Heart of Darkness theme analysis

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" HEART OF DARKNESS "

By JOSEPH CONRAD

Written as the memory of a one mans journey, Conrad's "HEART OF DARKNESS" is a novel that is like a journey through ones nightmare. There are so many interesting but minor characters throughout the pages of the book, and so many possible themes that it is difficult to possibly name all of them. Some of the themes of the novel include light & darkness, racism, imperialism and superiority.

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In Conrad's haunting tale, Marlow a seaman and wanderer, retells his physical and psychological journey in search of the mysterious Kurtz. Travelling to the heart of the African continent, he discovers how Kurtz has gained his position of power and influence over the local people. Marlow's struggle to understand what has happened involves him in a major questioning of not only his own nature but the nature and values of his society.

The story of Kurtz is told by Marlow, who speaks for the majority of the novel. He is a versatile character, who can relate to different kinds of people with more ease rather than other characters in the story. He is a long time seamen, a rootless wanderer and a frequent storyteller, most of the story being idea rather than fact. He was the captain of a small steamer that travelled up the Congo River to retrieve the mysterious Kurtz from inside there. When Marlow arrives, he is shocked and disgusted by the sight of wasted human lives and ruined supplies. His encounter with Kurtz shakes him for the rest of his life. Marlow suffers horribly. He is "contaminated" by his experiences and memories and is somewhat destined, to repeat his story to all that will listen. Marlow is what Kurtz might have been.

Kurtz was a trade agent sent to Africa by the Company and was in charge of the most productive ivory station in the Congo. Like Marlow, Kurtz started out with the noble goal of bringing civilization and progress to the natives. He was favoured greatly in the Company and his virtue was praised, to the disappointment of his jealous colleagues. But as soon as he arrived to a place where "civilization" was not practised, the wilderness captured him and it made his inner savageness emerge. He began to act as a god to the local natives. Kurtz was also a thief, murder, raider and a persecutor. He rotted away, mentally and physically and died aware of the horror of his life. Marlow describers Kurtz as a "hollow man," a man without basic integrity or any sense of social responsibility. Kurtz is what Marlow might have become.

In "HEART OF DARKNESS", there is a real contrast between what is light and what is dark. These contrasts work within the reality of what is considered civilized and uncivilized, the light representing civilization or the civilized side of the world and dark, the uncivilized or the savage side of the world. Throughout the book, there are many references to these two contrasts. In the novel, black and white have the usual representations of evil and good.

The setting plays a very crucial role in this novel. From the very start, Marlow creates a feeling of darkness in regards to the past and the present. The story is told about "one evening." This gives the idea to the reader of darkness being evil.

Further along in the novel there are many more examples of contrast between light and dark and excellent examples of civilized and uncivilized and the colours used to represent them. Marlow stumbles across a work camp. The conditions of the "black shapes" is one of great sadness. He describes them as people who have withdrawn from the work camps in order to die. He says they are "half affected within the dim light." This reference continues to support the idea of light being good and dark being evil. The workers go into the light to die from the dark caves. Marlow calls these people "black shadows of disease and starvation." This quote reinforces the idea that blacks and the dark images they project are uncivilised and nothing to be wishing for.

Throughout the rest of the novel there are a lot of situations where blacks-the uncivilised savages-contrast with the whites-the civilized Europeans. The African land is described as "lurked with death and hidden evil, to the profound darkness of the heart." The statement once again reinforces the idea of dark being evil. Marlow overhears during a conversation on the boat by two men who talk about the dark images of death. This part also reflects the idea of civilized and uncivilized people. The darkness being referred to is the natives and their home, the Congo.

When Marlow finally reaches the camp where Kurtz is located, he finds that it is not civilized. Marlow encounters "black heads" on Kurtz's fence. This again represents the idea of savagery with the colour black. He also describes the savagery of the black natives when describing how they protect the white ivory. He says "they are armed to kill", but it must be realised that the ivory they were protecting was for the whites.

The main contrast between light and dark occurs with the death of Kurtz on the boat after he is saved and being brought back to civilization. "The brown current that ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness…"

Racism plays a big role in the "HEART OF DARKNESS". The novel itself portrays Conrad's racist views towards the black society. From the beginning of the novel, the river Congo is compared to the river Thames in the book because Marlow is telling the story while they are sitting at the bottom of the Thames, yet his story takes place on the Congo. The Thames is portrayed as a peaceful, tranquil river while the Congo, has quite a different atmosphere. Marlow says that the Congo is one of the dark places of the earth and this can be perceived as racist in regards to the dark people who live about it.

Throughout the novel, Marlow makes racist remarks about the black natives which tend to be very disturbing. For example "..the thought of their humanity-like yours…Ugly" stated by Marlow. This remark is typical of a racist. The thought of the black mans humanity being compared to Marlow's was just plain ugly from Conrad's perspective. Throughout the novel, the black societies are dubbed "natives," "slaves," "savages," "uncivilised," etc. As an outcome of being called a "slave" the audience can see the society of "darkness" doing the work for the civilized beings.

Another important factor of discrimination is that of women. Of all the jobs and high status mentioned in the novel not one of the individuals was female. Kurtz mysterious mistress was also described as savage, "…she was savage and wild-eyed…" One can conclude from this example that women were either "civilized" unnecessary beings or "uncivilized" savage creatures. Women were not to have any social or political status.

Imperialism is a central underlying theme throughout this novel. The images from the Thames River lend support to the argument that this novel is about imperialism at a basic level. Most importantly, "HEART OF DARKNESS" exposes imperialisms exploitation of foreign lands and people, leaving the imperialist agent themselves, empty and disturbed.

A metaphor that can be used for "HEART OF DARKNESS" is that imperialists were trying to conquer the savage and civilise him. "HEART OF DARKNESS" is a powerful example of the evils of imperialism. They believed that because the natives were black and uncivilized, they were lesser people. As Marlow moved further into the continent, he felt time moved backwards as "civilization" obtained by the imperialists was becoming less evident.

When Marlow reached the Congo, law continues to contribute to the imperialist surroundings in which he finds himself. The laws function at this point seems largely to assist imperialist control. Imperialists do more than merely use the law. They seize the very right to define the law. Even at the end of the tale, when Marlow returns to Europe, imperialism continues to play a role. No post-Congo cranial measurements are taken. But the European society and the culture of the imperialist nations disgust Marlow. I found myself back in the sepulchral city, he says, resenting the sight of people hurrying through the streets to filch a little money from each other, to devour their infamous cookery, to gulp their unwholesome beer, to dream their insignificant and silly dreams.

Kurtz is a dark shadow of imperialism. Kurtz claimed that he was doing noble deeds in civilizing the natives but the "unsound" methods that Kurtz uses are of the same centre of that which drive imperialists. That is the "horror" that Kurtz admits to before his death. He found that the savages were just like the modern world and that the imperialists cover it up with technology and civilization. Kurtz's terminal illness represents the eventual death of imperialism due to its inability to adapt and respect the culture and natives of the invaded country.

The manager is also a derivative of the negative effects of imperialism. His good health symbolizes the everlastingness of Europeans who invaded Africa and their ability to continually come to Africa and rape it of its natural resources.

Along with imperialism, came the forced ideals of a race who thought themselves more superior then the natives who roamed the land previously. This is clear in the "HEART OF DARKNESS" where we see the whites completely dominate the blacks.

The "black" slaves were forced to work till they were physically exhausted. The blacks were not given any personal individuality of uniqueness unless they were somewhat alike to the whites. Even then they were given no chance of humanity to their personalities. Marlow states, "And between the whiles I had to look after the savage who was a fireman. He was an improved specimen; he could fire up a vertical boiler. He was there below me, and upon my word, to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat, walking on his hind legs." Even though, the natives took on some white characteristics, they were still seen as different. In the above statement, the fireman is seen as a joke. Not as a man, but as a "dog in breeches". No matter how educated or similar in appearance the blacks became, they were still seen as beneath the whites.

There are different contemporary viewpoints in regards to the issue about superiority. Jules Harmand commented in 110,

"It is necessary, then to accept as a principle and point of departure the fact that there is a hierarchy of races and civilizations, and that we belong to the superior race and civilization, still recognising that, while superiority confers rights, it imposes strict obligations in return. The basic legitimization of conquest over native peoples is the conviction of our superiority, not merely our mechanical, economic, and military superiority, but our moral superiority. Our dignity rests on that quality, and it underlies our right to direct the rest of humanity. Material power is nothing but a means to an end."

That statement made by Mr Harmand sums up the reasons why the European whites held their "we are the best" beliefs. They clearly thought it was god and their honourable superiority that made them the better race. It seems, however, that it was their extreme greed that made them the superior race. There was not much that they would not do to acquire riches, or in the case of the "HEART OF DARKNESS," ivory.

The "HEART OF DARKNESS" is a novel that explores the themes of light & darkness, racism, imperialism and superiority. It is the rules and codes bestowed upon us that prevent our present "civilized" society unleashing savage tendencies.

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