ANALYSIS OF HEART OF DARKNESS

Heart of darkness is set in Africa towards the end of the nineteenth century, whaen European
countries divided up the continent with the dual aims of increasing national prestige and of having
access to cheap natural resources.
Introduction
Following a difficult childhood during which he lost both parents, and twenty years spent as a sailor
at sea, Polish-born Joseph Conrad settled in England at the age of thirty-seven.
In English, which was his third language after Polish and Russian, he started writing novels and
short stories, many of which were based on his sea adventures. Of these, Heart of darkness, in
which he describes the ghastly/horrible/terrible yet fascinating nature of the evils of colonial
depredation, has become a classic of 20th century literature.
The story
On a boat on the Thames, Marlow, the narrator, tells a group of sailors about the unforgettable
voyage he undertook to the Heart of the African continent. He went there to take command of a ship
and collect a cargo of ivory from the colonial stations of the interior.
As he travelled deeper and deeper into the jungle, he was increasingly sickened/disgusted by the
corruption of the colonial traders and the ruthless/cruel exploitation of the natives. He eventually
met Mr Kurtz, the most successful ivory trader, but discovered that his success was built on the
creation of his own mini-empire of evil hidden away in the depths of the lawless jungle, where
natives were tortured and murdered. Kurtz dies as Marlow is taking him down the river to the coast
and away from his diabolically constructed private kingdom.
The beginning of the novel
Darkness was here yesterday
Marlow is talking to a group of sailors on a boat at anchor in the Thames. Before telling his story
about his experience in Africa, he wonders what the area around the Thames was like in the Roman
times. In the opening paragraph Marlow tries to imagine what life may have been like for a
commander travelling up the Thames in Roman Britain. What kind of difficulties would he have
faced? Why, according to Marlow, would a commander have accepted such a mission?
In the opening lines Marlow makes reference to all the great English explorers, who since the
middle Ages have set out from the river Thames to travel the world. He claims that they brought
light with them. What does light symbolize in this context?
Do you think that all colonizing states and individual colonists were motivated only by greed and a
lust/wish/desire for power? Were there any noble aspirations behind colonial expansion?
Colonialism played an important part in Conrad's life and fiction. Discuss this statement making
reference to what you have read about Conrad's life and works.
The condemnation of the cruelty and greed of colonialists is another theme of Conrad's novels,
especially Heart of darkness, which dramatically describes the effects of the brutal exploitation of

Africa by European colonial powers. He theme of the story is again choice in an alien environment:
the white man in the unfamiliar and unfriendly environment of the Congo can either become a
ruthless/cruel businessman who sees Africa as an immense source of profit, or become, like Kurtz,
the dark personification of degenerate idealism.

According to Marlow, forests, jungles and the heart of men contain a dark, indecipherable and yet
intriguing secret/mystery.
In what ways do more developed peoples violate/affect the lives of primitive tribes and their
environment?
For example: the systematic destruction of the Amazon forest is destroying the native inhabitants'
way of life.
The horror! The horror! (Chapter 10 Cideb p. 92/03)
Marlow is on the ship with the manager of the colonial company, who is responsible for ivory
trading and the pilgrims who work for the manager. They have found a very ill Kurtz and are going
to take him away from his jungle ivory station and back to the coast. The manager is happy to take
him away because he does not agree with the methods he uses to get ivory, but he suspects that
Marlow sympathizes with Kurtz.
Kurtz was an educated and civilized man who, far from the restraints of civilization, exercised a
semi-divine power over the natives through intimidation and barbaric rites. His wrongdoings/bad
behavior have, however, left a terrible mark on him. See the darkness, terror, shadows and despair
that surround Kurtz.
Kurtz has used horrific means for the cause of west colonialism. As he approaches death, he tries to
justify his actions.