The Heart of Darkness is an example of the kinds of dilemmas that met the European trading companies as they set out into the uncharted lands of Africa. The main character Marlow is new to his company and when he arrives in Africa he is immediately presented with the atrocities and geographic obstacles that set the tone for the darkness he is entering. While Marlow is repulsed by the treatment of the natives he does not condemn his counterparts for their abusive tactics. Like them he had been told the continent of Africa was a raw, untamed place with a people who have no moral standard to live by. It was to be the understood goal of the companies then to bring civilization and “morality” to the natives of Africa. Kurtz, the man that ends up being the true destination of Marlow’s journey up the river into the heart of Africa, comes to represent the inner evil that Conrad believes exists in every man. It is in fact the journey into the wild and uncivilized place that brings out the evil in Kurtz and other men in the company. There is an opportunity to play god to the natives and Kurtz cannot resist.
The opinions most Europeans had of Africa and its inhabitants is clearly stated in Harlow in Carter, particularly in the passa
. . .
Marlow refers to them as animals, sometimes sarcastically, sometimes not. to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart. They are at the mercy of the land, and if they are corrupted by it, they will become Kurtz. He was attracted to Kurtz’s strength and workmanship after hearing about him from the manager. Anytime a “civilized” people attempt to infiltrate an “uncivilized” world, there will be a clash of morality with the temptation to play god for the explorers. He says, “Going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and big trees were kings. Conrad’s book may be interpreted to say that the evil in all of us will surface when we are put in an uncivilized situation. By this time Kurtz’s character already has a great deal of mythology attached to it. He described the area as “Poisonous to the European. The characters in the book certainly perpetuate that idea in their treatment of Africans. ” So the employees of the trading companies entered Africa with the idea that they would be dealing more of an animal than a human when they met the natives.
The Europeans journey into the untamed heart of Africa is symbolic of any colonial endeavor. ” Kurtz is known as the best trader and sends the best ivory back from his station.
Approximate Word count =
921
Approximate Pages =
4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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