Many times in a novel there is a line that is most memorable. This line sticks out
more than all the rest. It possesses a certain amount of excitement and intrigue with which
the reader can relate. This line can usually be found in other books, casual conversation,
movies, and other medias. The line is used over and over again and it becomes a part of
history and life. People recognize the line without even knowing the origin of the line or
the historical and literary meaning behind the line. The Heart of Darkness possesses one
of these unforgettable lines. The line is found at the end of the book and expresses the
change in a character's mental health. This line results in a change in the meaning and
Kurtz had originally ventured into "the jungle" to help the backward races. He
was moved though, by the eternal forces of power and security. Kurtz's intentions began
in all sincerity. He even defined all of them in the seventeen pages of his pamphlet. But
the four words scrawled at the end of these pages revealed his true impulses in short:
"Exterminate all the brutes!" Kurtz ended up reverting to savagery himself. Kurtz not
only killed some of the brutes but put their heads on stakes around his house. Kurtz had
been claimed by the powers of darkness. Kurtz returns to the moral universe only in the
final hours of his life. One realizes this when Kurtz cried out as his final words and the
most memorable of lines, "The horror! The horror!"
These simple words reveal so many different meanings to the story. First of all
"The horror! The horror!" tell the reader that Kurtz is judging all of the adventures of his
soul while he was on earth. Kurtz has realized all the evil and immoral events that he has
been through in his lifetime. This line also makes one realize that Kurtz has regained his
...