The heart of darkness essays

The heart of darkness essays Everyone has a heart of darkness. We all have the potential to be uncivilized and hurt each other, no matter whether we come from "civilization" or not. Prejudice and racism are powerful and present in our lives, whether we like it or not. Conrad is saying that if we do not realize this, we will continue the uncivilization. Through Conrad's first person point of view, we are allowed to see one man's view of what will happen if we are not aware of our thoughts and actions. Marlow's journey into the heart of Africa is also a journey into his own heart. Marlow starts out on his journey looking for adventure. His curiosity drives him to find Kurtz. Marlow soon finds that Kurtz, the supposed epitome of civilized, is actually barbaric, savage, and nothing more than the typical greedy colonial white male. Marlow soon realizes he has found something quite different than adventure. Marlow concludes that everyone has the potential for uncivilized behavior, but that no one can live with a heart of darkness. Marlow is a serious man, and a very intuitive thinker, but is sarcastic, such as when he says, "Can't say I saw any road or any upkeep, unless the body of a middle-aged Negro, with a bullet-hole in the forehead, upon which I absolutely stumbled three miles farther on, may be considered as a permanent improvement."(32). Marlow is partly making a joke, but really knows that the treatment of the natives is inhumane. He finds that the colonial purpose is not lining up with the result. Instead of the goal of improvement, the colonists have fallen into greed, which is ultimately their own hearts of darkness. Again, Conrad shows us how disgusted Marlow is when Marlow explains the conditions of the natives: "It was unearthly, and the men wereNo, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of itthis suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and leaped, and spun, and made ho ...