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Subject: Joseph Conrad's-Heart Of Darkness
The Evil of Man
In the novel Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, Marlow finds
himself in a position where he is faced to accept the fact that the man he
has admired and looked up to is a madman. He realizes that Kurtz存 methods
are not only unethical, but also inhumane. Marlow comes to realize that
Kurtz is evil, and that he himself is also evil, thus Marlow存 disillusion
makes his identification with Kurtz horrifying.
As Marlow travels up the river, he is constantly preoccupied with Kurtz.
Marlow says _I seemed to see Kurtz for the first time...the lone white man
turning his back suddenly on the headquarters, on relief, on thoughts of
home...towards his empty and desolate station_(32). From the beginning of
his trip, he is compared to Kurtz by all of the people that he comes into
contact with, and a great deal of his thoughts are of Kurtz. He wonders
how he will measure up to the standards that the company set for him, what
Kurtz存 personality is like, and what Kurtz would think of him. The more
obsessed he becomes with Kurtz, the more he sets himself up for the
horrible reality of what his new idol was truly made of.
Upon reaching Kurtz's station, Marlow存 disillusion begins to set in. He
is greeted by an English-speaking Russian whom he takes for a man who on
the surface is deceant level-headed person, but after short conversation
it is apparent to Marlow that he is talking with a disturbed individual,
but that was not what bothered Marlow. Hearing of and seeing the acts
committed by Kurtz made Marlow uneasy, and even afraid. It was at this
point that Marlow begins his denial of any affinity he feels with Kurtz.
He says in regard to the Russian 匈 suppose that it had not occurred to
him that Mr. Kurtz was no idol of mine_(59). Marlow sees all of the
atrocities committed by Kurtz, and is appalled, but when he looks deep
with inside himself he sees what he could easily become, and he
desperately wants to suppress it. Once Kurtz is on the boat, and headed
with Marlow back to civilization, things take a strange turn. Though
Marlow and Kurtz have little to talk about, they develop a distinct
respect for each other. As Kurtz dies, Marlow accepts this death easily
and remains loyal to his dying requests. It troubles Marlow a great deal
that there is so much of himself in the things Kurtz did. There is a point
where Marlow finds the evil that lurks in heart of all men, and he simply
accepts it. This is mostly clearly demonstrated at the end of the story
when he claims to be thinking 刑on宇 you understand I loved him-I loved
him-I loved him_(79). In this quote Marlow lets it all out. On the surface
he hated Kurtz存 actions, but he loved his power to fight the standards
of society and to live as a true man.
Marlow finds out that there is a savage beast in himself, and in all men
in his mind. There are a lot of problems that Marlow faces and he
maintains his composure. It Kurtz存 lack of composure that Marlow
privately admires. In this story Marlow is forced to accept his
disillusion with Krutz, and is terrified of the identification that comes
along with this acceptance. It is only then when Marlow realizes the true
nature of man.
Word Count: 577
ADDITIONAL FEATURED ESSAYS
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