Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart: A Comparative Study

Heart of Darkness: Overview and Themes

Heart of Darkness is a novel and novella by Joseph Conrad, set in Brussels at the Belgian Company offices and in the Congo between 1876 and 1892.

The story's major characters include Marlow, the narrator, who is independent-minded, philosophical, and skeptical of white imperialism. He draws his story from the author's own experiences journeying to the Congo River. Kurtz is the scheming and ruthlessly ambitious villain — the dark embodiment of European colonialism — who exploited the ignorance of the natives to entrench himself as their god in his pursuit of ivory. The supporting cast includes the general manager who runs the Belgian Central Station, the Pilgrims, the cannibals, and the Russian trader.

In the plot, Marlow is the captain of a riverboat engaged in trade with a Belgian company in Central Africa. He is sent to investigate the work of Kurtz. Along the way, Marlow witnesses the brutal treatment of Africans at the Belgian Central Station. He is later guided to the Inner Station, where he finds the ailing Kurtz, who has held mystical sway over the natives while raiding surrounding territories in pursuit of ivory. Kurtz had Marlow's boat set on fire and attempts to escape, but Marlow finds him and brings him back to the ship. The dying Kurtz entrusts Marlow with a pamphlet on how to "civilize savages." Marlow carries his remains back to Europe, where Kurtz is celebrated as a virtuous and extraordinary achiever.

The central conflict pits Marlow and Kurtz as opposite images of civilized Europeans forced to confront moral questions entirely outside the European context. Marlow witnesses the revolting and inhumane treatment of native employees at the Central Station. He hears rumors of Kurtz being a remarkable and humane man, yet discovers the physical and mental breakdown that the African environment inflicts on Europeans. He ultimately finds that Kurtz has completely abandoned European morals and behavioral norms. Marlow accepts responsibility for the legacy and consequences of his fellow European's actions.

The novel's major themes include the hypocrisy of imperialism, madness as a result of imperialism, the absurdity of evil, the mystery of the so-called "Dark Continent," the darkness of barbarism, spiritual obscurity within certain characters, and — notably — the darkness within London itself during the Roman era. This book reveals the two faces of Western imperialism, offering a perspective that exploited or colonized nations must grapple with in order to understand how imperialism operates.