A Darker World and a Darker Reality

In Florence H. Ridley’s article “The Ultimate Meaning of Heart of Darkness,” Ridley asserts that the author, James Conrad, defines evil as a total lack of self-restraint. She also argues that Marlow and Kurtz are opposites, as Kurtz completely succumbs to his surroundings (exhibiting no restraint) and Marlow does not. In a sense, they are opposite. Marlow does not lose his European identity and become part of the land in the same way that Kurtz does. Still though, Marlow does seem to side with Kurtz more than anyone else he comes into contact with on his expedition in Africa, and therefore I have to disagree with Ridley’s claim that they are complete opposites.

In the novella, Marlow is not depicted as your typical ‘hero.’ Instead, Conrad seems to be implying that there is both a good and a bad side to him, and that the bad is just more suppressed than the bad in Kurtz. Kurtz clearly manipulates the African people. He also has a native mistress (even though he has a woman waiting for him back in Brussels) and comes off as having no self-control. But Marlow also manipulates people, like in the end when he lies about having Kurtz’s papers, and when he tells Kurtz’s Intended that his last words were her name.

None of the European traders (or the Russian) are depicted in a very flattering light and it is clear that Kurtz isn’t the only one with morality issues. They all seem to be constantly backstabbing each other, like the manager and his uncle. It seems as if the most civilized people in the book are the cannibals, the Africans who help the traders. They seem to suppress their primal desires better than any of the other characters, which is especially remarkable because they are underfed and treated harshly. Even Marlow admits to having a lower sense of morality, and is honest in admitting that it was only the work that kept him from participating in the more sinful activities of the other traders: “Fine sentiments you say? Fine Sentiments be hanged! I had no time.”

 Being in Africa seems to affect all of the Europeans. Many of the traders seem to have issues with restraining their more primal impulses. Those who succumb to these impulses, certainly seem to suffer the most consequences. One example is the man on the boat who was in charge of the wheel, who tactlessly abandoned his post to shoot at the native attackers (and ended up being shot himself). The fate of Kurtz can also be tied to this theme – that the less self-control a person exhibits the more likely he is to be punished.

Africa seems to engulf, to swallow, these European men who cannot really seem to find meaning in their experiences in this foreign land. Childish dreams and greed seem to be the two driving forces behind their expeditions, and nobody really seems to find the type of glory they are searching for. Perhaps this is because no amount of ivory or gold or economic gains can take away from the harsh realities of their experiences – they were exposed to both a darker world and a darker view of themselves. Heart of Darkness exposes one of the less glamorous sides of travel; sometimes certain places, like certain people, can bring out the worst in a foreigner.