The Heart of Darkness
Every individual in this world has a heart of darkness. Some keep it tucked away, never to be seen, while others use it as a model for living. Joseph Conrad uses this philosophy to show how man struggles to find the balance between good and evil everyday. Conrad conveys his message through his character, Marlow, a simple man who is proud of his work and is only trying to survive. The heart of darkness is something that all of the characters introduced throughout this story struggle with. Learning to fight their way to the top and overcome the obstacles that are constantly thrown in the way is what this account is all about. In the very beginning this can be seen when Marlow seeks help in finding work from his aunt. This is a great insult to a man of this time, to ask a woman for help but his desire to move up forces him to take seemingly drastic measures. The heart of Africa is used as a metaphor for life. This becomes very evident early in the story. "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 ( Conrad 21)." When one looks into this qu
It is not something that can simply be ignored, nor can it be bottled up inside forever. Living behind his mask is the only way that Marlow is able to survive in the abstract situation that he is living in. His concern runs deep, while at the same time he must create a mask to wear in everyday life. They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages (Conrad 30). This idea is found throughout the entire story, if it is looked for. The pilgrims who made the journey with him thought that he was a cold and heartless man who felt no remorse for anything that he did. While Kurtz seems to be a strong-minded individual, living in the jungle brought out the worst in his own heart of darkness. He could quickly see how great of an effect the jungle can have on an individual, "I tried to break the spell-the heavy, mute spell of the wilderness-that seemed to draw him into its pitiless breast by the awakening of forgotten and brutal instincts, by the memory of gratified and monstrous passions (Conrad 83). His ability to overlook the flaws of others seems nonexistent. He picks the people that he encounters apart, finding every imperfection and basing his judgments of the individual upon his discoveries. I saw on that ivory face the expression of somber pride, of ruthless power, of craven terror-of an intense and hopeless despair. His description of the slaves and their movements causes one to feel that he cares for them. He is trying to show that even the smallest of individuals' sets goals and will step on anyone to obtain them. ote, one can see that through gaining in life others will suffer. The, "law that had come from the sea," refers to the British and all that he was there to continue doing.
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