Heart of Darkness

I managed to find one symbol in Conrad's Heart of Darkness that we hadn't already discussed fully in class, and it is the Congo River. Obviously, the river is what takes Marlow into the heart of darkness, it is his journey, the path he takes into his inner soul. However, why does Marlow rarely step foot on the land, the actual soil of the Congo? The river is Marlow's safe haven - it prevents him from ever having to make direct physical contact with the darkness and evil. The river water is only passing through, flowing by, and it is the land that is evil. It's as though Marlow is simply on a tour of the land; he has the option of getting off the tour bus and staying, or remaining on the bus and returning to his true home. The river allows Marlow to escape if need be, such as when the natives attack him as he nears Kurtz. Had Marlow traveled by land, it is very improbable that he would have survived the attack. Had Marlow traveled by land, it is very likely that he, like Kurtz, would have been enveloped by the darkness and never escaped.

At the start of reading this novel, we were given topics to research in order to obtain some background of the novel. One of these topics was Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian author, poet, and critic. As we learned, Achebe gave a lecture, An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", accusing Joseph Conrad of disrespecting African culture, being racist, and all for white supremacy, which he apparently demonstrated in this novel. I must disagree. Concerning Conrad's word choice, as we discussed, Conrad is partly a product of his times. In 1902 racism was clearly in full swing, as displayed by the actions of King Leopold II. Civil rights still had a long way to come. As for disrespecting the African culture and promoting white supremacy and imperialism, there is a particular quote which debunks Achebe's accusations,

"The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much" (Conrad 70)

This demonstrates Marlow's, or Conrad's, understanding of the big picture. Sure, there are a some racy statements sprinkled throughout the novel, but that his simply human nature. We are all judgmental, biased, and prejudice - it just takes some respect and an open mind to keep us from exposing these slanted views. In a novel, it is almost impossible to retain the author's most personal views and opinions. This statement, however, shows that Conrad understands the basics; that labeling someone, taking advantage of them, and persecuting them based on race and culture is wrong.

It was to my surprise that I actually enjoyed this novel. Even before turning to the first page, I was concerned Heart of Darkness would be much too deep and thought-provoking for Christmas break. Fortunately, I enjoyed the mystery and originality of the piece. This was also the first frame narrative that I can recall reading. I believe that Marlow's point of view left more questions unanswered and room for interpretation; for Marlow has a limited view, the reader hears the story through his biases, and who knows what key parts of the story Marlow may have left out, by accident or out privacy's sake. This added to the mystery of the novel, which I most definitely enjoyed.