Savage Journey in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

Heart of Darkness: Savage Journey Inherent inside every human soul is a savage evil side that remains repressed by society. Often this evil side breaks out during times of isolation from our culture, and whenever one culture confronts another. History is loaded with examples of atrocities that have occurred when one culture comes into contact with another. Whenever fundamentally different cultures meet, there is often a fear of contamination and loss of self that leads us to discover more about our true selves, often causing perceived madness by those who have yet to discover their own self. Joseph Conrad’s book, The Heart of Darkness is a story about Man’s journey into his self, the discoveries to be made there and about†¦show more content†¦Marlow tells us about the Ivory that Kurtz kept as his own, and that he had no restraint, and was a tree swayed by the wind† (Conrad, 209). Marlow mentions the human heads displayed on posts that â€Å"showed that Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in th e gratification of his various lusts† (Conrad, 220). Conrad also tells us his... nerves went wrong, and caused him to preside at certain midnight dances ending with unspeakable rights, which... were offered up to him† (Conrad, 208), meaning that Kurtz went insane and allowed himself to be worshipped as a god. It appears that while Kurtz had been isolated from his culture, he had become corrupted by this violent native culture, and allowed his evil side to control him. Marlow realizes that only very near the time of death, does a person grasp the big picture. He describes Kurtz’s last moments as though a veil had been rent† (Conrad, 239). Kurtz’s last supreme moment of complete knowledge† (Conrad, 239), showed him how horrible the human soul really can be. Marlow can only speculate as to what Kurtz saw that caused him to exclaim The horror! The horror, but later adds that Since I peeped over the edge myself, I understand better the meaning of his stare... it was wide enough to embrace the whole universe, piercing enough to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness... he had summed up,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1164 Words   |  5 PagesAs Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness eludes to the inverse interpretation of colors as a motif, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now not only mimics but also portrays through the Vietnam War, the contrasting misguided cru sades of enlightenment that the supreme race forces upon savages. 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Within Conrads characters one can find both racist and colonialist views, and it is the opinion, and the interpretation of the reader which decides what Conrad is really trying to say in his work. Chinua Achebe, a well known writer, once gave a lecture at the University of Massachusetts about Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, entitled An image of Africa: