Heart of Darkness

Hello everyone, This blog is a part of my thinking activity. In this blog I will discuss about Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness

Introduction

A novella, Heart of Darkness is Joseph Conrad’s most famous work and a foundational text on the subject of colonialism. Heart of Darkness is based in part on a trip that Conrad took through modern-day Congo during his years as a sailor. He captained a ship that sailed down the Congo River. Conrad gave up this mission because an illness forced him to return to England, where he worked on his novella almost a decade later.

The presence of ill characters in the novella illustrates the fact that Heart of Darkness is, at least in part, autobiographical. Many speculations have been made about the identity of various characters, such as the Manager, or Kurtz, most recently and perhaps most accurately in Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost. But the geographical, as well as biographical, vagueness of the novel--which is one of its most artistic, haunting characteristics--make it almost impossible to pin down these details for sure.

Heart of Darkness first appeared in a three-part series in Blackwood Magazine in 1899. It was published as a complete novella in 1904. It has since been referred to by many authors and poets. Its most famous lines are both from Kurtz: “exterminate the brutes,” and Kurtz's deathbed utterance, “the horror! The horror!”

Heart of Darkness Summary

A group of men are aboard an English ship that is sitting on the Thames. The group includes a Lawyer, an Accountant, a Company Director/Captain, and a man without a specific profession who is named Marlow. The narrator appears to be another unnamed guest on the ship. While they are loitering about, waiting for the wind to pick up so that they might resume their voyage, Marlow begins to speak about London and Europe as some of the darkest places on earth. The narrator and other guests do not seem to regard him with much respect. Marlow is a stationary man, very unusual for a seaman. The others do not understand him because he does not fit into a neat category in the same manner that the others do. He mentions colonization and says that carving the earth into prizes or pieces is not something to examine too closely because it is an atrocity. He then begins to narrate a personal experience in Africa, which led him to become a freshwater sailor and gave him a terrible glimpse of colonization. With the exception of two or three small paragraphs, the perspective shifts to Marlow, who becomes the main narrator for the rest of the novel.

Marlow has always had a passion for travel and exploration. Maps are an obsession of his. Marlow decides he wants nothing more than to be the skipper of a steamship that travels up and down a river in Africa. His aunt has a connection in the Administration Department of a seafaring and exploration company that gathers ivory, and she manages to get Marlow an appointment. He replaces a captain who was killed in a skirmish with the natives. When Marlow arrives at the company office, the atmosphere is extremely dim and foreboding. He feels as if everyone is looking at him pityingly. The doctor who performs his physical asks if there is a history of insanity in Marlow's family. He tells Marlow that nothing could persuade him to join the Company down in the Congo. This puzzles Marlow, but he does not think much of it. The next day he embarks on a one-month journey to the primary Company station. The African shores that he observes look anything but welcoming. They are dark and rather desolate, in spite of the flurry of human activity around them. When he arrives, Marlow learns that a company member recently committed suicide. There are multitudes of chain-gang types, who all look at him with vacant expressions. A young boy approaches Marlow, looking very empty. Marlow can do nothing but offer him some ship biscuits. He is very relieved to leave the boy behind as he comes across a very well-dressed man who is the picture of respectability and elegance. They introduce themselves: he is the Chief Accountant of the Company. Marlow befriends this man and frequently spends time in his hut while the Accountant goes over the accounts. After ten days of observing the Chief Accountant's ill temper, Marlow departs for his 200-mile journey into the interior of the Congo, where he will work for a station run by a man named Kurtz.

The journey is arduous. Marlow crosses many paths, sees deserted dwellings, and encounters black men working. Marlow never describes them as humans. Throughout the novel, the white characters refer to them in animalistic terms. Marlow finally arrives at a secondary station, where he meets the Manager, who for now will oversee his work. It is a strange meeting. The Manager smiles in a manner that is very discomfiting. The ship on which Marlow is supposed to set sail is broken. While they await the delivery of the rivets needed to fix it, Marlow spends his time on more mundane tasks. He frequently hears the name "Kurtz" around the station. Clearly everyone knows his future boss. It is rumored that he is ill. Soon the entire crew will depart for a trip to Kurtz's station.

The Manager's uncle arrives with his own expedition. Marlow overhears them saying that they would like to see Kurtz and his assistant hanged so that their station could be eliminated as ivory competition. After a day of exploring, the expedition has lost all of their animals. Marlow sets out for Kurtz's station with the Pilgrims, the cannibal crew, and the Manager. About eight miles from their destination, they stop for the night. There is talk of an approaching attack. Rumor has it that Kurtz may have been killed in a previous one. Some of the pilgrims go ashore to investigate. The whirring sound of arrows is heard; an attack is underway. The Pilgrims shoot back from the ship with rifles. The helmsman of the ship is killed, as is a native ashore. Marlow supposes that Kurtz has perished in the inexplicable attack. This upsets him greatly. Over the course of his travels, he has greatly looked forward to meeting this man. Marlow shares Kurtz's background: an English education, a woman at home waiting for him. In spite of Marlow's disappointment, the ship presses onward. A little way down the river, the crew spot Kurtz's station, which they had supposed was lost. They meet a Russian man who resembles a harlequin. He says that Kurtz is alive but somewhat ill. The natives do not want Kurtz to leave because he has expanded their minds. Kurtz does not want to leave because he has essentially become part of the tribe.

After talking for a while with the Russian, Marlow has a very clear picture of the man who has become his obsession. Finally, he has the chance to talk to Kurtz, who is ill and on his deathbed. The natives surround his hut until he tells them to leave. While on watch, Marlow dozes off and realizes that Kurtz is gone. He chases him and finds Kurtz in the forest. He does not want to leave the station because his plans have not been fully realized. Marlow manages to take him back to his bed. Kurtz entrusts Marlow with all of his old files and papers. Among these is a photograph of his sweetheart. The Russian escapes before the Manager and others can imprison him. The steamboat departs the next day. Kurtz dies onboard a few days later, Marlow having attended him until the end.

Marlow returns to England, but the memory of his friend haunts him. He manages to find the woman from the picture, and he pays her a visit. She talks at length about his wonderful personal qualities and about how guilty she feels that she was not with him at the last. Marlow lies and says that her name was the last word spoken by Kurtz—the truth would be too dark to tell her.

Themes

Imperialism

One of the major themes of Heart of Darkness is imperialism. Imperialism is actually European colonization of countries from Asian and African continents for resources. However, it was hidden in the slogan of spreading civilization. Marlow accepts taking African’s land from the people is not right. Kurtz is in Congo pretending to civilize the people and was engaged in the ivory trade and involved in horrific ancient rituals of sacrificing humans to appease the native Africans. Marlow describes the ravages of imperialism during his journey to the heart of Africa.

White Man’s Burden

Another prominent theme of the novel is irony of Marlow’s voyage and the purpose. He journeys toward Congo to meet popular station manager, Kurtz. Though Kipling’s words “white man’s burden” wring in his ears, he sees the opposite. The white man, including Mr. Kurtz, has been engaged in killing the natives to plunder the resources. There are heads erected on the poles around the station where Mr. Kurtz is staying. Marlow believes that his voyage is “heavenly mission” of a white man to spread the enlightenment of Christianity in the darkness.

Lack of Truth

The superficial themes of the novel are imperialism and cruelty of the European powers. However, the theme of the lack of truth lies at the heart of the text. All the European powers engaged in Africa are occupying their land and plundering resources while propagating it as a civilizing mission. Marlow says that several things are left out and, in his words, “away from the truth of things.” The ironic language used from the very start occasionally shows that Marlow cannot speak the truth. He finally tells another lie to avoid disappointing Kurtz’s Intended that Kurtz had said her name before dying.

Colonization

Colonization means establishing control over the indigenous people of a country or a place. This theme also runs parallel to diverse other themes in Heart of Darkness. In one of the situations, Marlow, the spokesman of Conrad, clearly states that conquest of the earth means “taking it away from those who have a different complexion.” In other words, he is indicating that the Europeans think they are of a higher race. They destroy their land by the colonization and eventually steal Africa’s resources.

Exploitation

The ivory trade is the main trade throughout the Congo River. However, Marlow does not clarify or accept the amount of brutal exploitation that happened in the name of trade. It is only mentioned in oblique words such as “the horror” and the postscript of Kurtz “Exterminate all brutes,” which points out the truth about the trade and the people involved. In fact, Marlow is also the part of this exploitation where locals are misled and mesmerized by Kurtz. They are also enticed to attack the people not standing in line with the main agent, Kurtz, including the attack on the steamer carrying Marlow. These attacks also cause death to locals more than the targets. The exploitation continued even after Kurtz’ death.

Racial Discrimination

The novel Heart of Darkness shows that racial discrimination is dominating in Africa and other parts of the world. Marlow also understands that “different complexions and flattened nose” means, Europeans were permitted to take the possession of the land from that race. Marlow too called the locals savages including the Intended of Kurtz. She tells him how racial discrimination has led to the white men’s action of making ideas of civilizing those savages. The words of Kipling that it is “white man’s burden” echoes in the end when Kurtz dies, speaking of the horror that he committed against the African people.

Alienation and Isolation

Although alienation and isolation are often understood as a psychological issue of an individual, the novel Heart of Darkness has presented alienation and isolation of both; psychological as well as social. Marlow’s departure hints to social alienation and isolation which tries to rob him of his humanity. Kurtz is the prime example of this alienation in that he mixes up with the locals and tries to become one of them. His alienation completes with his final outburst of “horrors” when he comes to know the results of his actions. Marlow’s initial Buddha-like posture, too, confirms this alienation and isolation.

Moral Corruption

Moral corruption is another underlying theme of the novel, Heart of Darkness. Kurtz goes to Congo to civilize the locals. However, he becomes a top agent of the company in robbing the locals of their treasure and exporting ivory. He is engaged in corrupt practices of punishing those who oppose him and becoming their demigod. The same goes on at the other stations where Marlow sees many small agents engaged in the same practices.

Violence

There are two types of violence; the first one is provoked cruelty. For instance, Kurtz incites the natives to attack the steam carrying Marlow. The second one is the violence among the natives and the heads on the sticks around Kurtz house. Here Kurtz who claims to change the savages has become a savage. He uses violence to dominate the natives to rob and punish them if they interfere in white men’s business.

Human Greed and Deception

Marlow says that he has seen “the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire” which refers to the ivory trade at the expense of the native Africans’ freedom and life. The European companies have been competing against each other to extract treasures as soon as possible. Using violence, they go on killing spree and massacring the innocents. The pieces of evidence of this human greed and deception can be seen clearly when Kurtz displays heads on the poles around his station.