The Heart of Darkness is considered to be one of the greatest works of English literature by Joseph Conrad. The short novel revolves around the expedition of Marlow on board a steamboat in search of an ivory-trader through the African jungle. The mission of the journey was to find Mr Kurtz, the ivory-trader, and bring him back to civilization. Mr Kurtz is idolized by Africans whom he exploits. Marlow manages to bring him aboard the steamboat despite his hesitant. Unfortunately, Mr Kurtz dies on his way to England. The novella has evoked criticism from several scholars. The accounts of the book are considered to be an explicit enigma and a medium of exploring the human mind and behaviour. Conrad explores human consciousness that culminates in the realization of the pervasiveness of human unconscious desires. Conrad is considered to be one of the pioneers who stressed the irrational elements in human behaviour which resisted orthodox interpretation. The irrationality is portrayed by Kurtz greed for ivory. The novella plays a key role in exposing the quality of irrational politics that depended on the neurosis of a leader like Mr Kurtz. Conrad brings out the hypocrisy of the conquerors as well as the dark side of human behaviour that tries to justify itself but eventually ends up surrendering to its explosive inner needs Conrad (50-66). The paper focuses on bringing out how Joseph Conrad uses Marlow in Heart of Darkness as a means to expose the ugliness and evil in people of the late 1800’s, therefore testing his audience to question their own morality.
Marlow is portrayed as a man of order and moral courage. He does not question why white men should be in Congo or whether they should be there. The world seems simple and good so long as civilized men are in control. His perception of life takes a different twist when he is exposed to a chaotic world. Kurtz comes out as an inner embodiment of Marlow. The author brings out the monumental testament associated with western colonialism that is defined by the need to rise at the expense of everyone, and the manipulation of people for personal gains. Kurtz is a representation of impulses and beliefs of Marlow that are suppressed. Marlow experiences bring out the fact that the primitive cannibals are not bad as perceived by the civilized Westerners. In fact, the civilized individuals like Kurtz come out more dreadful than the cannibals who are capable of practicing restraints even when it comes to the most basic need for life. The truth being projected by the colonizers comes out as a blatant lie.
Psychoanalytical criticism
Sigmoid Fred psychoanalytical theory can be used in the analysis of Kurtz actions and reactions in Africa and Europe as well as explaining the behaviour and motivations of the character. When Kurtz is sent to Africa to bring light, faith and commerce, but ends up becoming a monster. He leaves out his philanthropic deals and becomes a whimsical and brutal ruler who rules with an iron hand. He gathers a large amount of ivory with the aim of satisfying his greed and lust for money. While in Europe Kurtz behave in a normal way due to the existence of laws, religions and values. Social and moral norms play a key role in limiting his freedom. As a result, a balance is realized since it is easy for the ego to mediate between the id and superego. Kurtz begins to change after being exposed to the heart of darkness (Freud 159-162). The transformation can be attributed to his psyche which is defined by id, ego and super-ego. The degeneration of psyche occurs since the African society is not civilized. Africa is described as an alien and primitive environment.
Kurtz super-ego takes over in the unfamiliar territory and cultural conditions. He succumbs to the forces of darkness due to lack of moral restrictions required to set limits on his behaviour. The psychological portrait of Kurtz is characterized by a high degree of ambiguity. He is a great personality with many talents in Europe but becomes a crucial and greedy man in Africa. His lusts and fantasies are controlled in a civilized environment due to the strict supervision and moral restraints that society imposes on him. Lack of moral restrains in colonial Africa makes him feel that he has an absolute authority to do whatever he wants. Kurtz state of psychosis is a result of id getting control over his ego. He becomes so powerful, corrupts and uses all means to fulfil his selfish desires. Kurtz accumulates wealth in Africa using criminal means that include mass extermination of the innocent natives, enslaving, and killing (Conrad 60-66).
Kurtz thoughts are not different from the beliefs of other Europeans who charged with the mission of civilizing Africans. The noble thoughts gradually changed, following a long period of being an absolute ruler in Africa. Freud posits that every individual has an id, ego and super-ego. They are considered to be the levels of the human psyche. The concept of id dictates that all people seek pleasure and self-gratification leading to the development of ego and super-ego. Ego is described as the consciousness of an individual and is based on the reality principle. The super-ego is the aspect of being conscious of the norms and values of a society. The desire for power and wealth in Africa made Kurtz’s id to get control over his ego leading to a psychosis state. He loses contact with reality and establishes himself as the supreme ruler after killing the natives. Unlike the id, the super-ego is a representative of the internal world. The good and evil become relative to Kurtz after he becomes far removed from the restriction of the society. The fading of the moral boundaries can make an individual lose sight of the patterns that vital in influencing and restraining deeds. When Kurtz left the civilized world, he got detached from the contact and forces that influence super-ego (Freud 180-182). Africa is described as a primitive place where people only obey their instincts. Lack of laws, restrictions and commitments made lose his super-ego and succumb to the power of darkness.
Deconstruction
The Heart of Darkness has been subjected to endless discussions, debates and critical re-evaluation. Multiple interpretations of the text are possible due to its ambiguous nature. Deconstructive criticism is a common rhetorical move that involves identifying a binary opposition within a literary text and attempting to establish boundaries separating the opposing sides. According to deconstruction theory, the novella is an ironic parable that focuses on teaching a moral lesson (Murfin 210). It exposes the darkness of humanity to the reader. The story is considered an irony since the readers cannot get the message if they do not know about the theme of the book. Although the Europeans brought light to civilize the African continent, it is ironical that caused more harm than good. Light is supposed to make things brighter, but not to bring darkness like in the case of the novella. According to Miller, the book falls into a genre of a parabolic apocalypse with its attempts of shedding light on an unseen human truth. The novella actually covers over what it claims to illuminate (Miller 244).
Conclusion
The Heart of Darkness has been highly criticized for the misrepresentation of the blacks. Much of the criticism of the text has focused on moral, psychological, structural and political analysis. The novella portrays the unprecedented restrained portrayed by Africans despite their inherent cannibalism, while the Europeans display barbaric behaviours by tying the Africans hands despite their sophisticated facade. The aspect of race cannot be ignored particularly for the 21st-century audience. The novella has been criticised by some scholars for racial prejudiced. African is portrayed as primitive people who need to be enlightened by the European. Although Kurtz was sent to Africa with the aim of introducing Western civilization, he ends up exploiting the native for his personal gains. The Heart of Darkness does more than just dealing movement and adventure or offering the characterization of the human mind. The author portrays motive, adventure and philosophical presentation of the human mind. The novella is considered beautiful and atmospheric by some critics while others consider it to be unconvincing and too rhetorical. The narrator examines the deteriorating morals of the white man when he is not within the restraint European environment, and ends up taking advantage of his subject’s race to make trade profits. The novella brings factual evidence of the immorality of the whites in Africa.
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedord/St. Martin’s, 2011. Print.
Freud, Sigmund. "Beyond the pleasure principle." Psychoanalysis and History 17.2 (2015): 151-204.
Miller, J. Hillis. “Heart of Darkness Revisited.” Conrad. 231-244.
Murfin, Ross C.. “What is Deconstruction?” Conrad. 205-230.
