Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad – An Overview

“Heart of Darkness” is a famous novel by the eminent Polish-British writer Joseph Conrad. This book is an epic tale about the voyage of Charles Marlow on the Congo River. Charles Marlow was the captain of a steamer, and this story was written inspired by the true life stories of the author himself. Joseph Conrad worked on a steamer while working for a Belgian trading company. He wrote his life stories in the form of a book, making Charles Marlow the main protagonist. Here we will reflect on the Heart of Darkness summary and analysis the essay to find out what we can learn from this novel.

This story starts with three men on a ship. The ship is named Nellie, and they set sail on the river Themes. One of the crew members was Charles Marlow. In this novella, he reminisces and narrates his journey to Africa. He tells the story about how he found Africa one of the darkest places on Earth, compared to Europe, especially London. He described the atrocities that colonization brought with it.

Charles Marlow was portrayed as a knowledgeable and ambitious young man. Simultaneously, he was sympathetic, philosophical, and a kind human being. He was passionate about the seas and traveling, exploring new countries, and meeting new people.

The story reflects on his philosophical nature through the inner dialogue he made while meeting new people. He often engaged in disputes with the people he met. He wasn't sure about how civilized they were, but she termed them "calorizators." Charles Marlow was naturally curious and skeptical about the events and the people and events he faced in his voyages.

 

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Summary and Analysis – Outer Station

Charles gets hired as an employee in an ivory trading company in Brussels. This company was known just as “The Company”. This company sent him to Congo for their business purpose as the captain of their steamer.

 

When Marlow first stepped on the land known by the Outer Station, he witnessed the horrors of ivory trading first-hand. He was shocked to find many Africans shackled in chains working relentlessly for their White masters. They looked exhausted and miserable and were treated as objects, not humans. These Black people worked as the servants of the White People, and they were kept in the factories against their will. He was appalled by all these things he saw in Congo.

Also Read: Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte 

Summary and Analysis – Central Station

After he became familiar with the state of things happening in the outer station, he moved up the Congo River to reach the Central Station. This was the place where his boat was waiting for him. In this place, he met General Manager. This person was calculative and cold, and he found him treating his workers even ruthlessly. The sufferings are far greater than the Outer statin; however, the manager remained indifferent to all their sufferings. He didn’t even allow them to eat and forced them to work tirelessly till they collapsed due to exhaustion or succumbed to death.

In the Central Station, this General Manager said that Marlow could not use the boat since it was broken. This was devastating news for Marlow as he was supposed to bring Ivory supplies to Kurtz, the manager of the Inner Station. This person was famous for his great business acumen and intelligence. However, he exported most of the ivory to the other stations. Moreover, Marlow heard rumors about insane business tactics of Kurtz. He heard rumors about his unconventional work methods, and they were quite barbaric. He was skeptical about the work ethics of the natives and paid little attention to them.

So, Marlow wasted no time fixing the boat. He also realized that without his help, Kurtz and his people have zero survival chances. At this time, Marlow heard an unpleasant discussion between the notorious General Manager and his uncle, who also just came to the same station with another business expedition. The general manager said that he wanted to eliminate Kurtz and his assistant. That way, he can get rid of the other significant competition in the ivory trade business.

After overhearing this conversation, Marlow understood that his ship wasn’t broken. He understood that the boat was damaged deliberately to sabotage them. Since the general manager wants to get rid of Kurtz, he wants him to get deprived of the necessary resources and leave him to die. Marlow realizes that his general manager is a terrible human being and won’t stop until he eliminates Kurtz from the picture.

At that time, Marlow met the Brickmaker in the Central Station. He was the most loyal comrade of the General Manager. This man only cared about his wealth and career and could achieve what he wanted by hook or crook. He also considered Kurtz a threat and, just like the general manager, wished him dead. This was when Marlow said, “… if I tried, I could poke my fore-finger through him and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe.". Marlow said these words after noticing how corrupted and rotten a soul can be.

 

By these lines, Marlow compares the inside of the Brickmaster to loose dirt. This line is used in a very degrading way and portrays him as a low character.

Additionally, we recommend that you read Orwell's 1984 summary

Summary and Analysis – Inner Station

Marlow finally repairs his steamer. He took help from a group of local people, whom he later identified as cannibals. So, the general manager departed to bring supplies to Kurtz. Along the way, they covered a part of the river that was behind a thick veil of fog.

Suddenly, they realized that they had been ambushed. Arrows were shot at them from the riverbanks by the natives. Marlow tried to scare these natives by blowing the boat whistle. But even before they took a step back, they managed to kill one of the natives on board.

Finally, Marlow managed to take the steamer inside the Inner Station. Here they found a Russian trader waiting for them. This person was a travel enthusiast, fascinated by the achievements of Kurtz. He was impressed at the things Kurtz managed to achieve while being in a jungle. The Russian seemed very talkative and energetic, and he was trying to civilize the natives. So, the Africans were already treating him like a God.

Marlow felt that this man had become a fan of Kurtz, as he said. “I looked at him, lost in astonishment. There he was before me, in motley, as though he had absconded from a troupe of mimes, enthusiastic, fabulous. His very existence was improbable, inexplicable, and altogether bewildering. He was an insoluble problem. It was inconceivable how he had existed, how he had succeeded in getting so far, how he had managed to remain—why he did not instantly disappear”. When Marlow asked the Russians about the barbaric methods of Kurtz for ivory collection or about his insanity, the Russians denied everything. Rather, the Russian begged Marlow and his men to believe that Kurtz was a genuine and good man and not to believe in any rumors. But to his surprise, he saw severed heads on spears around the house of the Russian. So, he instead started believing the stories about Kurtz’s insanity.

When they took a look inside the cabin, they found Kurtz lying on the bed, gravely ill. They carried him out on a stretcher, but he crawled back to his cabin. The Russian told Marlow that Kurtz feels like a native and doesn’t wish to return to Europe anymore. He also confessed that Kurtz was the one who ordered the ambush on them. He hoped that because of the boat attack, they would turn back, believing that Kurtz had already died.

 

Even though Marlow believed in the management style of Kurtz, and he indeed brought a lot of profit into the Company, Marlow concluded that he had officially gone insane. It is difficult to judge what made Kurtz like this, but there is no way of denying that it is his true identity now. Marlow’s words suggest that a man who once was kind, ambitious, smart, and talented is now completely hollow inside.

Journey Back Home

Finally, Marlow was able to convince Kurtz to come back to Europe. However, during the long journey back home, his health kept on deteriorating. One day, he handed Marlow all the documents he had gathered throughout his time in Africa. Marlow took the matter seriously and felt honored to receive these documents. Only a couple of days later, Kurtz took his last breath, and his last words were, “The horror! The horror!”. 

These last words have created a lot of debates. Some argue that this refers to the horrors he faced in Africa. Others argue he saw nightmarish stuff in Africa, as he saw many white colonizers torturing the locals and misusing their powers.

 

When Marlow returned to Europe, he met Kurtz’s fiancée and decided to give all the writings to her. There was also a man who claimed himself to be his brother or some journalist, but he was undecided on whom to deliver those writings. Marlow feared those writings could tarnish his name and reputation if they fell into the wrong hands.

Epilogue

This story ends with the same three men on the steamer. It was floating peacefully on a calm Thames river. One of these three men, who was also the narrator, introspected after listening to the story. This part is beautifully captured through the last few lines of the novel.

 

These last few lines suggest that the narrator, which can be the author himself, thinks England to be a dark and gloomy place or the "heart of immense darkness". This refers to the brutal Imperialistic views and the atrocity of European colonization in the heart of Europe – England. This also portrayed that the original “Heart of Darkness” is in England instead of Africa – which the common world considers uncivilized and wild.

Also Read: the odyssey summary

Heart of Darkness Literary Devices

The Heart of Darkness essay has several themes, symbols, quotes, and characters throughout the novel. Let us find the different literary devices in The Heart of Darkness –

• Allegory

The journey of Marlow that Joseph Conrad described is an allegory for human nature. After all, the title talks about Congo, the inaccessible “heart” of Africa. It also represents the metaphorical darkness of the human soul that Conrad saw during his time in the ivory factory.

Readers can find the double meaning present in the novel from the start. Marlow said at one point that he became a sailor because he was always drawn to "the many black spaces on the earth." This statement can also describe most of Central Africa and Congo, which is also a big, blank space with “delightful mystery”. Even the story's introduction is an allegory for humans looking for the meaning of life. As Marlow pushed his curiosity about Africa, he was also testing his ideas about himself, the colonial ambitions of Europe, and human nature.

• Allusions

At the start of the novel, before Marlow even starts telling the story, the narrator describes how the sun is setting over London, thus plunging it into darkness. The narrator looked out at the river and reflected on England's history and the throne's power by alluding to England's two most explorers.

• Dramatic Irony

When Marlow tells his fellow sailors that it is extremely difficult to capture the whole truth through storytelling, Conrad re-establishes his point through dramatic irony. Quoting the story –

Marlow says, “I do not see Kurtz in the name any more than you do. Do you see anything? It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream…” and “Of course in this you fellows see more than I could then. You see me, whom you know…”

• Ethos

Explaining and analyzing Kurtz’s genius. For example, Marlow starts idolizing Kurtz because most people he met told him about smartness, intelligence, and strength in the ivory business. So, these men helped to create the ethos of Kurtz.

• Flashbacks

A large part of “Heart of Darkness” is one massive flashback. For example, Charles Marlow told his other sailors about his Congo trip that happened many years back. Just like other fictional stories often use flashbacks to narrate the personal history of characters, Heart of Darkness also tells Marlow’s story through flashbacks to highlight how his time in Congo molded him into a cyanic from an idealist. In fact, he still dwells on the time he spent in Congo and is still haunted by its memories.

• Foil

Charles Marlow, the protagonist, and Mr. Kurtz, the chief of the Inner Station, foils for each other. The similarities and differences between the two characters change multiple times throughout the novel. Ultimately, Marlow saw Kurtz as a reflection of himself. He found that both their aspirations and dreams matched somewhere as they did in Congo. Both of them showed their resistance to European colonialism in Africa.

• Foreshadowing

The mysterious place that Marlow first sees after reaching Congo actually foreshadows the death of Kurtz at the end of the story. In the first part of the story, when Marlow arrives at the Outer Station, he sees the cruelty of European colonialism for the first time. He found himself surrounded by dying people and weak natives suffering from malnutrition and overwork.

• Frame Story

The structure of “Heart of Darkness” is shown as a story within a story. The story doesn’t take place in Congo itself. Rather, it was a story that happened on a ship called Nellie on the Thames River. So, he wasn’t talking directly to the readers but to his fellow passengers. So, it can be said that the story of Marlow is a story within a story or a frame story.

• Genre

Scholars and critics have classified Heart of Darkness into various literary genres –

• Psychological mystery
• Colonial adventure fiction
• Literary modernism
• Autobiography
• Hyperbole

Throughout the novel, Conrad burnishes Kurtz’s character using hyperbole. He deliberately exaggerated his reputation to highlight the truths of the character. While most people believed that Kurtz was a genuine and exemplary man, there were doubts about his character. So, the other characters’ hyperbole creates an impression of Kurtz in Marlow’s mind. This leads to the final disappointment in the end, which is important for the novel’s plot.

• Imagery

In Heart of Darkness, we can see the use of imagery a lot of times. From the time Marlow visited their ivory factory headquarters in Brussels to the describing Congo, Conrad used vivid descriptions of the places and the persons in his story.

• Irony

Irony also plays a major role in this story. If you see the character, Kurtz was a European who went to Congo, Africa, to pursue business. Although he aimed to prosper Imperialism, and the colonization approach was meant to torture people to work, that didn’t happen with Kurtz. Ironically, after spending some years with the native Africans, he found value in them, and he preferred to identify himself as an African. Moreover, the main irony is in the name of the story. The “darkness of heart” was supposed to refer to the Africans, which is, ironically, the British people themselves.

• Metaphors

At different moments, Conrad often compared Marlow with Buddha. This was metamorphically used to show that Marlow gained insights and knowledge from his travels, which made him as wise as Buddha.

• Mood

The way Conrad described the sunsets on the Thames or the forests of Congo, perfectly sets the mood for the story. The Heart of Darkness has a pessimistic, ominous, and reflective mood, and Conrad's description does justice to it.

• Motifs

Throughout this novel, Joseph Conrad has challenged and rejected the binary opposition between “savagery” and “civilization” repeatedly. The author mentioned multiple times how the world viewed the Europeans as civilized despite their being barbaric and called Africans savages when they were oppressed. So, both these elements are the motifs that we can find in this novel.

• Oxymoron

Readers can find oxymorons being used in the novel, where Marlow describes his travel to the Inner station via the Congo River. He perfectly used oxymorons to capture the horrors and confusion when he watched the Africans attacking them on the steamer.

• Parody

Joseph Conrad resorted to parody to describe the self-righteous yet dishonest justifications of the Europeans for the tortures in the name of Imperialism. This is evident from the line, “must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of supernatural beings—we approach them with the might of a deity”

• Personification

Throughout the story, Marlow personifies the rainforests of Congo to emphasize its mystery, immensity, and resilience to human abuses.

• Setting

We can find a very grim and ominous setting throughout Heart of Darkness. It is set in the late 19^th century, and a large part of it is set in the mysterious land of Congo.

We can also find other literary devices in The Heart of Darkness, like –

• Similes
• Situational Irony
• Stream of Consciousness
• Style
• Tone

“Heart of Darkness” summary shows that it is a unique novel that throws light on the European imperialist mentality that was prevalent in the last part of the 19^th and the start of the 20^th century. This novel gives the readers a window to look into the inhumane, corrupt, and cruel world of Imperialist Europe. The "Heart of Darkness” analysis exposes the darkest and dirtiest parts of people's hearts.

This story proves that people's greed and desire to hold power can become so deadly that humans may not care for anyone else anymore, for example, General Manager and the Brickmaster. Similarly, there are people like Marlow and Kurtz that gives up hope that humanity prevails even in the darkest times. Especially through the character of Kurtz, the author tried to show that if African and European mentality gets mixed, it can drive someone to insanity.

Joseph Conrad faced a lot of flak for this novel during his time and even after he passed away. Often many readers accused him of being racist and for being an advocate of ancient imperialist views. The novel should ideally be considered a real-life description of contemporary society, criticizing the "civilized" Europeans. Through "Hear of Darkness", the author concluded that European colonizers who tortured the Africans in the name of colonizing, show that true darkness remains at the heart of the inhumane Europeans and not the Africans who are black by their skin color. Read More about the clockwork orange summary. 

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