The Novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - Research Paper Example

?“He had, as he informed me proudly, managed to nurse Kurtz through two illnesses (he alluded to it as you would to some risky feat), but as a rule Kurtz wandered alone, far in the depths of the forest. 'Very often coming to this station, I had to wait days and days before he would turn up,' he said. 'Ah, it was worth waiting for! -- sometimes.'” (Conrad, 153) The novella Heart of Darkness is an important work of Joseph Conrad depicting colonial history. It unfolds the adventures faced by Conrad on a trip to the present day’s Congo River. The work is autobiographical in nature to some extent. A team of men is on the Thames waiting for the wind to take proper direction. Marlow whose profession is not clearly defined becomes the narrator in the story and hence represents the voice of the author. He then moves on to talk of Europe having some of the darkest places on earth. He talks of his expedition to Africa, which opened his eyes to the evils of colonization. Illness has been discussed explicitly in the story at different points of time. The Russian companion of Kurtz who went through subsequent illnesses narrates the above lines to Marlow during their meet. The illnesses are very symbolic of the dark environment of colonization where Kurtz was more feared for his whims than respected by the natives who therefore followed his orders like that of God. Sickness has been elaborately discussed throughout the novella; not just physical but mental sickness as well. In this context the passage “On the contrary. It appears their intercourse had been very much broken by various causes. …. smiling continuously at some endless and jocose dream of that eternal slumber” (Conrad, 153-159) could be analyzed. Sometimes they resulted from obsession as it did in case of Kurtz (obsessed with possession of ivory) who once tried to shoot his manager who has been giving him company through all times in order to acquire some ivory from him. When the Russian says, “they [natives] adored him” (Conrad, 154), the tone implies something more that the words reveal. This was later revealed further as the manager told him about his experiences with Kurtz. The man saw no reason for things, which came, in the way of his demands. When he asked for the ivory he placed his most loyal companion, the Russian, under his gun’s point, which surely surprised Marlow, who has been observing the devotion of the Russian towards Kurtz for quite some time – “The man filled his life, occupied his thoughts, swayed his emotions” (Conrad, 154). The Russian went on to tell Marlow that he had requested Mr. Kurtz to go back from this life which he himself did not quite like, but despite agreeing to him initially he stayed on and the Russian was determined to stick to him. What is notable in the concerned passage is the strong devotion of the Russian despite facing all odds with his companion. In fact when Marlow called him mad, the Russian strongly protested. This reflect once again the psychological state of the Russian who was an enthusiastic young man but wasted his years quite gladly in the woods merely out of devotion towards Mr. Kurtz. The author brings in the silence and unperturbed nature around the men, which was rather suffocating, to Marlow –“The woods were unmoved, like a mask -- heavy, like the closed door of a prison -- they looked with their air of hidden knowledge, of patient expectation, of unapproachable silence” (Conrad, 157). On one hand the woods had a lot of give but lay quite some stress and absorbed a lot from life. Staying alone in such a land perhaps took the toll on Mr. Kurtz and his companion. As “the appetite for more ivory had got the better of the…less material aspirations” Kurtz gathered more natives who apparently adored him but Marlow by now knew better (Conrad, 157). Another evidence of mental sickness arising out of the wild surroundings is the heads that surrounded Kurtz’s house, perhaps to fill the gaps in his life. The Russian must have had a strong influence on his mind especially regarding Kurtz such that when the manager took him aside and told him of his Kurtz’s harmful ways the latter did not agree. The Russian was modest and considered his life worthwhile in serving Kurtz. What the passage signifies along with the instances of illness is the authoritarian rule of the imperialistic regime. Initially the doctor asked Marlow if he was ill when he heard that the latter was going to take position in the company. According to the doctor the men who returned from there had some changes going through within them – “moreover, the changes take place inside, you know” (Conrad, 27). The passage in discussion proves the doctor’s words. Despite being physically weak Kurt was capable of ordering the men and making them adore him. They did not make any move without his word. The key to this dominance is his knowledge about their culture, language and ways of communication. When Marlow began his voyage his aunt told him that the mission was “weaning those ignorant millions from their horrid ways” but eventually Marlow realized that the company was run with a profit motive and the men were exploited in the favor of imperialists (Conrad, 29). Despite all, he could not help but admire Kurtz for the strong grasp he held over the actions of the natives and the devotion of is companion, which he earned. Even the manager was scared of his success and planned to have them removed from his way. Kurtz believed “Each station should be like a beacon on the road towards better things, a centre for trade of course, but also for humanizing, improving, instructing” which the manager criticized but the more Marlow came to know this man the more attracted and desperate he became to meet him (Marlow, 87). The passage under interpretation in this paper has brought out different sides of Kurtz but mainly discloses the Russian’s character. Marlow even got to like him a lot especially for his innocent devotion and modesty. Illness reflects the wilderness and isolation of the place, which affects one’s existence. People who stayed in such a place for long enough were almost stranded there with remarkable changes within themselves. Kurtz, despite agreeing that he should go back taking the Russian with him, carried on with his addiction to ivory hunt, an addiction that only terminated with his illness and consequent fading life. The wilderness and the ambience held a mystery to unravel and an irrepressible summon to the imperialists. Work Cited Conrad, Joseph, Heart of Darkness, Plain Label Books, 1975 Read More