Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Essay Example

Symbolism and Psychology in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”

According to some histories of Joseph Conrad and his writing, the novella Heart of Darkness was not considered to be among Conrad’s most notable works when it was originally published (Bloom, p16). In the many decades since it was first released, however, it has come to be considered among the most significant books of the 19^th century.  In that same time, Heart of Darkness has been hailed for its portrayal of psychological themes and also criticized by some for its presumptively racist portrayals of African characters (Tredell, p72). Contemporary critiques of Heart of Darkness largely see the book as an exploration of the darker impulses of humanity, and how those impulses, when left unchecked, can overtake any individual.

The structure of Heart of Darkness is rather complex, and this complexity contributes to the density of the themes explored in the story. It begins with a nameless narrator on board a boat anchored on the Thames River. This narrator tells the story of his encounter on the boat with a man named Charles Marlow. Marlow becomes the second narrator in the story, as he recounts a tale to the people on the boat about his journey into the jungles of Africa in search of a man named Kurtz. This densely layered narrative structure has the effect of putting distance between the reader and the elusive and mysterious Kurtz; as Marlow describes his slow journey upriver towards his climactic meeting with Kurtz, the reader is pulled more and more deeply into the story. It is a powerfully effective technique, and one that emphasizes the psychological overtones infused throughout Heart of Darkness.

As Marlow begins to tell his tale he first muses about the history of England, and how it was in a sense only a short time since the Romans had occupied the land, and only a short time before that when the island was a savage place. This introductory section raises one of the story’s overarching themes: that there is very little separating the “civilized” people of late-19^th-century with the most savage of people. It may be a fair criticism to say that Conrad portrays Africans in his story in a simplistic, and even racist sense; it must also be acknowledged that both Conrad and Heart of Darknesswere products of their time. If it is fair to note that Conrad portrayed Africans as stereotypical “savages,” it is also fair to note that Heart of Darkness also portrays European colonialism on Africa as a form of savagery, and one that seems –to Marlow, at least- inexcusable.

As Marlow describes it, the land bordered by the Thames was once “one of the dark places of the Earth,” overrun by “conquerors” who “grabbed what they could get for the sake of what was to be got.” This was, according to Marlow, nothing more than “robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale.” While Marlow was offering a history lesson about the peoples who had inhabited the region in earlier centuries, he was also referring to the manifestations of colonialism he would see as he ventured into the deep, dark jungles of Africa. Throughout the story, Conrad uses imagery of physical darkness as metaphors for the darkness of the unknown and the darkness of the human spirit. The conquerors of early England were well equipped to “tackle a darkness,” while Marlow’s journey upriver took him into the darkness of the dense forest canopy and towards the darkness of Kurtz’ mysterious presence.

If 19^th-century England is no longer a “dark place,” Marlow reminds his listeners that it is not far removed from such a state. He is being sent into Africa by a trading company to check on reports that “one of their captains had been killed in a scuffle with the natives.” When Marlow arrives at the first station, he is overwhelmed by the sight of men being chained and forced into labor. Before even leaving London, Marlow had already heard whispers about the mysterious Kurtz and when he arrives at the station he is presented with more stories about him, and how effective he was at procuring and delivering ivory. Kurtz is at first described in largely positive terms, and Marlow has little reason to suspect that Kurtz is either in danger or that worse, he presents any danger.

Marlow’s journey is hampered for months by damage to his boat and other delays, and as he slowly makes his way from the first station to the next station farther upriver, the figurative darkness he is approaching is foreshadowed in perils of the trek. Describing what it was like to navigate the river, Marlow recounts that “you lost your way on that river as you would in a desert…trying to find the channel, till you thought yourself bewitched and cut off forever from everything you had know once…we penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.” Marlow was yet to discover that Kurtz, who was described by the station manager as one of the company’s best agents, had become “cut off forever.” As far as Marlow knew, Kurtz was either still at the station farthest up the river, doing his job for the trading company, or he had perhaps been killed by the natives.  Marlow knew that Kurtz had been “grubbing for ivory,” and had sent shipments of it on canoes downriver, but he had no way to know that Kurtz had descended into psychological darkness so deeply.

After many months of traveling, waiting, and traveling again, Marlow and the men who accompanied him finally approached the last trading station. As their boat neared the river shore they were attacked by a barrage of arrows. Marlow at first suspected this attack was a sign that the murderous natives had likely killed Kurtz; the truth was quite different. Before Marlow could meet Kurtz, however, he came across a Russian man who told him stories about Kurtz. The Russian seemed to view Kurtz with equal amounts of terror and awe. The introduction of this character has the effect not just of delaying Marlow’s meeting with Kurtz, but also in delaying the chance for readers to meet the elusive figure as well. The Russian presents one more narrative layer, one more story to be told, between the reader and the madman in the jungle. Just as Marlow was impatient to meet Kurtz, so too are the listeners on the boat on the Thames, and so too are those who are reading the book.

It is when Marlow sees the severed human heads perched on top of the posts surrounding Kurtz’ cabin that he begins to recognize that something very strange is going on. Marlow slowly realizes the full extent of the bizarre circumstances, as it becomes clear to him that the local natives revere Kurtz, and that Kurtz has long since abandoned any interest in returning to “civilization.” Kurtz is, however, deteriorating physically and psychologically, and Marlow is insistent that Kurtz return with him.  Back aboard the boat for the return journey, Kurtz slips closer to his own inner darkness, and just before death he speaks his famous final words: “the horror! The horror!”

As Marlow comes to terms with the death of Kurtz, it is clear that the experience of meeting him has altered him in a fundamental way. Early in the story, Marlow had described his own visceral distaste for lying, and for those who told lies. He simply despised the thought of lies, whether hearing them or telling them. Yet, as he returns to “civilization” with the letters and the photograph given to him by Kurtz, he begins to lie about Kurtz’ life and his death. He lies to the trading company about Kurtz’s activities, and he lies to Kurtz’s fiancée, who a year after news of his death is still deeply mourning him. Marlow knew that Kurtz was never going to return to his fiancée, but he tells her that her name was the last word he spoke. Marlow may have been touched by Kurtz’s madness, but he seemed intent on protecting Kurtz’s legacy and, more importantly, protecting others from being equally touched by the darkness of Kurtz’s spirit. The darkness may have taken over Kurtz, but Marlow appeared to have escaped with some of his soul intact. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad shows readers that despite the wonders of modern civilization, we are never far removed from the darkness.

Works cited

Bloom, Harold. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of darkness. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Print.

Conrad, Joseph. “Heart of Darkness.” Project Gutenberg, n.d. Web. 14 Apr 2014. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/219/219-h/219-h.htm>.

Tredell, Nicholas. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1998. Print.