Heart of Darkness - Second Response

Though I, myself, have not read anything by Chinua Achebe, many people have stated that there is a direct correlation between “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad and Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.” Heart of Darkness is a frame story that embodies a journey Conrad, himself, had taken to the Congo. Representing Conrad, Marlow, an Englishman, takes part on an expedition to Africa, not fully knowledgeable of what to expect. Various questions may arise when merely reading the title of the book; what is a “heart of darkness,” for example. A heart is usually thought of as a symbol of love and/or passion, while darkness immediately evokes thoughts of evil and possibly distress. Even as children, we didn’t like to be alone in the dark. We were terrified of “monsters” that could have been lurking around us.

Throughout the story, we come across multiple meanings behind a “heart of darkness.” The heart of darkness, as Marlow finds out, is something within all of us. We may not know whom or what has the capability to elicit or trigger the heart of darkness, but it is something we try to avoid encountering. Such an issue is a perfect example of a conflict involving man versus himself. The story has so many psychological issues within it, along with so much symbolism, that it is absolutely impossible to avoid a bit of psychological tampering while reading it. Another way to interpret the meaning of a “heart of darkness” is to look at the basic story line, itself. Marlow travels to the Congo, or the heart of Africa, and has a bit of trouble with stepping outside of his comfort zone, which we know is his boat. The boat has become his home, and if anything were to happen to it, Marlow is terrified that he would eventually gain savage tendencies and become more like those who inhabit the forest of the Congo.

Unfamiliarity scares us all to a degree. For example, when we step foot into a new school, where we know absolutely no one, it is a natural instinct to sort of draw inward and keep to ourselves. The unknown, so to speak, is a relatively scary thought. Marlow comes from England, where everyone is civil and where the British are thought to be superior to everyone else. Belgium colonized the Congo, but all of Europe saw Africa as uncivilized and savage. Imperialism was led by three main motives: economical improvement, political advancement, and morality. With respect to morality, the Europeans sought to “better” the lives of the people of Africa. Africans were supposedly not living correctly, and the Europeans felt entitled and stepped in on people’s lives, simply because these people’s lifestyles differentiated from those of the Europeans.

Today, people see colonialism as wrong, but during the era of imperialism, the Europeans had actually come up with a way to justify their invasions – social Darwinism. Social Darwinism was based on Charles Darwin’s thoughts of “survival of the fittest.” Europeans saw themselves as “the fittest,” and automatically took on a responsibility to “improve” the lives of others. In all reality, the pure drive that led to imperialism was sheer avarice; nothing but selfishness could have, in any way, driven people to treat people, yes PEOPLE, in such a manner. The Africans were not seen as equal, even though they were just as human as anyone else on Earth.

Conrad does refer to life in the Congo as a “living nightmare.” Imagine the worst possible thing that could happen. The people of Africa were stripped of their own lives; the Congo reeked of dehumanization. The Africans were beaten on a regular basis, but once they were released, they would go into the depth of the forest. Though such an action may be seen as “savage,” it was their home. It provided them with the basic commodities they required to live and the forest sufficed. Nothing more was needed, so why would the Europeans have intruded as they did?

Why did Marlow go on his expedition to the Congo in the first place? How does Marlow change throughout his journey, and what caused these changes? I guess we’ll find out.