No summary, no dissecting out of a "subject," is adequate to express the intention and significance of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". The theme is not schematic; it is embodied in the metaphors, in the structural pattern, and the step-by-step flow of the narration. However, Conrad does have one identifiable chief concern. As he himself stated in a letter to F. N. Doubleday on June 2, 1924: "I think that an author who tries to 'explain' is exposing himself to a very great risk-the risk of confessing himself a failure. For a work of art should speak for itself. Yet much could be said on the other side; for it is also clear that a work of art is not a logical demonstration carrying its intention on the face of it."
             "Heart of Darkness" has it significant public side, as a heated document on illogical and brutal exploitation. It may be read merely to shock, yet it is evidence of things seen and done. To attempt to understand the purpose of the story, it is important to first closely evaluate Marlow's character. One would think that Marlow is merely the obvious medium through which we examine the exploitation of the Congo natives and the degradation of Mr. Kurtz, the 'hollow man.' However, "Heart of Darkness" is above all concerned with the influence of the country and of Kurtz on Marlow. One could conclude this from Marlow's own words. "It was the farthest point of navigation and the culminating point of my experience. It seemed somehow to throw a kind of light on everything about me-and into my thoughts. It was somber enough too-and pitiful-not extraordinary in any way-not very clear either. No, not very clear. And yet it seemed to
             throw a kind of light"(Conrad, 2307). The voyage is both into the dense darkness of Africa and into the darkness of Marlow's thoughts.
             In any event, it is important to recognize that the story is not primarily about Kurtz or about the cruelty of Belgian officials but about Marlow its narrator. ...