Heart of Darkness is a novel of indescribable horrors and actions that lie
outside the human mind. It describes a man’s (Marlowe) voyage on a West
African river to find an individual, Kurtz. The actual journey truly is towards
the “heart of darkness”, where it takes Marlowe by evidence of European
indignity towards the natives. Marlowe wants to see this land for himself, he
does not quite believe in himself of what is indeed there. This story hints at
horrors that Marlowe is incapable of describing, which in turn leaves the reader
to imagine actions that are outside of normal, everyday life. The voyage that
Marlowe has taken has been long and exhausting. It’s an adventure for him; he
has experienced a great deal of confrontation with the natives, jungle dangers,
and brutal savagery. There is no interest of the humans who lie here, for they
are extremely mistreated. Yet to them, this is “normal human behavior”;
nothing has been done differently. Nowhere did we stop long enough to get a
particularized impression, but the general sense of vague and oppressive wonder
grew upon me. It was like a weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares. (pg.
79) This describes Marlowe’s voyage to the “heart of darkness”, the
literal heart of darkness, Africa, so to speak. He was fully warned against, and
well-aware of the evil he would encounter; however, he chose to ignore that
aspect in efforts to satisfy his curiosity. Here, the author is also saying
something about human nature in general. Human curiosity about an unknown place
can make one cross the line of civilized human behavior and enter a world of
"nightmares". Marlowe wanted to see it all for himself; but what made
it most fascinating was this land was something he had never experienced before.
He knew he would be a "weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares",
but he wanted to prove something to himself that could remain doubtable if not
seen. There is a persistence and passion by virtue of the human instinct that
pushes people to try to grasp the unknown and placate their most deepest desires
and questions. To actually see and experience the unknown are the only true ways
one will believe. Moreover, this adventure novel can mean a whole different
thing. The “heart of darkness” can be a symbolic journey into the dark
center of the heart and soul of a human, revealing the concealed evil of one‘s
own nature and his capacity for evil. It is a psychological exploration of the
inner self; it reflects the unconscious self of a human. Ironically, the truth
is exposed not in terms of light, but in terms of darkness. As a result, Marlowe
doesn’t get pulled into this “heart of darkness” for he has the power
within; he experiences awareness of his own self obligations and learns many
things as a result of this journey. Marlowe learns of his evil capacity. Yet
Kurtz falls into the exceedingly large chasm that has grown on the account his
“heart of darkness”. The Heart of Darkness discusses the fundamental
inquisitions of human nature: man’s capacity for evil, the effect of darkness
and human isolation, and the essentiality to find ones’ own salvation. It
allows the reader to ponder their own heart of darkness. The story indicates
horrors that Marlowe is unable to describe, leaving the reader to imagine
actions that lie outside civilized human behavior.