Alex Tischer's
British Literary Crusade
A blog delving into British texts from the last 200 years
In Joseph Conrad’s masterpiece entitled “Heart of Darkness”, my first novella explored on the blog, he brings to life the contrasting worlds of London and the Congo. Told to the crew of a ship onboard a vessel in the river Thames by a fellow crew member named Marlow, this tale follows him from the alleged “biggest and the greatest town on Earth” to a “prehistoric Earth” in the heart of Africa. Cannibalism, savagery and death follow this journey to the Congo, but the title of “heart of darkness” doesn’t necessarily describe the land of endless ivory and hippopotamuses, but rather the London he left. Our current and historical perspective of the countries Europeans conquer is heavily biased by the effects of our unwanted presence, and doesn’t show the nature of the land before invasion.
Africa becomes a “project” for Europeans, a means to get filthy rich, albeit unfairly. The bodies and culture slaughtered in this business venture are evident to readers, but swept under the rug mentally by the perpetrators back then. The apparent horrible treatment of native Africans is only accepted by Mr. Kurtz, who then goes insane as his own greed surpasses his realization of harm. The characters in the book think that by going back home to London they will regain their sanity, but London is an uncivilized mess in a very similar way. Children are forced to work for too long when they are too young. Industrialization was the only concept that mattered, and human decency was pushed aside for the potential profit. Marlow foreshadows this dark London on the second page as he begins his tale of the Congo, stating that London “has been one of the dark places of the Earth.” The end of the book ends dramatically with the union between Mr. Kurtz’s Intended and Marlow as they discuss the man’s legacy and final words. Marlow lies to this woman who adores Kurtz, choosing to preserve his image and therefore preserve her sanity if he dies the same man she knew him to be alive. Conrad teaches us the power of perception and the lengths people will go to maintain it with Kurtz’s unremitting quest for ivory, as well as how he attempted killing his fellow white men aboard the steamer. Killing them before they reached him would make them think him dead rather than see his current state of disarray. Despite this, Conrad as well shows that those efforts are often worthless, and in our final moments, do nothing to spare us from Death who has an appointment with us all. “We live as we dream, alone.” Kurtz dies alone. Marlow’s brash shipmate dies alone. All of the black men working for the Company die alone in the forest. I believe Conrad is teaching us to find that want for remembrance futile, and focus on life as you live it. Cool Links to check out - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/11/06/the-trouble-with-heart-of-darkness https://lib.ugent.be/fulltxt/RUG01/002/060/318/RUG01-002060318_2013_0001_AC.pdf
2 Comments
Katie P
6/7/2020 10:26:57 am
I think that you did a great job analyzing this piece of literature. I think you made a good point about meaning of the story reflecting the idea on focusing on life as you live it.
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Desiree Hayton
6/7/2020 04:04:44 pm
I like your concluding point: relevance is useless and we're all going to die. The impression we leave behind on the world is in the actions that we took, not the ideals we boasted.
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