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The Sick Twist Nothing is black or white but an odd shade of gray that seems to change every time you look at it. Everything in life is driven by something that is inherent in most people, greed. But greed being one of the seven sins can only be counterbalanced by something else. Spreading the word of religion. This has been true for many centuries and Heart of Darkness is a striking example of this.
Since the dawn of time and the creation of belief systems people have always felt the need to spread their ideas to their neighbors in peaceful and not so peaceful manners; ironically, since the dawn of time and the creation of belief systems people have always felt the need to take from those they were ministering to, most of the time not so peacefully. Missionaries, adventurers, thrill-seekers, and those in search of fame, glory, and money have always set their heart on going to the unknown and discovering it. As if it was lost. But most missions do their job very successfully. Not only do they steal but they manage to destroy cultures in the surrounding areas in the name of faith. I see King Leopold II s point when he said: Europe s aim was to open [the Congo] to civilization the only part of our globe where Christianity has not yet penetrated and to pierce the darkness which envelopes the entire population.
But it s the motives behind that penetration and piercing that is wrong. Europe wasn t in the Congo for converting them to Christians, but they were there for the same reasons they were in China and the Americas, for the booty. Heart of Darkness confirms this twist to the quote. The company is in Africa for profit, pure and simple. Most of the characters there are in search of personal gain. The pilgrims, the Manager, the Expeditionary force that arrives, even the brick maker were there just to make money and to advance in the company.
We know this through Marlow s account where he points out that he doesn t know what drives them because they are empty inside. Specifically, when Marlow first met the manager he recounts: He originated nothing, he could keep the routine going-that s all Perhaps there was nothing within him. (p. 36) When taken out of context it seems that Marlow is hinting that he is just an ordinary man that can outlive the rest of the people there. And that s the point that he tries to get across when he is talking about the Manager and the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims are particularly distasteful to Marlow who sees them only speak of Ivory and commissions. They are obsessed with keeping up a facade of civilization and proper conduct and are motivated entirely by self-interest. I saw this station, these men strolling aimlessly about in the sunshine of the yard They wandered here and there with their absurd long staves in their hands, like a lot of faithless pilgrims bewitched inside a rotten fence And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion. (p. 38) This quote about the Pilgrims and the Congo is the main point in Heart of Darkness.
The Manager, the Pilgrims, and all the other characters without names are important in the story but are not unique. What Conrad suggests to us by not giving them names is that they could have been any European. In fact, they were every European of that age. The second part of that quote refers to the power around him. The power of Africa, which in the story is a background and never truly explored in great detail. The Congo is an awe inspiring place to Marlow because of its fantastic power.
Marlow relates it to evil or truth; an interesting choice. One almost pitted against the other but here Conrad is showing us that the truth here was evil. This also comes up later in the novella with Kurtz. Kurtz and the Russian are the only people that have developed characters in the novella besides Marlow. Kurtz is hinted at being there only for money so that he could marry his Intended. Ironically once in the heart of darkness he seems to forget that and instead is overwhelmed by the horror he has seen and endured.
The horror that he has committed by coming to the Congo to pillage. Kurtz is a very central character and is Marlow s drive in the Congo. Full of these awe inspiring ideas which Conrad hints was given to him by the darkness. Conrad s hint can t be pointed to directly but the entire story suggests that Kurtz is full of ideas and the Russian confirms that for us. Being one of the only unique people in the story that cannot be replaced, Kurtz draws from his experiences with the darkness. For example, he is the only white in contact closely with the native tribes (besides the Russian) and with the mystical African princess that s present at the end of Kurtz s life.
This darkness gives Kurtz the knowledge that makes him such a powerful man in the Congo, feared and loved at the same time. Meanwhile the Russian who is nobler because he is said to be there only for adventure and enlightenment which he finds in the darkness and with Kurtz. Marlow likes this character although he doesn t have a name. But that s related to the book he found so interesting which had Russian notes. He thought it was cipher and didn t understand. If Marlow had recognized that writing then he would have seen him as European but he didn t.
Conrad was trying to separate the Russian from the rest of Europe. The Russian therefore is symbolic of all the other cultures in the world, after all he isn t there for money at all. Looking at these characters is important only because it shows Conrad s stance on the Europeans and how he saw them in the Congo and their roles, motivations, and influences. These characters combined with the darkness and conquest will show Conrad s views on Europe s aim in the Congo.
The story has closely related themes of light vs. dark, or white vs. black if you will. Light and dark representing good and evil, with civilization normally being accepted as good and savagery has generally been seen as bad. Throughout the entire novella we see this connection being made between civilization and savagery, between light and dark. Two striking examples found on the first pages of the story.
When the narrator is describing the city in terms of light and glorifying it as the best of civilization yet further back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom. (p. 3) Also Marlow goes into the days when the Romans came to find barbarian hordes in England. They pillaged, looted, and then left it in a state of turmoil. They grabbed what they could get for the sake of what was to be got. It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind-as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness. (p. 10) Here he s supposed to be talking about the Romans and in some sense he is but he is speaking as a generality about people. Jumping ahead into Marlow s story this seems exactly similar to his encounter at Kurtz s station where they grab the ivory they could and bolt out of there as fast as they can, while at the same time taking time to kill some blacks for sport (the Pilgrims). The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it way from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look at it too much. (p. 10) This is the twist to Europe s aim in King Leopold II s quote.
Europe s aim was to open the Congo to civilization. Conrad shows that they were opening it to civilization only for conquest which is what Marlow s story proves. If you take the word darkness out of the story and replace it with savagery I doubt it would have little effect on the novella. In fact, it might make it easier to read. In the King s quote if it is replaced: open to civilization the only part of our globe where Christianity has not yet penetrated and to pierce the savagery which envelopes the entire population. He is affirming the fact that Europe isn t there to civilize the Congo but only to conquer it and Suppression of Savage Customs (p. 127) which in the story is a pamphlet written by Kurtz again illustrating that Europe only wanted suppression.
What is interesting is that when the company-Europe-receives this they don t want it. They want to know where the Ivory in the Congo is. Again Conrad making another point on what was most important in the rape of the Congo; after all look at the words of King Leopold penetrate and pierce and the metaphors it draws on. Not a very pleasant thought but the truth. [The Congo] like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion. (p. 38) Heart of Darkness totally confirms the quote but if the King meant that Europe s aim was noble, Conrad would laugh. Bibliography - Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness &# 038; The Secret Sharer USA: Barnes &# 038; Nobles Books, 1994.
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Research essay sample on Heart Of Darkness Awe Inspiring
