Heart of Darkness Inner Darkness

Heart Of Darkness Research Paper
The turn of the twentieth century lead to a new era of literature and society. During this time, people saw a new way of literature and opened their
eyes to an advanced world with the beginning and ending of both world wars. The Modern period showed many authors attacking values and reflecting
a greater degree of doubt throughout their work. Authors especially criticized the belief of national exceptionalism. One author who argued against a
central problem or defining feature of this period was Joseph Conrad in his writing A Heart of Darkness. This story tells the journey of an Englishman
in the Congo, trying to save one of his fellow workers from the savage jungle. Throughout this novel, readers can see Conrad denounce the action and
purpose...show more content...
Through Marlow's journey, readers see the appalling tools of colonialism laid bare and the real reason behind Europe's mindset is exposed. Conrad
argues with the accusation of Europe and other countries who use violence to "civilize" land and their inhabitants, as inhuman and savage. That the
natives who are suppose to be helped are really not the uncivilized people. Furthermore, the Europeans are barbaric due to their greed for wealth and
power. The author indicated this problem throughout Heart of Darkness, because he wanted people to question who was really "civilized" and
"savaged." His novel allowed people to see this defining feature of the Modern period in its true
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Essay on Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness–ISP
By: Robert Pittelli You can argue that nearly everyone on this planet has at least one desire within that is so dark and evil that they would do anything
to achieve that goal. However, most individuals are capable of controlling and taming their greedy desires for personal gain such as wealth, power, and
fame, to the point where they are concealed, leaving their sanity untouched by the extreme darkness of their sinful wishes. Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart
of Darkness, provides the greatest example of how man's appetite for greed can prevail and consume almost an entire race's soul into complete and
utter madness, to the stage where it is solely driven by the blackness and impurity of greed. In Heart of Darkness,...show more content...
The only real feeling was a desire to get appointed to a trading post where ivory was to be had, so that they could earn percentages." (Conrad, Heart
of Darkness 29). The European trading company was all about hunting for ivory, and the greediest member of all was Kurtz, and coincidentally the
most deranged of them all. Kurtz would, in the words stated by the Russian, "go off on another ivory hunt; disappear for weeks; forget himself
amongst these people–forget himself–you know.' 'Why! He's mad, I said [Marlow said]." (Conrad, Heart of Darkness 70). Eventually, Kurtz reached
the point where he was solely driven by the material desire for ivory, and as a result, suffered the fate of madness; "Evidently the appetite for more
ivory had got the better of the–what shall I say? –less material aspirations," (Conrad, Heart of Darkness 71) Marlow asserted, referring to Kurtz.
It is apparent that Kurtz longed for ivory, but why is this material good so seductive and luring to him. What if we look at this from a
psychological perspective? Stephen Ross, from the University of Victoria, tries to answer this question by concluding that ivory's "real power lies in
its status as a fetishized signifier" (Ross, Desire in Heart of Darkness 71). He adds that ivory is "not only of the Company's desire, but also of its
employees' desire in as much as they earn percentages on the

Heart of Darkness
While I was reading the short story "Heart of Darkness," by Joseph Conrad, I recalled an essay I read back in Korea, titled "Why Do We Read
Novels." The writer of the essay states that the most common reason why we, as people, read novels is that it makes us ask ourselves how the justice
or injustice of the real world relates to that of the author's words. In this way, the short story "Heart of Darkness" portrays the experiences and thoughts
of Conrad through the tale of two important characters, Marlow and Mr. Kurtz. His work forces the reader to ponder questions of the morality,
humanity, and insanity which takes place in our human lives.
The story is a record of Marlow's journey to meeting Mr. Kurtz, a morally corrupted being who is a...show more content...
While Marlow was going up in the Congo River, he heard many words that implied something different than what he had previously expected of Mr.
Kurtz. At one of the stations, The Russian man told Marlow how he is a dedicated follower of Mr. Kurtz, which made Marlow realize that Kurtz's
moral doctrine might just be an outward appearance. All the while, Kurtz had been acting as a god among the natives, exploiting all their ivory,
sending it back to Belgium. He had been subjugated by the wilderness of the jungle, and thus lost some of his sanity.
After Marlow realized that anyone can fall prey to the erosion of the mind that the jungle inflicts on people, he discovers that in an environment where
there is no self–restraint and is filled with solitude, Kurtz is rather honest and straightforward with himself. The face that Kurtz makes at the moment of
his decease enables Marlow to presume that Kurtz had finally discovered the meaning of his life.
"I understand better the meaning of his stare, that could not see the flame of the candle, but was wide enough to embrace the whole universe, piercing
enough to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness. He had summed up –– he had judged. 'The horror!' He was a remarkable man. After all, this
was the expression of some sort of belief..."(p.313)
As shown above, Marlow

Heart Of Darkness Mood Essay
Heart of Darkness...What Does this really mean? Is it a mood you've been in since you were young that spond from your parents.Or is it something
that took many years of pain or is it something the was just in the moment . I personally feel that this story can relate to everyone no matter how
young or old. The feeling or mood, that something that one can relate too. The atmosphere helps determine what kind of mood the reader will have.
Most authors, use a painting or piece of literature will set the mood by using their atmosphere to enhance the theme of their creation. In Heart of
Darkness, Conrad tends to use mood and atmosphere to create a portrait called, the journey into the soul. The journey to the soul portrait is to find who
...show more content...
This relates to the readers by them being aware of their demeanor.The author hints that maybe perhaps there is a bit of Kurtz inside us as
humans.This must be something that relates to the theme and storyline as well as the characters play that role. Most of the characters in the novel
follow under general names such as, the manager, the helmsman etc. This is very interesting because why would Conrad use this approach. I think
possibly Conrad took that approach to express the feeling of lost identity.That proves that the journey to find self's inner identity is still intact today.
Finding one's self is a dangerous journey. I'm sure we all have plenty of distractions along the way that are categorized as temptation.These
temptations are wicked and can lead to dangerous suffering. Marlow "saw the inconceivable mystery of a soul that knew no restraint, no faith, no fear,
yet struggling blindly with itself." Conrad Anyone who read Heart of Darkness can go back and take a look at the character Kurtz and relate
themselves to a moment in their life that might have fallen into the darkness also this proves that the journey to the soul is not a pleasant

Heart Of Darkness
Due to Heart of Darkness' circular narrative structure, Marlow begins and concludes his story in identical positions: sitting on a boat on the River
Thames in a Buddha–like pose. Yet, while this circularity could imply an absence of progress or development, instead, it reflects Marlow's ongoing
search for meaning. Knowles (p.xxxi) expands, commenting, "... [Conrad] implies that the end is but a beginning to another telling." As such,
Marlow is trapped in an infinite retelling, searching for meanings that elude him. In fact, Marlow's atypical perception of meaning is emphasised
before his story commences, "... [to Marlow] the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel, but outside enveloping the tale (p.6)."
Thereafter, Marlow acknowledges his journey was "...not very clear...and yet it seemed to throw a kind of light (p.9)." These passages advise readers
not to expect a linear, finite narrative, while also foreshadowing Marlow's pursuit for interpretable meaning....show more content...
Nevertheless, obstacles preclude Marlow from conclusively understanding events. For example, recurrent fog prevents him from lucidly assessing
reality: "When the sun rose there was a white fog, very warm and clammy, and more blinding than the night (p.48)." Here, Marlow is literally and
symbolically blinded; he cannot see physical events, or abstract meanings. Moreover, Marlow frequently overhears isolated conversation fragments,
including a discussion between The Manager and his nephew (pp.38–40). Although Marlow understands what he literally hears, he lacks the context to
ascertain broader

Essay about Heart Of Darkness
"Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a
whisper at some image, at some vision–he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: The horror! The horror!"
What horror is Kurtz recounting as his final words? Truths lie inside the inner soul of all human beings, it is just a matter of when and where they will
come out. Kurtz choose to let his be known as his passing words. An epiphany, a passing glimpse, the realization of what he has created and destroyed,
willingly, or blindly going about hacking through the jungle blindfolded, searching for something of extrinsic importance. The narrator of Heart of
Darkness never lets the...show more content...
The savagery, when imagining those millions of Africans murdered all for the sake of ivory tusks, is too disheartening for the uninitiated person.
Some person, with the beast already inside their soul, could approach this task with no qualms about any methods used against fellow humans.
Kurtz had this characteristic. He had gotten off the boat and into the jungle, fully. He was no longer apart of this world, but still in it. The nature
of savagery had taken his whole being over; infact, any embodiment of European civilization had continued to fall overboard the farther down the
river he journeyed. The intricate woven fabric, with each tiny fiber being a thread of knowledge, experience, and lessons learned make up the
blanket of our personality. Kurtz had chosen to take a very sharp pair of scissors and cut away all that warmth this personality blanket provides. By
discarding the very nature of his being this left him hollow, a creature with a threaded existence, tattered and worn, he came apart at the seams. He
could no longer feel the same emotion, or emphasize with his fellow man. Therefore, the senseless violence he perpetuated, did not bother him, why
would it? He was the African's God, able to do as he pleased, he, and he alone, decided who shall

Throughout its entirety, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness utilizes many contrasts and paradoxes in an attempt to teach readers about the complexities
of both human nature and the world. Some are more easily distinguishable, such as the comparison between civilized and uncivilized people, and some
are more difficult to identify, like the usage of vagueness and clarity to contrast each other. One of the most prominent inversions contradicts the typical
views of light and dark. While typically light is imagined to expose the truth and darkness to conceal it, Conrad creates a paradox in which darkness
displays the truth and light blinds us from it. Initially, the story endorses the conventional views of Western society, exhibiting light as a
...show more
content...
When the paradox between Kurtz's Intended and his Mistress presents itself, it calls to attention the inversion of light and dark and the subsequent
reversal of truth and ignorance. His Mistress is a woman of the jungle, not only originating from it but, in essence, being it. She, in contrast to a
Western woman, is not hidden from the truth, but is, rather, submerged in it. "Her face had a tragic and fierce aspect of wild sorrow and of dumb pain
mingled with the fear of some struggling, half–shaped resolve" (Conrad 56). Unlike The Intended, she expresses "wild sorrow" and "dumb pain", deep
and immensely honest emotions. These emotions expressed are terrifically different than those of The Intended. "She carried her sorrowful head as
though she was proud of that sorrow" (Conrad 69). While Kurtz's Mistress conveyed raw pain and frantic fear, his Intended demonstrates a sort of
honorable mourning "as though she was proud of that sorrow". They also contrast in that his Mistress is depicted in dark and rich colors, fairly
exorbitant in dress. "a crimson spot on her tawny cheek, innumerable necklaces of glass beads on her neck; bizarre things, charms, gifts of witch men,
that hung about her, glittered and trembled at every step" (Conrad 56). Her skin is "tawny", she walks with "innumerable necklaces" and "bizarre
things" that "glittered and trembled". This paints a dark, vivid image that

The Novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is about an Ivory agent, Marlow, who is also the narrator of his journey up the Congo River into
the heart of Africa. Marlow witnesses many new things during his journey to find Mr. Kurtz. In Apocalypse Now, the narrator is Captain Willard, who
is also on a journey to find Kurtz. The Kurtz in the movie however is an American colonel who broke away from the American army and decided to
hide away in Cambodia, upon seeing the reality of the Vietnam War. The poem "The Hollow Men"talks about how humans' "hollowness" affects their
lives and often leads to the destruction of one's life. These three works all deal with similar issues, and are related to one another in many ways, and
also share...show more content...
"Everything belonged to him. It made me hold my breath in expectation of hearing the wilderness burst into a prodigious laughter..." Kurtz believed
that everything around him, such as the ivory, and the river all belonged to him. This greed eventually made him forget his identity and he ended up
becoming part of the jungle and dying there as a result. Such actions done by Kurtz and his men are a small but important example of what was really
happening in Africa by the Europeans during the colonial period. Kurtz's death represents the downfall failure of European imperialism in Africa.
The movie Apocalypse Now has a very similar thematic structure but a different issue. Colonel Kurtz in the movie could be an example of how the
Americans pretty much lost the Vietnam War. Kurtz realized what was happening around him. "The horror" to him was perhaps the war and the
impact of this war on the people's lives. Kurtz was sent to Cambodia to immunize the children, and was horrified to find out that the Vietcong had cut
off all the inoculated arms. This showed Kurtz the reality of war, and that was probably the point where Kurtz had lost his identity and no longer knew
why he was there and

Heart Of Darkness
Darkness is within us, whether we like it or not. However, the only thing that can conquer darkness is light. What happens if there is no light? This
dilemma is explored in Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness. Throughout the novel, Conrad successfully uses darkness as a symbol through the
use of flies, ivory and Marlow's journey through the Congo River. Throughout the novel, Conrad shows how as people explore the unknown they tend
to lose their innocence as they are exposed to the negative aspects of life. One's perspective might be different from another's, similarly, darkness can
be seen in many different ways. One of the ways darkness can be seen is through death. As Marlow's journey continues, he encounters many flies.
Whenever an...show more content...
Being lost there is horrifying as one may experience the true darkness of the river. As Marlow and his crew travel upstream towards Kurtz, they
struggle, which makes it seem that the river does not want them to go there. This reveals that the river is trying to expel all the light remaining and
trying to embrace the darkness. Additionally, Marlow's steamboat gets caught in a white fog. The colour white represents purity, however, in this
case it illustrates darkness. The white fog distorts Marlow and his crew's vision as a result, they have no idea what lies ahead in the open dark river.
Marlow and his team become afraid as they wonder what is going to happen next. Due to this, the darkness which lurks in their thoughts grabs a hold
of them. Later on in the novel, Marlow decides that he will go into the yellow colour which is dead in the centre, furthermore, he says "the river was
there–fascinating–deadly–like a snake" (14). Conrad depicts the Congo River as a snake, which reveals that the river holds a sense of danger and
adds onto the illustration of darkness. In summary, Conrad uses the nature of the river as a symbol to successfully express the true inner darkness.
Overall, Conrad successfully manages to use darkness as a symbol. Conrad expresses this by using the flies, ivory and Marlow's journey through the
Congo River. This goes to show that when one explores the unknown, it can cause them to experience and acquire

Heart Of Darkness Essay Questions
1# "The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than
ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much." Part 1, pg. 4
Issue: How does a society resolve the contradictions presented by freedom and equality?
Explanation: Marlow is about to begin his story with a comparison of the Romans expansion and the British colonization. Marlow displays his disgust
in the control and enslavement of other people. He after his experiences on his adventure in the jungle and seeing how they used the natives in the in
the ivory trade back to Europe. He relates the efficiency used by the British with the brutality used by the romans to show that they are not...show more
content...
In the jungle, there is an absence of society to control man and thus evil overcomes them. When there is an absence of society man feels free to do
what he wants and thus falls into the evil in his heart. Society is present it acts a barrier between man's dark heart and reality. Without a strong held
faith man loses out to the evil forces that reside in his heart. Therefore, as an individual presented to society one need a strong faith in God to continue
to be

Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness is a dark and haunting tale about the search for a substantial and mysteriously powerful man named Mr. Kurtz.
Heart of Darkness centers around Marlow, a sailor and also narrator of the novella. Throughout the work, Conrad uses an array of literary devices to
suggest his style of writing.
The title of the work itself, The Heart of Darkness, is an example of the use of metaphor. Darkness is a significant part of the book's title conceptually.
However, it is difficult to discern exactly what it might mean, given that absolutely everything in the book takes place in darkness. Africa, England,
and Brussels are all described as gloomy and somehow dark, even if the sun is shining brightly. Darkness thus...show more content...
Conrad uses repetition in a manner that allows the reader to fully see what he is attempting to emphasize..
The irony of the work lies within the title and the central theme– darkness versus light. The irony within the work is based on the fact that one must
travel through the darkness to get to the light.
Conrad's ability to manipulate the language and it's literary elements, makes the work quite interesting and intriguing to engage. The use of these
literary elements creates an aura within the work both complex and suspenseful.
According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, to civilize means to raise from barbarism to an enlightened stage of
development; bring out of a primitive or savage state, or to educate in matters of culture and refinement; make more polished or sophisticated.
In Heart of Darkness,the sense of the definition is dependent upon Mr. Kurtz's mission to promote his ideas as to what it means to be civilized. Mr.
Kurtz was a well–known man who has achieved a distinguished reputation for maintaining the ivory trade."Kurtz is a prodigy . . . He is an emissary
of pity and science and progress, and devil knows what else" (47).He could live a life of luxury by selling his ivory in Europe. The company's Chief
Accountant remarks, "He will be a somebody in the Administration before long. They, above–– the

Heart of Darkness Themes Essay
Jacob Lachini Ms. Batten ENG 4U1–03 Monday, October 29th, 2012. Literary Criticisms in Relation to Heart of Darkness Interpretation is the revenge
of the intellect upon art. Even more. It is the revenge of the intellect upon the world. To interpret is to impoverish, to deplete the world–– in order to
set up a shadow world of ''meanings," Susan Sontag. It is a persons interpretation of any form of literary work that defines itself, what the author
intends a reader to discover may be completely different from what the reader interprets. In the novel, The Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, a
reader can understand and identify the thematic aspects of the novel by studying the literary criticism theories of historicism,...show more content...
I wasn't very interested in him. No. Still, I was curious to see whether this man, who had come out equipped with moral ideas of some sort, would climb
to the top after all and how he would set about his work when there" (Pg. 102). Marlow's concerns are questionable due to the fact that he has never
even met Kurtz and if the readers understand why Marlow is concerned, they will further their understanding of the novel. Marlow's complexity is
difficult to understand, however, by studying the literary criticism theory of psychoanalytic, we can identify the relationship between Marlow and the
author and the choices he makes throughout the novel. Studying the Marxist theory of literary criticisms can help readers better understand the context
of the novel. In the novel, Marxist theory can help readers identify the economic situations throughout the novel. This is portrayed through the
accountant in white, the conditions of the chain gang and the fire in the shed. The economic situation in the novel is portrayed by the white men's
wealth and the native's slavery. The accountant in white portrays his character as an arrogant human being and he flaunts his arrogance. Marlow
describes the accountant in white, "His appearance was certainly that of a hairdresser's dummy; but in the great demoralization of the land he kept up
his appearance. That's backbone. His starched collars and got–up shirt–fronts were achievements of

Heart of Darkness Essay
Heart of Darkness Darkness permeates every circumstance, scene, and character in Joseph Conrad's novella, Heart of Darkness. Darkness symbolizes
the moral confusion that Charlie Marlow encounters, as well as the moral reconciliation he has within himself while searching for Kurtz. Marlow's
morals are challenged numerous times throughout the book; on the Congo river and when he returns to Brussels. Charlie Marlow characterizes the
behavior of the colonialists with, "The flabby, pretending, weak–eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly," (25). Marlow distinguishes "the devil"
from violence, greed, and desire. He suggests that the basic evil of imperialism is not that it perpetrates violence against native peoples, or...show more
content...
However, he continuously interprets the actions in the world surrounding him. "Going up river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of
the world...prehistoric earth," (59) reflects the Europeans inclination to regard the natives as primitive. Marlow's notion of traveling back in time is
later reinforced by the arrows and spears that are used in the attack on his ship, "Sticks, little sticks, were flying about...Arrows by Jove, we were
being shot at," (79). Marlow is distraught by the natives he sees along the river bank, "...and the men were––No, they were not inhuman. Well, you
know, that was the worst of it–this suspicion of their not being inhuman," (62). Marlow realizes though that the natives are no different from an
uneducated and ignorant European. This realization is significant to the personal development of Charlie Marlow and explains his treatment to the
natives later in the novella. Further insight to the relationship between Kurtz and the Russian trader is offered in section three. Although the Russian
trader is naГЇve, he came to Africa in search of the same thing as Marlow; something experimental. They both aligned themselves with Kurtz. For
Marlow, Kurtz represented the choice of outright exploitation over the hypocritical justifications of cruelty. "'Nevertheless, I think Mr. Kurtz is a
remarkable man," (112) Marlow is willing to put aside the reality of Kurtz's cruel and selfish behavior, in order to satisfy the

1.Some critics believe that in Heart of Darkness Conrad illustrates how ''the darkness of the landscape can lead to the darkness of the social
corruption." This statement means that if the environment is dark, then the people in that environment will match the surrounding feeling, which is
dark and depressing. For example, if it is a gloomy rainy day, most people feel tired and not as happy. If it is a bright sunny day, the most people feel
motivated to get things done and joyful. Yes, this statement is believable because I have noticed that the weather, my surroundings, and even other
people's behaviors around me affect my mood. Today, for instance, it rained all day and the sky was dark, as a result I slept throughout the whole...show
more content...
In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is depicted as an upstanding European who has been transformed by his time in the jungle– being away from the society he
was used to that could have prevented him from becoming such a tyrant. I have experienced being in a situation where I was very different from
the people around me. It forced me to figure out their interests so I was able to join in on their conversations. By the end of the day, I no longer felt
alone. So that experience taught me that I am going to come across diversity in life, but I need to be open and accepting of it. If I had chosen to just
be shy, I wouldn't have learned this lesson. I didn't find myself being pulled toward base, cruel instincts as Kurtz, but I think that's because Kurtz had no
one to control him. If a person gains that much power, it may lead to the transformation that Kurtz experienced. –pg. 144 "But his soul was mad. Being
alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself, and, by heavens! I tell you, it had gone mad."
4.Kurtz dying words are a cryptic whisper: "The horror, the horror". There could be more than one possibility of the "horror" Kurtz could have been
talking about. I think that it symbolizes the darkness of Kurtz's tyrant and savage–like qualities that he gained when he lived with the natives. When he

Heart of Darkness: Psychoanalytic Criticism
Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud
developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly
concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Through his multiple case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that most of our
actions are motivated by psychological forces over which we have very limited control (Guerin 127). One of Freud's most important contributions to
the study of the psyche is his theory of repression: the unconscious mind is a repository of repressed desires,...show more content...
And though a large part of the ego is unconscious, it nevertheless includes what we think of as the conscious mind.
The superego is a projection of the ego. It is the moral censoring agency; the part that makes moral judgments and the repository of conscience and
pride. It brings reason, order and social acceptability to the otherwise uncontrolled and potentially harmful realm of biological impulses (Guerin
128–31).
Freud's theories have launched what is now known as the psychoanalytic approach to literature. Freud was interested in writers, especially those who
depended largely on symbols. Such writers tend to tinge their ideas and figures with mystery or ambiguity that only make sense once interpreted, just
as the analyst tries to figure out the dreams and bizarre actions that the unconscious mind of a neurotic releases out of repression. A work of literature
is thus treated as a fantasy or a dream that Freudian analysis comes to explain the nature of the mind that produced it. The purpose of a work of art is
what psychoanalysis has found to be the purpose of the dream: the secret gratification of an infantile and forbidden wish that has been repressed into the
unconscious (Wright 765).
The literal surface of a work of literature is sometimes called the "manifest content" and treated as "manifest dream" or "dream story." The
psychoanalytic literary critic tries to analyze the latent, underlying content of the work, or the "dream thought" hidden in

Heart Of Darkness Analytical Essay
In the novel Heart of Darkness, the character Marlow travels in a steamship into the Congo to find and bring back Kurtz and his stash of ivory.
Marlow spent much of his journey fantasizing about the man called Kurtz that he had never seen before, only heard about. However, when the
moment of the meeting finally arrives, Marlow is met with a sickly man reaching his end. They bring him onto the steamship to take him back to
Europe, but he dies soon after, leaving Marlow with his last words: "The horror! The horror!" (Conrad 64). As his life leaves him, Kurtz realizes the
evils he and the Europeans have committed, leaving him with only these last thoughts. Kurtz's greed for ivory runs deep. He managed to convince a
native tribe to follow him

Heart Of Darkness
In Joseph Conrad's famous novella Heart of Darkness, Conrad's characterization of his alter ego Charlie Marlow is a mere mirror reflection of
Conrad's psychological, dynamic development during the course of his nautical experience at sea in the "beastly, beastly dark" Congo Free State. The
Polish born English novelist, christened JГіzef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in 1857, driven by his passions to "follow the sea" received his first
command–as an official British citizen and certified sea master–in the year 1888. In 1890, he "took a steamboat up the Congo River in nightmarish
circumstances that permanently afflicted his health and imagination"–an experience, which is, reflected in his fictional account Heart of Darkness
(Greenblatt 2404). Conrad's...show more content...
The only ones to progress were the conquerors, whose "strength [and success was] just an accident arising from the weakness of others" (Conrad
7),–where their professed acts of benefice were just acts of "robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind–as is
very proper for those who tackle a darkness" (Conrad 7). Witnessing the ill–treatment people suffered caused by imperial colonialism enforced by
European traders first hand, Marlow's pessimistic character undergoes a dynamic change in sensibility from his experience of "The horror! The horror!"
which "represents despair at the encounter with human depravity–the heart of darkness" (Encyclopedia of Literature 526).
As a meditating Buddha of wisdom and gen, this new sense of consciousness affirms the overall significance of Marlow's journey into the Congo,
which was ultimately a quest for "gaining self–knowledge in which the crucial experience is a process of maturation into...adulthood" (Karl).
Marlow's experience just as Odysseus and Gulliver's can be illustrated as Victorian Poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson paints in his dramatic monologue
"Ulysses," Latin for Odysseus, as: A bringer of new things; and vile it were For some three suns to store and hoard myself, And this gray

Morality has been interpreted in different ways throughout life, but there is only one true definition, which leads to the reality of what society truly
is. Joseph Conrad uses narration in Heart of Darkness to explain and analyze human's moral values. It is true that all humans are savages, but this
savage nature does not make someone a bad person. If a person uses one's savage features for evil and do not restrain from doing so, then it is the
lack of restraint that brings upon the evil in humans. Restraint is necessary for the sake of mankind because it helps a person to ease into
understanding the harsh reality of life. Morality is the ability to restrain from using one's savage nature for the demise of...show more content...
In the colonization of the Congo, the strong Europeans did not restrain from using their savage nature and took away all freedom for greed. The
natives, which are cannibals in this case, are strong and powerful in this situation and can probably destroy the Europeans and take away their
freedom as well, but they do not. They restrain from doing something that is wrong: winning an unfair fight. This concludes that because of restraint
the natives understand right and wrong and the Europeans do not. The ability to restrain allows individuals to act morally and therefore leads to a
much more stable society. Restraint not only allows humans to act justly, it also helps people to understand life and its cruelty better. The truth, hidden
beneath the lies of society, creates negative affects to humans once it is uncovered. Humans use lies to cope with life to such an extent that the lie
itself becomes the truth because it is engraved within the mind of the individual. The harshness of life is the realization that the life one lives is a lie.
Sometimes this realization is so intense people cannot accept it and will eventually collapse, which will in turn cause society to collapse as well.
Conrad uses the concept of the lie being the truth to show that humans try to make sense of life even though

Heart Of Darkness
First and foremost, In "Heart of Darkness" the internal and external conflicts are intertwined with Marlow's trip into colonial Africa. Initially
seeking adventure, Marlow is looking forward to taking a journey up the Congo River to find Kurtz, a man who he initially looks up to. However,
during the trip, Marlow encounters many external conflicts that begin to change his internal beliefs. His journey is a difficult one and the external
conflicts Marlow sees are horrible. He sees a French ship shelling the bush country but there seem to be no humans in sight. He sees naked black
men dead and dying of disease. His boat is fired upon by supporters of Kurtz. Finally, when Marlow meets Kurtz, he finds a man who he can't look up
to. He sees and feels how low a...show more content...
He feels greatly out of place, disgusted by these things. It is through his eyes, then, that we can experience the terrible situation the Europeans have
created to strip the land for personal profit. The darkness no longer applies only to the shadowy jungle, but to the blackness of men's souls. This is a
land of mystery, and what is unknown is used to create the mood and influence the reader. With every terrible act Marlow witnesses, the reader is
more disgusted; we learn more about Kurtz and Marlow–the setting provides the opportunity for characterization. Part of the suspense of the story rests
in the unknown dangers in the jungles. This also comes from the story's setting. All this prepares the reader for butchery, human sacrifice, and Kurtz's
complete moral degradation–the same man who is worshiped by the natives as their chief...like a god. When Kurtz is found, he is completely mad and
physically ill–changed by what he has done and what he has seen. The setting affects the mood, the characterization and the plot development. The
setting allows for more realistic plot development, and as a result, more credible

Heart of Darkness Inner Darkness

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Heart of Darkness Inner Darkness