Heart of Darkness, in fact is a magnum opus by the Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad. It remarkably reflects the colonial invasion of Europeans in Africa. Hence, Chinua Achebe vehemently raises his voice of protest against Conrad in his critique "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness". In “An Image of Africa,” Achebe proposes that in the novel Heart of Darkness, the Polish British novelist Joseph Conrad fundamentally misrepresents his African characters so that they reinforce perceptions of African people, culture, and environment as savage and prehistoric.
It has gained great name and fame when T.S. Eliot, in his poem The Hollow Men, used a line of Heart of Darkness "Mistah Kurtz, he dead," as the motto of the poem. The theme of the novel is universal as it deals with the lust for adventure as well as greed, on account of that men visit the remote, unknown undiscovered, far off places. Though it is a very thin book yet regarded as one of the "universal classics".
Significance of the Title
The heart of darkness of the title is at once the heart of Africa, the heart of all the evil aspects of man. Thus title is most significant and suggestive of the content. The writer juxtaposed the dark landscape with the mindscape of humankind in Africa.
On the surface level it deals with the journey of Marlow into the dark continents of Congo. He narrates his experience of exploring that period. It is just like Roman conquerors who invaded England, likewise white Europeans are going into Congo regions to exploit them and loot as much material wealth as possible. The essence of the journey is related to a man Mr. Kurtz who has become a devil-incarnate and Marlow brings him back to Europe because he was seriously ill and in utmost need of medical treatment.
On the other hand this novel is a story of symbolic journey, a journey to explore the dark region (subconscious) of mind. Marlow reveals his inner mind and also provides the pshychological study of the characters he met during his journey. He has very well portrayed Mr. Kurtz's traits, attitudes, manners, behaviour, opinions etc. Marlow's journey is also a journey of exploring into the heart of evil that is lurking everywhere. Mr. Kurtz symbolises greed, cruelity, inhumanity, brutality, savagery, ruthlessness etc. Thus, this voyage helps Marlow to understand the real nature of evil.
Characterization in Heart of Darkness
Conrad has used the technique of "multiple point of view" in which a character is presented through different angles and eyes. Like the modern novelists, Conrad also takes interest in the complexities, intricacies and subtleties of human soul but he presents his most complicated and mysterious character through the eyes of other characters in the Heart of Darkness. Mr. Kurtz is presented and judged through various eyes like the Accountant, Manager, Brick maker, the Russian, Marlow himself, Mr. Kurtz's fiancee etc. The Russian was profoundly influenced by Mr. Kurtz and expressed his extreme devotion, esteem and love. He remained so intimate to Mr. Kurtz that he served him during his two illness. He said that Kurtz was a great and virtuous man of progressive ideas. He made Marlow aware of the conspiracy of white men to crush Mr. Kurtz and threw a great light upon Mr. Kurtz's lust for ivory and transformation into savage but his tone was full of praise and appreciation for Mr. Kurtz.
Then Manager and Brickmaker also informed Marlow about Mr Kurtz that he was becoming so popular because of the grand accumulation of ivory and that very soon he would get his promotion. Mr. Kurtz's beloved also showed her love and esteem for Kurtz Marlow has narrated his own view on Mr. Kurtz also that he was very eloquent; fascinating and impressive. In spite of knowing that he had completely identified himself to the devil he found something irresistable in Mr. Kurtz. Thus Mr. Kurtz is judged by various point of views in Heart of Darkness.
The autobiographical element in Heart of Darkness
Marlow's journey to Congo reflects to a certain degree Conrad's own voyage to the dark continent of Africa (Congo). Marlow and Conrad both were fascinated by the Congo in their very childhood and they were given the opportunity to sail upon with the help of their aunt. When the company's doctor asked Marlow if anybody was mad is his family, Conrad himself, also was considered mad when he sailed in 1890 on his voyage into the heart of darkness. Conrad too, must have experienced the same maddening horror and sensation which Marlow received during his voyage. He also felt disgust at seeing the exploitation of the backwards by white men, their cruelty and treacherous attitude towards them. Conrad was appalled by such inhuman attitude of the white men as experienced by Marlow. In fact Marlow is regarded as a mouthpiece of Joseph Conrad. He resembles Conrad himself in the nature, temperament, experience etc.
Symbolism in Heart of Darkness
The modern writers are profound and complex in their thought. Symbolism means a deeper meaning, an inner meaning that is indicated in what meets the eye. In Heart of Darkness right from the very title to the end we get profusion of symbolism, in other words this novel is replete with symbolist suggestions. This novel is not just the story of Marlow's voyage to Congo region but also reflection of Conrad's own experiences that he had felt during his own journey to Congo. Conrad has tried to convey the elusive truth underlying historical facts and personal experience. Thus, Marlow is not only a character or narrator in the novel but symbolic of the writer with a penetrating insight into the human mind; he is symbolical of the spirit of adventure and love of knowledge as well as of the contemporary interest in Human psychology.
Mr. Kurtz, the protagonist, suggests the white man's greed, materialism and passion for power. He represents repentant sinner and also how barbarism and savagery influences a civilized man. The other characters like Manager of the Central station is symbolical of inefficiency, spiritual emptiness and barrenness. The Brickmaker who acts as an informer to the Manager and regarded by Marlow as "papier-mache (hard and dry) Mephistopheles" symbolizes cunningness and treachery. The white-men, as said "faithless-pilgrims", are representing complete absence of any faith, moral or belief. The native women and Mr. Kurtz's fiancee represent woman's extreme devotion and steadfast loyalty to the man whom they love.
There are few other symbolical elements like ivory. It is ivory that motivates the white men to come over the dark region of Congo. It is symbolical of white men's monstrous greed, on account of that they become ready to kill even each other. Few sights like aimless firing of gun and useless blasting of rock represent greedy mind or rather a destructive mind of the whites. The pathetic scene of six men chained together, the starving and dying men symbolize the misery of the natives who do not receive any sympathy from the white colonizers. The words like "whited-sepulchre used for Brussels, faithless-pilgrims", etc. are pregnant with another meaning. "Whited-sepulchre" is a phrase used for city of Brussels means something that outwardly looks pleasant and beautiful but inwardly full of corruption and misery Thus this novel is rich in symbolical suggestions.
The novel remarkably conveys even more themes like theme of evil, theme of imperialism and the theme of exploitation.
Theme of imperialism is rampant to us in the very beginning of the novel when Marlow tells about the ancient Roman conquerors. They were too brute and inflicted many cruelities to the English. Their conquest was a kind of "robbery with violence". They captured and ceased whatever they got, they robbed, ruined and shed lot of blood everywhere.
In the novel Heart of Darkness ivory is the cause behind white men's arrival to Congo region. These white persons wanted to satisfy their lust of greed by collecting as much material wealth as possible and motivated by these two passions they explored the dark region of Congo and exploited men over there a lot. Ivory was hovering over the thoughts of the white people like Manager of the Central station, Brick maker, Mr. Kurtz, Russian etc. Thus there was no moral purpose of white men in coming to Congo. They were not intended to ameliorate the conditions of native's life, their sole inclination was exploiting the black men in order to gain more power and money. Conrad has condemned the imperialistic attitude of white men in the novel. But, certain inferior and derogatory terms used by the writer still remains as problematic. That is why the writers like Achebe reacted against Conrad.
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