Introduction to Heart of Darkness
”Heart of Darkness” is a novella written by Joseph Conrad and published in 1899. This literary piece of work takes the reader deep into the human soul, imperialism and the human vices. The story has been told by the main character Marlow, a sailor who tells the readers about his expedition deep into the African continent in an attempt to meet Kurtz, a visionary ivory trader who has turned into a semi-divine being for the natives.
Through describing the journey of Marlow, the author conveys a message about the advanced themes and uses of effective symbols to oppose colonialism and expose the essence of the humanity. The complex and rather obscure plot of the novella makes it the subject of many critical investigations and discussions, becoming one of the most distinguished works of English literature.
Themes in “Heart of Darkness”
1- Imperialism and Colonialism
As a main idea of the novel, it is possible to single out the criticism of imperialism and colonialism. Conrad depicts the imperialist endeavors of Europeans in Africa and, thus, undermines the idea of the “white man’s burden” and the treatment of the native population.
“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.” (Part 1)
In this statement, Marlow offers an insightful analysis on imperialism; he disrupts the illusion of imperialism’s consideration to expose the ugly aspects of greed and force. There is a clear theme of the hypocrisy of the colonialists who always come with the notion of civilization yet they bring calamities.
2- The Darkness Within
The use of darkness in the novella is quite symbolic and it can be interpreted on the level of both the physical environment, the African jungle, and the spiritual one, the darkness of people’s hearts. According to Conrad, it is possible to remove the thin layer of civilization to show the inherent savagery within.
“The horror! The horror!” (Part 3)
These are Kurtz’s last words before he dies, which represent his last understanding of the fact that the people have evil inside them. It depicts how a man can become a savage and a tyrant in the African wilderness and how power can corrupt absolutely.
3- Alienation and Isolation
Alienation and Isolation are two major elements in the novel. In addition to this, Marlow’s journey into the interior of the Belgian Congo symbolizes a lonely journey into the unknown.
“We live, as we dream—alone.” (Part 1)
The quote is an implied indication of the degree of alienation and points to the fact that human beings are always lonely in their experiences and their perception of the world. Even the book’s title refers to the boat that Marlow steers, thus becoming a solitary subject during the entire journey while the environment and the peoples of the jungle represent isolating and disorienting factors.
4- Moral Ambiguity
In the novella, one can observe the complication of the demarcation between the ‘good’ in a society and the ‘bad’, or ‘the civilized’ as opposed to the ‘savage’. Kurtz is also a perfect example of such a character as his actions cannot be said to belong to any moral category.
“All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz.” (Part 2)
This statement from Marlow reveals that the source of Kurtz’s evil is not a personal streak in him but a reflection of the society that Europeans represent. Here, the author applies a very ambiguous statement that seems to remove the civilized west from the barbaric atrocities associated with Africa by alleging equal responsibility for the moral degeneration depicted in the novella.
5- The Hypocrisy of Civilization
Conrad also colorfully portrays the colonization of the African continent and hypocrisy of the European civilization. The novella denies the colonizers’ presumed ethical authority to civilize or Christianize the subjects.
“The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it.” (Part 1)
The line perfectly depicts the colonialist’s detest for ivory that they were willing to kill to get their hands on it, showing the immoral and destructive nature of the colonialism. The values and depth of fear of ivory are manifested pitiless and cruel action towards the indigenous people in contradiction to colonial beneficial aims.
6- The Absurdity of Evil
The novel enunciates the theme of the absurdity of evil and portrays brutality and violence to be illogical. Thus, evil in Conrad has significant meaning presenting it as a force that is present everywhere and cannot be explained by human intelligence.
“It seemed somehow to throw a kind of light on everything about me—and into my thoughts. It was sombre enough, too—and pitiful—not extraordinary in any way—not very clear either. No, not very clear. And yet it seemed to throw a kind of light.” (Part 3)
The reflection of Marlow regarding his experience indicates that despite the disordered nature of the events he observed, they revealed the deep truths about the human nature and the dimensions for the evil. Such attitudes of the characters like Kurtz were intended to make the audience and readers concerned with the irrationality of people’s acts of cruelty that could be met during the war period.
7- The Illusion of Progress
The novella critiques the concept of progress: civilization or rather Europeanization of the ‘savages’ and delivery of the alleged enlightenment. Conrad paints the picture of how civilization that is often painted to be a good thing leads to moral and social degeneration.
“The wilderness had patted him on the head, and, behold, it was like a ball—an ivory ball; it had caressed him, and—lo!—he had withered; it had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own by the inconceivable ceremonies of some devilish initiation.” (Part 2)
The colonial mission is executed by White people like Kurtz, who transforms from an idealistic representative of the civilization to a degenerate tyrant, representing the darkest side of human nature. The wilderness symbolizes the primal aspects of nature and the mankind, which ultimately consumes him and reveals the hollow nature of idea of progress.
8- The Fragility of Civilization
Consequently, by focusing on Conrad’s work, one can see that it is rather the outer shell that has been placed upon such a society that is remarkably thin and can crumble quickly under some pressure. Through the vivid picture painted by the author in the novella, the audience can follow how people degenerate so fast when the pressures of their society are taken away.
“The mind of man is capable of anything—because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future. What was there after all? Joy, fear, sorrow, devotion, valour, rage—who can tell?—but truth—truth stripped of its cloak of time.” (Part 2)
The parts of the novel that contain Marlow’s moralistic deliberations and reflections capture this aspect of the human mind as being capable of both civilized and barbaric conduct. The occurrences in the Congo leave the thin veneer of the civilized society and bring to light the savage and the illogical.
Symbols in “Heart of Darkness”
1- The Congo River
The Congo river in the novella is symbolic for both the physical and psychological journey into Africa or the unknown. It is symbolic with regards to the journey that is taking place not only through the Congo but through the soul of Marlow as well as representing a sign of man’s evil side.
“Going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings.” (Part 1)
The curving path of the river into the jungle symbolizes the journey ancient and the subconscious, where the social norms and rationality paves way to chaos and instinct.
2- Kurtz
Kurtz is also a symbol of corruption that dwells in human. The nature of the novel to concentrate on the progressive demoralization of this protagonist and his metamorphosis from an ambitious ivory trader into tyrant, exemplifies this theme of destabilized civilized behaviour by the obesity of power.
“He had taken a high seat amongst the devils of the land—I mean literally.” (Part 2)
The actions of protagonist Kurtz and his deification by the natives of the area depict the worst form of the moral and spiritual perversion that is occasioned by ambition and self-isolation from civilized standards of conduct.
See also: Poetic Devices in A Poison Tree
3- The Intended
The Intended or Kurtz’s fiancée represents the European civilizing mission and the division between appearance and reality. Riley’s fiction stems from her naive belief in Kurtz and white men’s civilization; she represents the hypocrisy of imperialism since the European public only receives a clean copy of imperialism’s image.
“She came forward, all in black, with a pale head, floating towards me in the dusk.” (Part 3)
The Intended’s black and white dress and overall angelic look stress her allegorical function as a bearer of the innocence and obliviousness of European society regarding the realities of imperialism.
4- Darkness
Darkness symbolizes ignorance, evil and general lack of knowledge of something. It refers to both the geographical environment of Africa and the characters’ inner ethical and mental condition.
“It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention.” (Part 1)
The night involves in the story indicates the obscurity of the jungle, which represents some oppositions that are dark and terrible towards the Marlow, including the deep and unconscious aspects of the human mind and the unknown side of the world.
5- Ivory
Ivory is associated with greed and the ruinous imperialism of the Europeans.
“The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it.” (Part 1)
Due to the eagerness for acquiring ivory, it reveals the vices and sins of the colonial process and is protesting against the inhumanity and predatory nature of the colonial desire for richness.
See also: Themes in Fahrenheit 451
6- The Fog
Fog in the “Heart of Darkness” is a symbol of uncertainty and duality of the human nature. It symbolizes the confusion that is a characteristic of the novella and the ethical ambiguity of the world depicted in the work.
“When the sun rose there was a white fog, very warm and clammy, and more blinding than the night. It did not shift or drive; it was just there, standing all around you like something solid.” (Part 2)
The fog that surrounds the river to some extent confuses Marlow and does not let him see clearly, which corresponds to the moral ambiguity of the world that he is in. It depicts the issue of the lack of stability and the problem of identifying the real from the illusory.
7- The Cannibals
The cannibals in the boat of Marlow represent the reversal of the civilized and the savage which is a central concept in the novel. Although the cannibals are referred to as ‘savages’, they represent restraint and humanity than the so-called civilized Europeans.
“And I saw that something restraining, one of those human secrets that baffle probability, had come into play there.” (Part 2)
This aspect of the natives’ civilized behavior is astounding to Marlow, especially their ability to exercise moderation in the face of hunger. To this, the European colonizers’ barbarity is juxtaposed; this portrays the moral ambiguity and does not depict the natives as uncivilized savages.
8- The Jungle
The jungle of “Heart of Darkness” is an important symbol for the chaos, the wild, and the primordial forces of nature. Both the literal and the metaphorical barriers that are encountered by Marlow are depicted, as well as the obscure and sometimes menacing quality of the world and people.
“The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return.” (Part 1)
The heavy and suffocating jungle seems to encroach upon the river, which symbolizes that there is no escape from the forces that Marlow must face. It portrays the threatening and the unknown elements in the environment, and the Shadow realm of human nature that the journey into the heart of darkness depicts.
See also: Themes in “Into The Wild”
