Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Introduction :

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a novella that continues to resonate with readers and scholars alike, more than a century after its publication in 1899. This complex and haunting narrative delves into the darkest corners of human nature and the devastating impacts of imperialism. Set against the backdrop of colonial Africa, it invites readers to question civilization, morality, and the thin veneer that separates order from chaos.

Joseph Conrad :

Joseph Conrad (born December 3, 1857, Berdichev, Ukraine, Russian Empire died August 3, 1924, Canterbury, Kent, England) was an English novelist and short-story writer of Polish descent, whose works include the novels Lord Jim (1900), Nostromo (1904), and The Secret Agent (1907) and the short story “Heart of Darkness” (1902). During his lifetime, Conrad was admired for the richness of his prose and his renderings of dangerous life at sea and in exotic places. But his initial reputation as a masterful teller of colourful adventures of the sea masked his fascination with the individual when faced with nature’s invariable unconcern, man’s frequent malevolence, and his inner battles with good and evil. To Conrad, the sea meant above all the tragedy of loneliness. A writer of complex skill and striking insight, but above all of an intensely personal vision, he has been increasingly regarded as one of the greatest English novelists.

Key Facts : 

Full Title : Heart of Darkness

Author : Joseph Conrad

Type Of Work : Novella (between a novel and a short story in length and scope)

Genre : Symbolism, colonial literature, adventure tale, frame story, almost a romance in its insistence on heroism and the supernatural and its preference for the symbolic over the realistic

Language : English

Time And Place Written : England, 1898–1899; inspired by Conrad’s journey to the Congo in 1890

Date Of First Publication : Serialized in Blackwood’s magazine in 1899; published in 1902 in the volume Youth: A Narrative; and Two Other Stories

Publisher : J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd.

Characters :

Narrative Structure and Style

Conrad’s narrative style in Heart of Darkness is notable for its use of frame narrative, where Marlow’s story is told within the context of another story being narrated by an unnamed narrator. This technique creates a sense of distance and ambiguity, allowing readers to engage more deeply with the themes and symbols presented.

The language and imagery in the novella are rich and evocative, creating a sense of foreboding and unease. Conrad’s prose captures the oppressive atmosphere of the Congo and the psychological turmoil experienced by Marlow.

Plot Summary :

Heart of Darkness begins on the deck of the Nellie, a British ship anchored on the coast of the Thames. The anonymous narrator, the Director of Companies, the Accountant, and Marlow sit in silence. Marlow begins telling the three men about a time he journeyed in a steamboat up the Congo River. For the rest of the novel (with only minor interruptions), Marlow narrates his tale.

As a young man, Marlow desires to visit Africa and pilot a steamboat on the Congo River. After learning of the Company — a large ivory-trading firm working out of the Congo — Marlow applies for and receives a post. He leaves Europe in a French steamer.

At the Company's Outer Station in the Congo, Marlow witnesses scenes of brutality, chaos, and waste. Marlow speaks with an Accountant, whose spotless dress and uptight demeanor fascinate him. Marlow first learns from the Accountant of Kurtz — a "remarkable" agent working in the interior. Marlow leaves the Outer Station on a 200-mile trek across Africa, and eventually reaches the Company's Central Station, where he learns that the steamboat he is supposed to pilot up the Congo was wrecked at the bottom of the river. Frustrated, Marlow learns that he has to wait at the Central Station until his boat is repaired.

Marlow then meets the Company's Manager, who told him more about Kurtz. According to the Manager, Kurtz is supposedly ill, and the Manager feigns great concern over Kurtz's health — although Marlow later suspects that the Manager wrecked his steamboat on purpose to keep supplies from getting to Kurtz. Marlow also meets the Brickmaker, a man whose position seems unnecessary, because he doesn't have all the materials for making bricks. After three weeks, a band of traders called The Eldorado Exploring Expeditionled by the Manager's uncle — arrives.

One night, as Marlow is lying on the deck of his salvaged steamboat, he overhears the Manager and his uncle talk about Kurtz. Marlow concludes that the Manager fears that Kurtz is trying to steal his job. His uncle, however, told him to have faith in the power of the jungle to "do away" with Kurtz.

Marlow's boat is finally repaired, and he leaves the Central Station (accompanied by the Manager, some agents, and a crew of cannibals) to bring relief to Kurtz. Approximately fifty miles below Kurtz's Inner Station, they find a hut of reeds, a woodpile and an English book titled An Inquiry into some Points of Seamanship. As it crept toward Kurtz, Marlow's steamboat is attacked by a shower of arrows. The Whites fire rifles into the jungle while Marlow tries to navigate the boat. A native helmsman is killed by a large spear and thrown overboard. Assuming that the same natives who are attacking them have already attacked the Inner Station, Marlow feels disappointed now that he will never get the chance to speak to Kurtz.

Themes : 

1) The Hypocrisy of Imperialism :

Heart of Darkness explores the complex issues of imperialism through Marlow’s journey from the Outer Station to the Inner Station in Africa. Along the way, he witnesses scenes of cruelty, torture, and forced labor, exposing the harsh realities of colonialism. The European colonizers claim they are involved in “trade” and “civilizing” the natives, but their actions show otherwise.

Kurtz, one of the main characters, is brutally honest about his methods. He admits he doesn’t trade but takes ivory by force and rules through violence. His openness about his cruelty threatens to reveal the dark truth behind European colonization, leading to his downfall.

However, the book also shows a deeper issue: how Africans are portrayed. They are treated not as real people but as objects or a backdrop for Marlow’s personal struggles and reflections. For example, Marlow calls his African helmsman a piece of machinery, and Kurtz’s African mistress is described like a statue.

While Heart of Darkness criticizes the lies and brutality of imperialism, it also reflects racist attitudes by dehumanizing Africans, making them secondary to the European characters’ stories. This subtle form of racism is harder to notice but just as troubling.

"Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman draped and blindfolded carrying a lighted torch. The background was sombre—almost black. The movement of the woman was stately, and the effect of the torchlight on the face was sinister."

2) Madness as a Result of Imperialism : 

In Heart of Darkness, madness is closely connected to imperialism. The harsh environment of Africa causes both physical sickness and mental breakdowns. Madness serves two main purposes in the story:

1. Creating Sympathy: From the start, Kurtz is described as mad. However, as Marlow and the reader learn more about him, it becomes clear that “madness” is a relative term. In the corrupt world of the Company, it’s hard to say who is truly insane. This makes both Marlow and the reader feel sympathy for Kurtz and view the Company more critically.

2. Highlighting the Need for Social Rules: The story shows that even though social rules and moral values are often false or harmful, they are still necessary to maintain order. In the wilderness, away from society’s control, people lose their sense of right and wrong. Kurtz has unlimited power and answers to no one, which drives him mad. The story suggests that no person can handle absolute power alone without losing their humanity.

"Everything belonged to him—but that was a trifle. The thing was to know what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own. That was the reflection that made you creepy all over…He had taken a high seat amongst the devils of the land—I mean literally."

3) The Absurdity of Evil : 

Heart of Darkness is mainly about hypocrisy, moral confusion, and the blurry line between right and wrong. The story breaks the idea of choosing the “lesser evil.” Marlow, the narrator, must decide between two bad options: the corrupt and deceitful colonial bureaucracy or the violent and lawless Kurtz. Judging either seems pointless because normal moral rules don’t seem to apply in such a twisted world. Can someone be called insane in a world that’s already gone mad?

Marlow witnesses absurd situations that reflect this confusion. For example, he sees a man trying to carry water in a bucket with a hole in it and native workers blasting a hillside for no reason. These ridiculous acts seem just as meaningless as the more serious horrors, like Kurtz’s cruel reign. The fact that Marlow reacts similarly to both shows how deeply mixed up and hypocritical the world around him has become. The story suggests that in such a chaotic world, moral clarity is impossible.

4) Contradiction and Ambivalence : 

Heart of Darkness is filled with contradictions, especially regarding European characters who represent imperialism. For instance, Marlow describes Fresleven, the captain he replaces, as harmless. Yet, Fresleven dies violently after a fight over hens, showing the contradiction between his peaceful image and his brutal end.

The European mission claims to bring civilization to “savages” but often spreads violence instead. An example is the Company’s accountant, who stays perfectly groomed despite the station’s filth and chaos. His neat appearance symbolizes civilization in the jungle but also highlights the false promise of the colonial mission.

Marlow himself is full of contradictions. He says he believes in the “idea” of colonialism but tells a story showing its horrors. He criticizes how Europeans treat African workers but still sees Africans as inferior. When his African helmsman dies, Marlow calls him “a savage” and “an instrument,” yet also claims they had “a kind of partnership,” unaware of the conflicting way he views the man.

Marlow’s final reflection on life is another contradiction. He calls life a “mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose.” This suggests life is both logical and meaningless at the same time—a puzzle with no clear answer. The contradictions throughout the story reveal the complexity of human nature and the false ideals behind imperialism.

 "When near the buildings I met a white man in such an unexpected elegance of get-up that in the first moment I took him for a sort of vision. I saw a high, starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca jacket, snowy trousers, a clean necktie, and varnished boots. No hat. Hair parted, brushed, oiled, under a green-lined parasol held in his big white hand."

Conclusion

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a timeless exploration of the human condition. It forces readers to confront the unsettling truths about imperialism, morality, and the capacity for evil that resides within us all. As Marlow ventures into the literal heart of darkness, we are left to ponder the boundaries between civilization and savagery, and whether such boundaries truly exist.

The novella's haunting message continues to echo in a world still grappling with the legacies of colonialism, making it a work that challenges us to look within ourselves, to confront our own darkness, and to question the systems of power that shape our world.

Reading more : 

Heart of Darkness from Kehkeshan Glaxy