat. Kurtz first wanted to make profit for the company and allowed himself to be controlled by ivory. The manager says: “Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts, that there was something wanting in him- some small matter, which when the pressing need arose, could not be found under his magnificent eloquence” (53). Kurtz’s desires caused him to lose control and lessen his grip on reality. Marlow sees that Kurtz has no restraint left in him: “He struggled with himself, too. I saw it, I heard it. I saw the inconceivable mystery of a soul that knew no restraint, no faith, and no fear, yet struggling blindly with itself” (61). Kurtz gives up by the end of the book. He has no more left to give, and has allowed himself to succumb to the chaos that engulfs him. The disorder and confusion of Africa has corroded Kurtz and has caused him to lose restraint.

At the beginning of the journey, Kurtz was a good man who believed in bringing civilization to Africa. You see some of Kurtz’s good intentions in a lot of his writings. When Marlow was reading them, he said, "’…He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, ‘must necessarily appear to them (savages) in the

     Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a story about a man named Marlow and his Journey into the African Congo. By reading the novel and understanding all the imagery Conrad has inserted, we can get a better understanding of the

Marlow's hates lies and the people who lie. His loyalty to Kurtz strengthens because Kurtz doesn't hide his actions. Marlow respects this blunt honesty and refusal to lie even though Kurtz's actions are terrible. The manager and the others likely commit many similarly vivious acts, however they hide it behind the curtain of "civilization." Because of this, Marlow cannot stand the manager and the pilgrims but he still respects Kurtz. Kurtz also seems to realize a personal truth at the moment of his death, similar to a stage of enlightenment. This moment of realization causes him to utter "the horror! the horror!"==conrad== This last minute awareness of truth impresses Marlow and causes him to feel even more loyal to Kurtz. Marlow sees Kurtz

    Literature is never interpreted in exactly the same way by two different readers. A prime example of a work of literature that is very ambiguous is Joseph Conrad's, "Heart of Darkness". The Ambiguities that exist in this book are Marlow's relationship to colonialism, Marlow's changing feelings toward Kurtz, and Marlow's lie to the Intended at the end of the story.

Mr. Kurtz was the "chief of the inner station" (Conrad, pg. 28). He was "in charge of a trading post, a very important one, in the true ivory country." Kurtz sent in "as much ivory as all the others put together" (Conrad, pg. 22). The company described him as the "best agent, an exceptional man, of the greatest importance to the company" (Conrad, pg. 25). Kurtz went to the jungle for many reasons, but mostly to make money to return to Europe and marry his intended. Marlow "heard that her engagement with Kurtz had been disapproved by her people. He wasn't rich enough or something." He had given Marlow "some reason to infer that it was his impatience of comparative poverty that drove him out there" (Conrad, pg. 74). He had been driven into the jungle to procure money for the company and for himself and for his life with his intended. Greed is what kept him out there so long and clouded his mind regarding thoughts of nobility.

At the end of his journey he realized the reason that everyone who went on this expedition was trying to make their fortune and that is how Kurtz eventually died. His “appetite for more ivory had got the better” of him. No matter what the cost to himself and the people around him, he was going to be the best and get the most money. His selfishness eventually caused his death when the manager downstream would not send food because he hoarded all of the ivory all to himself. Marlow knew that Kurtz was very serious about his job when he saw “heads on the stakes” in front of his house. Which could have been a warning to other people who try to come get his ivory. But the interesting part was most of the heads are faced toward his house. Kurtz wanted attention and loved to have power. These heads could be there to adore him just like the natives when he was with them. Kurtz search for power and wealth left in its wake death and destruction, showing that humanities quest for wealth leads to destruction.

Marlow’s evolution renders ‘Heart of Darkness’ a remarkable work of literature, but it is not simply the budding of the narrator’s mind that makes the novel sensational. Marlow’s perception of the voyage is what truly renders the work exceptional. European expansion, as written by European writers, was generally cast in a positive light. When Conrad depicts the desolation of the journey and reveals the sanities and lives robbed through the conquest, he clearly does not conform to the writers of his time. This exposure of European expansion in such a sinister a fashion was innovative for writers of the late 17th century. This revolutionary perception is what truly allows ‘Heart of Darkness’ to be considered a novel rich in moral and detail.

Kurtz’s fiancé was the last one who thought positively about Kurtz. She said how his death was a loss to the world and how she had been very happy, fortunate, and proud (75). She was the last one to speak positively about Kurtz because everyone else he knew from Africa knew the horrible things that went one. Marlow describes his heart as “…barren darkness…,” but his fiancé said that it was impossible to not love him (68, 74). Everyone else knew how evil he was. The Manager even wanted to have him killed because of his actions. That is why Marlow could not tell her the truth. His fiancé was such a positive person who spoke so highly of Kurtz. Marlow could not take away the last good aspect about

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.”

Kurtz's behavior in Africa. The Russian tells Marlow how he has nursed Kurtz back to health. Kurtz, however, has grown overcome with an obsession for ivory. The Russian tells us, "He [Kurtz] declared he would shoot me unless I gave him the ivory ...because he could do so, and had a fancy for it, there was nothing on earth to prevent him from killing who he jolly well pleased." (p.72) Kurtz realizes that he has the power to kill who he wants to and take what he wants to and will do so since there is no one to overlook him and tell him not to. We learn that Kurtz has resorted to brutal raids of the country in search of ivory because of his hunger for it. Kurtz even planned an attack on Marlow's steamer so that Marlow and his crew would think he was dead. He did this so he would be able to carry out his plans for obtaining more ivory.