Welcome to the Jungle

Congo RiverHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a travel story told in a devastatingly epic way, different altogether from the books we have read as a class thus far. The way the book is written is very dense and almost a chore to read, as its long sentences are thick with imagery and toxic diction seem to have been written to parallel the characteristics of the dark jungle setting in which the book takes place. But it is the repulsive surface of the writing that intentionally presents itself to the reader as a burden, challenging the reader to travel deeper into the monologue, which in turn takes us deeper into the wilderness. Darkness is an important idea in the book, both in its descriptions of Marlow’s surroundings and in its association almost everything as described in the story. Even Conrad’s description of a sunny landscape creates a dark mood as when Marlow describes his surroundings as he approaches a rocky cliff. He recalls, "A rocky cliff appeared, mounds of turned-up earth by the shore, houses on a hill, others, with iron roofs, amongst a waste of excavations, or hanging to the declivity. A continuous noise of the rapids above hovered over this scene of inhabited devastation" (20). Conrad uses words such as “waste”, “declivity”, and “devastation” to give his setting a dark mood. These words all share gloomy connotations and are important in conveying the inherent darkness of the book. Conrad even goes on to describe the sunlight as “blinding”.

As Marlow travels deeper into the wilderness, the forest becomes increasingly important as a symbol. Marlow remarks the forest frequently, such as before his “two-hundred-mile tramp” when he calls the jungle fifty feet below him “the grove of death”. The further down the Congo River we go, the darker and thicker the wilderness becomes. The noxious language parallels the increase in tension and mystery, enticing us to follow Marlow deep into the heart of the jungle. Darkness continues to grow more and more intense until we reach Kurtz. By the time we catch up with him, it seems that we have reached the heart of darkness, and everything that Kurtz represents comes together to show us the true ugliness of imperialism in Africa. By the time the steamer begins to make its way out of the jungle, the symbols of the river and the “heart of darkness” come together. “The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness, bearing us down towards the sea with twice the speed of our upward progress; and Kurtz’s life was running swiftly, too, ebbing, ebbing out of his heart into the sea of inexorable time. . .” (83).