An Analysis of Conrad's Heart of Darkness

In the twentieth century, nihilistic themes, such as moral degeneration, manЎЇs bestial instincts at the core of the soul, and cosmic purposelessness, have preoccupied many works of literature and philosophy. Joseph ConradЎЇs Heart of Darkness is no exception. In his novel, Conrad uses a unique writing style to explore manЎЇs fundamental fallibility and moral confusion in an existential world through his characterЎЇs journey on the Congo River.

The storyЎЇs exposition sets the stage as Marlow tells his story to his fellow sailormen while they wait for the tide to turn on the Thames River. In his story, Marlow signs up to work abroad for the Belgian Company to where he believes is exciting uncharted territory at the heart of Africa, still black with mystery on the map. The rising action continues to build up as Marlow witnesses how cruelly the Company employees treat the natives and how the Europeans (including himself eventually) break down mentally and physically in the African environment. Marlow also grows more intrigued at the prevalent reputation of the mysterious trader Kurtz who is rumored to be a remarkable and humane man. Conflicts arise in MarlowЎЇs struggle between his value of ÐŽocivilizationÐŽ± and the evil within man and finally peak in the climax, where, upon finally reaching the Inner Station, Marlow realizes that Kurtz is an openly brutal man who has completely abandoned European morals and normal behavior. The falling action is brought about after KurtzЎЇs death as Marlow takes responsibility of KurtzЎЇs legacy and chooses to remain loyal to Kurtz. Finally, in the bookЎЇs resolution, Marlow visits KurtzЎЇs Intended and not having the heart to tell her the awful truth of manЎЇs dark soul, lies to her about KurtzЎЇs last words.

Running throughout the book is the theme of the heart of darkness, which is in man. Though at first darkness is referred to superficial ideas such as the undiscovered and mysterious lands at the heart of Africa or the AfricanЎЇs dark skin, it is soon made clear that the true darkness is the evil in manЎЇs heart, beneath all of societyЎЇs expectations of him. If left to his own devices, as the Company employee was, man would run wild and evil. To be left unaccountable to any superior authority is more than any man can bear, and eventually his own evil will drive him mad. This is what happened with Kurtz. Renowned at first for his ingenious ideas of bringing education and civilization to the dark continent of Africa, Kurtz eventually degrades himself as Marlow soon finds out when he finds Kurtz wasted away physically and morally. Consumed by the monster that lies dormant at the bottom of every manЎЇs soul, Kurtz is openly brutal in his repression of the natives and even allows them to worship him as a god. In Heart of Darkness, Imperialism is a manifestation of the evil that takes over men as soon as they leave the check-and-balance system in Europe. It is a bleak portrayal of manЎЇs irredeemable condition. Though social mores and explanations are shown to be wrong, they are the only things that keep people from going outright mad. To put it simply, civilization is only preserved by maintaining illusion.

Heart of Darkness is also an investigation of moral standards. The book arouses such thought-provoking questions such as ÐŽoHow can one differentiate between right and wrong?ÐŽ± ÐŽoSince when is wrong actually identified as wrong?ÐŽ± and ÐŽoCan one really call a man insane in an environment that has already been so corrupted?ÐŽ± The bookЎЇs moral confusion is evident in Marlow as he treats the outrageous (KurtzЎЇs homicidal megalomania) and the mundane (a leaky bucket) with similar reactions. In addition, the book strongly addresses the hypocrisy of Imperialism: Europeans who claimed to bring the light of civilization to the ignorant Africans, were actually raping the continent. However, it is soon very plain how absurd it is to try to compare two different evils or say one evil is worse than the other. Which was worse: the CompanyЎЇs hypocritical treatment of the natives, KurtzЎЇs outright cruelty on the natives, or MarlowЎЇs subtle dehumanizing reference towards the natives? It is foolishness to try to compartmentalize sin in such a way.

One would not be able to talk about the bookЎЇs theme without at least mentioning the authorЎЇs writing style, the latter heavily supporting the former. First of all, the book is told in a frame story, as Marlow sits on the ship, the Nellie, and tells his fellow sailormen his own story. This is significant in that Marlow is describing only what he witnesses and experiences with his own personal commentary. This means that the book is a three-dimensional manЎЇs story, untainted by any of the idealism or romanticism any modern reader would uphold. The book is speaking in MarlowЎЇs persona with all the prejudices and previous assumptions he has inherited from his society. In addition, MarlowЎЇs appearance in the present, as he relates the story of a part of his past, is a very sickly, pained, and wizened one. His present countenance embodies his depressed resignation at the hopeless state of manЎЇs evilness.

The bookЎЇs ambivalent tone also significantly contributes