Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - Book Report/Review Example

Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad 2006 Outline: A) The light –darkness metaphor in the heart of darkness. B) Marlow’s transformation of views. C) Corruption of human nature. Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of darkness” is largely metaphoric novel about the journey which unveils the truth about civilization and discovers a true nature of humans. The main character Marlow who undertakes the journey in Congo discovers many things for himself and moreover he discovers his new self. Through the transformation of the main character and through his perception of the surrounding reality the author expresses his ideas and views. Behind the overt critique of the British imperialism, lies a deeper message of the evil side of the human nature. From the very beginning the story we see opposition between light and darkness. Light is associated with civilization while darkness is expression of savagery. The British empire is opposed to primitive society. The one is rational, the other is deceptive and crude. The author describes primitive civilization with a lot of ‘dark’ words - ‘wilderness’, ‘ … cold, fog, tempests, disease, exile, and death--death skulking in the air, in the water, in the bush’. (Conrad, 11) Cruelty and savagery of the primitive civilization is expressed through words like ‘gloomy’, ‘dark human shapes’ which arouse the ‘dark’ feelings. Civilization in which Marlow lives is depicted in bright, light strokes. The separate words give us the feeling of Marlow’s excitement about his society. At the beginning of the novel he talks of ‘Queens Highness,’ ‘messengers of the might’, ‘bearers of a spark from the sacred fire’. “What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth! . . . The dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empires.” (Conrad, 10) These words reveal how delighted was Marlow about civilization, how proud and how naïve. The naiveté about the contemporary society and its values is shared by other Europeans who consider their mission ‘weaning those ignorant millions from their horrid ways’ expressed by Marlow’s aunt. The imperialism is justified as a process of civilization of savage natives while men working for the company are not only engaged in trade but they are on mission here. The main character believes that he ‘had got a heavenly mission to civilize you.’ The truth is that Europeans’ motivation is not civilizing savages but ivory which is the possibility to make a fortune. Marlow is amazed with this: ‘the word `ivory rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed.’ The true motivation rings in the words of Marlow’s ‘ white companion’, ‘not a bad chap.’ When Marlow asked the chap about the purpose of the journey he was irritated to answer ‘To make money, of course. What do you think?’ (Conrad, 23) This light-darkness metaphor goes though the whole novel but it undergoes transformations to the end as the views of the main character change. The reality which associated with light turns into absurd, plunged in darkness as the Thames seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness. (Conrad, 72) The civilization which associated with light is the same ‘darkness’ Marlow referred a savage society to before. The metaphor alters and light does not reflect goodness any more. It becomes to illustrate the evils of the civilization. The contrast is now between dying, deprived natives and ‘a high starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca jacket, snowy trousers, a clear silk necktie, and varnished boots. (Conrad, 21) Through this colorful description comes critique of colonialists who treat natives not like people but animals and even worse. However, the further Marlow gets into the darkness of the jungle, the more he sees horrors of death and corruption, the more he realizes the falseness of his views about civilization. Neither moral rules nor human life is valued by white men. They turn into the savages. These white, snowy, light, clear, varnished stand in gaping contrast to ‘enemies’ who are starving, dying and helpless people. Marlow reevaluates the white people’ behavior and his mission in this journey. Now they are conquerors with brute force – ‘nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.’ He uses all kind of juicy epithets – ‘grabbed’, ‘robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale’, ‘the conquest of the earth.’ (Conrad, 12) From this the reader realizes condemn Marlow feels toward the idea of civilizing uncivilized natives. He believes it is not right conquering or ‘taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves.’ (Conrad, 12) We see that Marlow gets rid from naiveté he possessed at the beginning of his journey. Through this change in the views of the main character, the author expresses his opposition to the existing social order. Marlow comes to awareness that Europeans kill innocent people. And now Marlow starts to see colonialists as devils: ‘the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire’, ‘strong, lusty, red-eyed devils’. He is ironic when saying about ‘a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly.’ (Conrad, 20) On the other hand his vision of savages alters. The author uses other words to bring into focus this change: gloomy, mournful stillness ‘dim light’, ‘black shapes …. in all the attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair.’ (Conrad, 20) We see these people in a different light. They are not ‘enemies’ any more, “… they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now-- nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom.” (Conrad, 20 ) Through Marlow’s awareness of the evils the civilization brings into uncivilized world, his realization of the evils of colonialism in Africa, Conrad brings the problem into painful focus. The greed of traders, enslavement, death reflects the ugliness of the order which Marlow used to live with. When Kurtz dies, Marlow is aware as never before of the corruption of the ivory trade. The life of a human means nothing, all that matters is ivory and nothing stops traders to get it. That’s where the evil side of a civilized man gets out – human life is not valued and is sacrificed for ivory as the way to enrichment After Kurtz’ death Marlow recalls ‘hadnt I been told in all the tones of jealousy and admiration that he had collected, bartered, swindled, or stolen more ivory than all the other agents together?’ (Conrad, 46) All this admiration is for “first-class agent” and “a very remarkable person” who bartered, stole and swindled ivory. The deeper message behind the Conrad’s novel is the evil and corruption of human nature. The darkness and gloom also symbolizes the heart and soul of a man with evil concealed inside. During the journey along the Congo river, Marlow discovers his inner self. Good and evil sides of a human may interact in one heart and no one knows what side may prevail. A good-hearted Marlow is between two fires – moral ethics and that social mask that society puts on him. Marlow is a human and realizes that he is not void of all limitations of human species. He understands that he is also a part of that evil and this thought is intolerable for him. “And for a moment it seemed to me as if I also were buried in a vast grave full of unspeakable secrets. I felt an intolerable weight oppressing my breast, the smell of the damp earth, the unseen presence of victorious corruption, the darkness of an impenetrable night. . .” (Conrad, 59) Marlow realizes that he betrays himself for making money. When he looks inside himself he is appalled by what he sees. He understands that savagery does exist in society in implicit form and though it is hidden behind social rules, under certain circumstances you are sure to discover it in yourself. When Marlow meets Kurtz and sees his activities such as ‘heads drying on the stakes under Mr. Kurtzs windows,’ his allusions scatter. Marlow cannot understand the motives behind Kurtz’ actions. When Marlow talks with a young man working for Kurtz he notices that ‘it did not occur to him that Mr. Kurtz was no idol of mine.’ The young man calls these heads ‘the heads of rebels.’ (Conrad, 56) Marlow cannot believe in such a definition. “I shocked him excessively by laughing. Rebels! What would be the next definition I was to hear? There had been enemies, criminals, workers--and these were rebels.” (Conrad, 56) Kurtz could be a victim of a jungle, when far away from civilization he turned into a savage himself. This assumption can be supported by the following sentence “I looked around, and I dont know why, but I assure you that never, never before, did this land, this river, this jungle, the very arch of this blazing sky, appear to me so hopeless and so dark, so impenetrable to human thought, so pitiless to human weakness.” (Conrad, 54) However, we understand that if not inherent in human nature, savagery could not pop out in a critical situation. It is not a distortion of human nature because of some kind of madness caused by solitude in the heart of jungle but a reflection of human nature itself. Kurtz was a kind of God in these far away lands. Marlow describes ‘Kurtzs last disciple.’ “If it had come to crawling before Mr. Kurtz, he crawled as much as the veriest savage of them all.” (Conrad, 56 ) Kurtz embodies also a leader who heads a kind of ‘society’ and this society reflects on the civilizations which are the same shrouded in darkness like the primitive society of savages. The depiction of military procession of savages is very ironic: ‘some of the pilgrims behind the stretcher carried his arms - two shot-guns, a heavy rifle, and a light revolver-carbine - the thunderbolts of that pitiful Jupiter. (Conrad, 57 ) The author derides society which subdues bodies and thoughts of people to some belief which send these people to death. The Europeans fight for imperialism believing it is an honorable battle. They naively believe that they do good for savage, uncivilized society of African natives. Conrad reveals the European mentality of blind people who cannot see the reality. The Heart of darkness allows every person having read it to look inside oneself and discover one’s evil side. But such sincerity with one’s own self helps to become more civilized and that’s what Conrad wanted to achieve. To lead a person into the heart of darkness to reveal the worse sides of human nature and make the reader realize one’s imperfectness and at the same time to avoid one’s evils. References Conrad, J. Heart of Darkness. Prestwick House Inc. 2004. Read More

What do you think?’ (Conrad, 23) This light-darkness metaphor goes though the whole novel but it undergoes transformations to the end as the views of the main character change. The reality which associated with light turns into absurd, plunged in darkness as the Thames seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness. (Conrad, 72) The civilization which associated with light is the same ‘darkness’ Marlow referred a savage society to before. The metaphor alters and light does not reflect goodness any more.

It becomes to illustrate the evils of the civilization. The contrast is now between dying, deprived natives and ‘a high starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca jacket, snowy trousers, a clear silk necktie, and varnished boots. (Conrad, 21) Through this colorful description comes critique of colonialists who treat natives not like people but animals and even worse. However, the further Marlow gets into the darkness of the jungle, the more he sees horrors of death and corruption, the more he realizes the falseness of his views about civilization.

Neither moral rules nor human life is valued by white men. They turn into the savages. These white, snowy, light, clear, varnished stand in gaping contrast to ‘enemies’ who are starving, dying and helpless people. Marlow reevaluates the white people’ behavior and his mission in this journey. Now they are conquerors with brute force – ‘nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.’ He uses all kind of juicy epithets – ‘grabbed’, ‘robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale’, ‘the conquest of the earth.

’ (Conrad, 12) From this the reader realizes condemn Marlow feels toward the idea of civilizing uncivilized natives. He believes it is not right conquering or ‘taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves.’ (Conrad, 12) We see that Marlow gets rid from naiveté he possessed at the beginning of his journey. Through this change in the views of the main character, the author expresses his opposition to the existing social order. Marlow comes to awareness that Europeans kill innocent people.

And now Marlow starts to see colonialists as devils: ‘the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire’, ‘strong, lusty, red-eyed devils’. He is ironic when saying about ‘a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly.’ (Conrad, 20) On the other hand his vision of savages alters. The author uses other words to bring into focus this change: gloomy, mournful stillness ‘dim light’, ‘black shapes …. in all the attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair.

’ (Conrad, 20) We see these people in a different light. They are not ‘enemies’ any more, “… they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now-- nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom.” (Conrad, 20 ) Through Marlow’s awareness of the evils the civilization brings into uncivilized world, his realization of the evils of colonialism in Africa, Conrad brings the problem into painful focus. The greed of traders, enslavement, death reflects the ugliness of the order which Marlow used to live with.

When Kurtz dies, Marlow is aware as never before of the corruption of the ivory trade. The life of a human means nothing, all that matters is ivory and nothing stops traders to get it. That’s where the evil side of a civilized man gets out – human life is not valued and is sacrificed for ivory as the way to enrichment After Kurtz’ death Marlow recalls ‘hadnt I been told in all the tones of jealousy and admiration that he had collected, bartered, swindled, or stolen more ivory than all the other agents together?

’ (Conrad, 46) All this admiration is for “first-class agent” and “a very remarkable person” who bartered, stole and swindled ivory.

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