Heart of Darkness
Each person possesses a Congo, the darkest part of
themselves, and the Congo either has an outside heart of darkness or is itself
a heart of darkness. In addition to this, there is another Congo, another dark
heart. Within every one of us is this Congo. The African nation of Congo is a
true heart of darkness. Within us lies a second metaphorical and symbolic
Congo. One must begin the voyage to the actual Congo in order to arrive at this
metaphorical and symbolic Congo. We can only enter the metaphorical Congo that
exists within us by first setting out on a voyage to the actual Congo. As a
result, the travel inside begins at the same time as the voyage outside.
Marlow was successful in undertaking a similar
voyage into his inner world while visiting the Congo in Africa. That indicates
that while plunging into Congo's purgatory, he was successful in reaching his
inner Heart of Darkness. Without ever reaching the outer Congo, you can never reach
your inner Congo. Marlow not only entered but also emerged from his inner Heart
of Darkness. Kurtz too succeeded in entering his inner Congo but was unable to
exit it. As a result, Kurtz was swallowed up by Marlow's inner Congo. This is
the second important element of Marlow's journey: he arrived in Congo. He got
to his own inner Congo by getting to Congo. He was able to successfully
complete his inner journey by finishing his outer adventure. Next, it's crucial
to note that Marlow was aware of a crucial truth regarding the presence of
Europeans in Africa. He became aware of the frailty of the human self after
realizing this truth. He was guided to the road of self-realization by this
insight. Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is a voyage inside because of
this. Who received the fruits of this kind of voyage, and how was the recipient
altered by it, if we accept that Conrad's Heart of Darkness represents a
journey within? It is somewhat challenging to provide a solution to this query.
If the "Heart of Darkness" is an inside journey, then the person who
created it has undoubtedly acquired a higher degree of wisdom and insight.
Marlow's awareness underwent a radical shift after
becoming aware of Kurtz's wretched situation. Marlow recognized the frailty of
people after witnessing Kurtz's descent from the pinnacle of European civilization.
After witnessing Kurtz's dreadful demise, Marlow realized how deeply ingrained
and concealed death phobia is in the fabric of the human psyche. After
witnessing all of those events, Marlow's consciousness underwent a significant
transformation. There was no external change. Marlow experienced internal
change. He experienced a climax elevation of consciousness. Marlow was no
longer a Marlow. He proved to be a Marlow of the spirit. His external
reflection revealed the spiritual shift within him.
He had assumed a transcendental attitude similar to
that of Buddha while telling his story about his journey in the Congo while
sitting on the deck of the Nellie. Marlow was recounting his risky voyage into
the Congo while sitting in a transcendental stance like that of Buddha. He
had a face as serious as the Buddha. What made (excited) Marlow sit in the
lotus pose with a serious look on his face? Marlow's great inner awakening is
the solution to this query. Similar to Buddha, Marlow kept Kurtz's intention
from learning that she was not mentioned by name at the moment of his death.
Marlow lied as a result. The raked truth, according to Buddha, is bad for women.
They require the sweetened truth. Like Buddha, Marlow believed that if he told Kurtz's intended falsehood; her life would still be enjoyable and meaningful. That is the reason Marlow lied. Based on all of these indicators, we may conclude that the novel's fundamental thematic structure has been emphasized by the theme of the Buddha's image.
Heart of Darkness’ Message or Theme: In
the story, it is mentioned that Kurtz traveled to the Congo with good
intentions. He started showing his true barbaric color as his time in the Congo
grew longer. He started to disappear into the destructive, decadent, and
degenerative quicksand. Over time, his ethics and civilized values vanished.
His voracious, inhumane, and hideous selves took control of his mind. Many
commentators looked for the reason behind Kurtz's vapid existence in Congo.
Kurtz exhibits a lack of restraint. Kurtz lacks a firm foundation in his
religion. Kurtz might not have completely caved in to the temptation of evil in
Congo if he had believed in his inner core self.
Kurtz, though, disagrees with restraint and
moderation, and let his passion, hunger for power, and ravenous obsession
with ivory run wild. Marlow, as opposed to Kurtz, was successful in getting to
and leaving the Congo because he shown restraint and control. Due to his lack
of belief in the transforming power of moderation and restraint, Kurtz was destined
to die a horrible death in the Congo. The topic of Heart of Darkness, according
to many readers who hold conventional ideas, is the vulnerability of
civilisation as it clashes with savagery. The underlying message is that if any
member of civilisation acts without restraint, civilization's façade/appearance
crumbles, allowing savagery to dance on the stage of life and seduce the social
fabric of the multitude.
If we contrast Kurtz and Marlow, this final meaning
comes into sharper focus. Marlow exhibited restraint, focus, and undivided
intention. Because of this, he was saved. Kurtz, on the other hand, lacked such
protection against temptation. He had to die because of this. Conrad developed
the subject around the balance of opposites, such as a core of faith versus
hollowness, restraint versus its lack, civilization versus savagery, light
versus darkness, etc., to emphasize this theme.
Psychology of Herat of Darkness:
Conrad's writing was greatly influenced by Carl Gustav Jung. The fundamental
tenet of Jungian psychology is that active management of the subconscious must
be done in order to live a healthy and sound existence. According to Jung, we
must get entry to the subconscious level, study, understand, and finally take
control over it before we can live a conscious existence. Conrad's writing is
influenced by Jung's psychological theories and works on two levels at once: it
conveys an action thriller story while simultaneously taking a similarly risky
detour into the psyche.
Light is the opposite of mist, shadow, or fog, and the conscious perception of the forces that control our life is symbolized
by light. Darkness is a symbol of devastation and the primal emotions that
drive individuality. Light and dark are mixed together, interspersed, and
blended. This is Conrad's method of saying that a person needs to be aware of them
first and foremost. Because this awareness is a fragile one, Conrad uses the
metaphor of fog and shadow to represent the subconscious in Heart of Darkness.
The Congo journey symbolizes a slide into the unconscious, to put it simply. Frederick
Karl, a well-known critic, claimed that Marlow's journey to the Congo was a
contemporary representation of hell. Karl acquired over fifty stories, all of
which are in some manner troubled by death and decay and deal with Hellish
things. The emphasis is typically on futility. Kurtz is described as a deviled
variety. His bald head itself starts to represent the ivory he amasses. Our
understanding of Kurtz and his modest jungle dominion is enlarged by Conrad's
imagistic language choice. Kurtz exemplifies the hollowness of western culture
and the damage that materialism has done to society.
In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, women's roles are not
neatly and obviously defined. In other terms, it falls short of expectations.
The portrayal of Kurtz's African girlfriend suggests that she is illiterate and
that language is nothing more than random sounds. Her melancholy and
inquisitive demeanor describes Kurtz's European intentions. When Kurtz was
about to pass away, she was interested to hear his last words to her. She
should have known that a creature that has fallen, like Kurtz, is unable to
speak before passing away. But she gullibly held it to be true. Conrad's women
are thus credulous and submissive.
In light of the biblical teaching of deliverance
from suffering, consider Heart of Darkness. The blood-smeared shoe
of the helmsman, knitting black yarn, fog, shadow, etc. are the
symbols utilized here. The position of a riverboat steamier pilot was provided for
Marlow's nephew by his aunt. However, becoming a riverboat pilot was a
dangerous and lethal career. How can she mend her nephew's risky employment without
making matters worse? Marlow was welcomed by two women at the company's offices
in France. They were using black wool to knit. We are reminded of defending the
door of darkness with their black wool. They represent a dreadful portal of
darkness. But they know nothing at all about it. Instead, these women portray a
stern household women.