FREE ESSAY ON HEART OF DARKNESS

HEART OF DARKNESS

[Every man, or woman has buried within themself a dark side, savage side. When a man is
taken out of society, and left to create his own norms, he rediscovers those primordial
instincts which have laid dormant since the the beginning of existence. Survival of the
fittest, physically and intellectually, is the foundation of these instincts. Persons who
dominate one or many through mental or physical prowess develop a sense of superiority.
This feeling, if fostered by the environment, and intensified to the extreme, produces a
sense of having god-like powers. A man believing himself to be a or the God is seen, by
the society from which, as a monster. Since monsters can not be allowed to roam the
civilized world, someone must be sent to destroy it. To find the monster, the person
selected must take the same path as the monster. This path is a journey into one's own
mind, soul, or true-self. The person on this path will never see evil so clear and
defined as in the face looking back at him. In taking this path, the person runs the risk
of becoming the very thing he is trying to destroy.] In Joseph Conrad's story Heart of
Darkness, the protagonist represents the person selected to seek out and destroy the
monster. Conrad uses many techniques to bring the reader into the darkness: archetype,
symbolism, and foreshadowing. The theme of this classic tale is made through the words of
the western philosopher Nietzsche; when fighting monsters the person fighting should be
careful not to become one, and when looking into a void the person must be aware that the
void also looks into him.
The readers are first introduced to the protagonist, Marlow, as he is being commissioned
--by the Company-- to hunt down the monster, Kurtz, Marlow, a boat captain, almost
nomadic in his need to travel, is also a man of simple morals, simple to the point of
religion, the most prevalent commandment seen in his character is thou shall not lie.
Marlow, after spending a little time in London, embarks on his journey. The purpose of
this journey is to find Kurtz, a man who is also employed by the Company --which is in
the ivory business, and has its greedy hand spread over Africa like a malignant tumor
(Gatten). Having lost control of Kurtz, the Company choose to relieve him of his post and
had, before Marlow, already employed another man --who eventually joined Kurtz-- to
retrieve him. With hopes of a successful recovery, of both the monster and the ivory
which he guards, Marlow makes the journey down the Congo, which is never named as such,
into the heart of Africa --the heart of darkness. Darkness, meaning literally, a country
where the inhabitants are themselves dark. Darkness, meaning symbolically, the savage
part of a man's soul.
The readers, reaching the midpoint of the story, find Marlow encountering one delay after
another. Months of delays force him to observe his environment and the mentality of the
people who surround him, both foreign and domestic. Marlow realizes that Kurtz is
entrenched within a society which has few rules. Of these few rules, which direct the
savage African society surrounding him, Kurtz is the creator and enforcer of the
majority. Unrestricted by society, human nature is left to itself in its purest form.
Were the natural human instincts are left to grow and thrive on the minds of any one in
the presence of the darkness. Kurtz, a far superior being mentally than the savages who
surround him, suffers from a god-complex. With this mental disorder in full effect, he is
left unopposed to claim his position as a god. On his journey to find Kurtz, Marlow
realizes the same principles that Kurtz had realized on his. Human nature is inherently
both good and evil, light and dark the, yin and yang. It is the society's perception of
good and evil which lead to its definitions. Evil is universally accepted as being
tempting; shown by the adage; Be a slave in heaven, or a ruler in hell. This temptation
is most prevalent in environments lacking rules, environments like that in which Kurtz
was ensconced, or the same environment that we all encounter every day. This struggle
inevitably creates unrest within the soul of the those involved. 
Finally reaching Kurtz's station, after the delays and dealings with the savages and
others also employed by the Company, Marlow finds his prey ,the monster, Kurtz, closely
following the stereotypes of what a monster is expected to do. Kurtz was found to be
participating in monstrous acts such as: having heads of rebels impaled upon sticks, as
an admonition to others of his power. Without the constraints of society, Kurtz is able
to seek out and fulfill his inner desires and go beyond any restraints that he may have
had before. In Kurtz, Marlow sees, the inconceivable mystery of a soul that knew no
restraint, no faith, and no fear, yet struggling blindly with itself (113). T. S. Eliot
said, we are continually reminded of the power and terror of Nature, and the isolation
and feebleness of Man. Marlow also believes that the very wilderness speaks to Kurtz,
telling him secrets; whispered to him things about himself which he did not know, things
of which he had no conception till he took counsel with this great solitude --and the
whisper had proved irresistibly fascinating (98). A man's growth is through his
experiences, and both Marlow and Kurtz grow, through their respective journeys, at a
meteoric rate.
Kurtz, dying, struggles against the evil consuming his soul, . . .both the diabolic love
and the unearthly hate of the mysteries it had penetrated fought for the possession of 
that soul satiated with primitive emotions. . . (116). The war between good and evil 
within his soul is immense, as he struggles between what he once was, and the evil that
he now is being consumed by. Kurtz, a genius at whatever he attempted, was hired by the
Company to collect and deliver --out of Africa-- any and all ivory found. Kurtz is also
an extremist, and with these extremes he has been in many environments from which he
learned and applied to the world in which he now dies in; In doing his job to the
extreme, Kurtz eventually was earned a title of god by the aborigines, and the title of
monster by the society in which he once lived. As they trek through the wilderness to
leave the station Marlow comments, A voice! a voice! It rang deep to the very last. It
survived his strength to hide in the magnificent folds of eloquence the barren darkness
of his heart. Oh he struggled! he struggled! (115). 
Kurtz's greatness is as prevalent as ever as he fights the darkness consuming his soul.
Marlow, watching his captured prey move closer to death, sees its face and expressions; .
. .on that ivory face the expression of somber pride, of ruthless power, of craven terror
--of an intense and hopeless despair (118). All of these horrid expressions came from his
understanding human nature; . . .the appalling face of a glimpsed truth. . . (119).
Marlow watches as Kurtz is dying, knowing that he can do nothing to save him, His was an
impenetrable darkness. I looked at him as you would peer down at a man who is lying at
the bottom of a precipice where the sun never shines (117). At some point in his
self-discovery, or observing Kurtz's, Marlow finds that he is very similar to him
(eternally connecting the two) from which loyalty is born. His loyalty to Kurtz is so
profound that it takes precedence over his own morals, Even after he discovers Kurtz's
violent acts, Marlow is still drawn to him, as if he were a god,, lies for him, and even
risks his life. Having none of the barriers created by society, Marlow finds that in the
wilderness (in the darkness) Kurtz was not only able to see, in a deadly moment, the
truth of human nature, but also demonstrate his epiphany with a single phrase: The
horror! The horror! (118). In this climactic scene Kurtz passes his secret --the
antagonist-- onto Marlow.
The most incredible part of his death was that, . . .his stare, could not see the flame
of the candle, but was wide enough to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness
(119). From their initial meeting Marlow refers to Kurtz's soul as being either consumed
by evil, fighting off the evil, or no longer existent; It echoed loudly within him 
because he was hollow at the core. . . (98). After his death, Marlow ponders the
monster's last words, whispered on a breath, knowing the truth of the words; . . .it was
a victory (120). Even after death, his loyalty to Kurtz was unyielding; I did not betray
Mr. Kurtz --it was ordered that I should never betray him --it was written I should be
loyal to the nightmare of my choice (109). 
Of the many techniques used in this novella, archetype, symbolism, and foreshadowing are
the most predominant. The first technique, archetype, being the age old battle between
good and evil, is see from beginning to end --on every page. The second and third
techniques, symbolism and foreshadowing use similar descriptions of myriad objects and
ideas: the river --the serpent-- with its colors and actions;  a mighty big river. .
.resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving
afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land (11). The women in
black, both symbolizing and foreshadowing death;  She seemed uncanny and fateful. .
.knitter of black wool (16). The blankness of the destination on the map, symbolizing and
foreshadowing discovery; . . .blank spaces on the earth. . . (11). The 
darkness, symbolizing the savage part of man, and foreshadowing death; . . .into the
depths of darkness. . . (29). 
Droll thing life is --that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile
purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself --that comes too
late --a crop of inextinguishable regrets, (119) laments Marlow --after the death of
Kurtz. Albert J. Guerard's thesis is that the journey was of a self-discovery into the
savage part of man, the evil part inherent in all men. Destined to encounter one another,
Marlow had a connection with Kurtz from the moment the name was given to him, as if he
recognized a long lost family member. Marlow is tormented by both Kurtz and his abhorrent
secret. He, also being a great man, keeps the torment to himself. Having fought the
monster, and defied the temptation to become one, Marlow looked into the void, was the
darkness, and survived.