Heart of Darkness: Story of my Life

ANALYSIS:

"This man suffered too much. He hated all this, and somehow he couldn't get away. When I had a chance I begged him to try and leave while there was still time; I offered to go back with him. And he would say yes, and then he would remain; go off on another ivory hunt; disappear for weeks; forget himself amongst these people-forget himself-you know"(95).

This statement made by the the Russian demonstrates Mr. Kurtz's inability to escape the "darkness" within himself. The Russian justifies Mr. Kurtz's actions by portraying him as a victim, an ironic concept considering that the man has heads on stakes surrounding his house. I found this quote interesting primarily because it slightly contrasts the excerpt from The Things They Carried. Mary Anne says "I feel close to myself...I know exactly who I am"(111). In this passage from Heart of Darkness, however, the Russian describes that Kurtz has forgotten himself. Throughout the novel the concept of discovering one's own "inner darkness" is a predominate motif. The Russian is blinded by his devotion to Kurtz, holding onto his inspiring talks of love with Kurtz, excusing his actions with his immense sorrow and supposed loss of self. Mary Anne embraces her transformation because it makes her feel more alive, while there is definitely an aspect of self loathing in Kurtz. I believe that deep down Kurtz hated who he had become("...he hated all this...") but was so engulfed in his own evil and obsession that his hatred was not recognized as that of himself, but was realized in his savagery and apparent lack of morality. He cannot escape his lust for ivory, the driving force in the emergence of his inner darkness. While I understand the Russian's claim that Kurtz forgot himself, I think it's more accurate to say he discovered a part of himself that had never before been realized. Mary Anne, despite her highly fashionable necklace of human tongues, justifies her actions by saying they aren't "bad." Heads on stakes surrounding his house makes sense to Kurtz, it isn't "bad," it's a reasonable choice of decoration(just like figurines of Poe and fake beating hearts). I think that Kurtz has forgotten himself in the sense that he has denounced the guidelines of morality in society and embraced the darkness that has always existed.

QUOTE:

"She was sure. I heard her weeping; she had hidden her face in her hands. It seemed to me that the house would collapse before I could escape, that the heavens would fall upon my head. But nothing happened. The heavens do not fall for such a trifle. Would they have fallen, I wonder, if I had rendered Kurtz that justice which was his due? Hadn't he said he wanted only justice? But I couldn't. I could not tell her. It would have been too dark-too dark altogether" (131).

Kurtz had been many things to many people. A painter, a poet, an inspirational speaker. Yet few recognized the darkness which consumed him. Marlow becomes incredibly cynical by the end of the novel and recognizes how blind society is to the evil that exists in mankind. Despite his revealation, he maintains Kurtz's fiance's perception of Kurtz by saying that his last words were her name. He is incredibly disheartened by her confidence that he speaks the truth, that Kurtz died the man she thought he was. The word trifle in this passage is somewhat of an understatement. Trifle refers to Marlow's continued contribtion to the ignorance of society, allowing his fiance to believe he was the poetic and powerful man she loved, instead of a being of disintegrating humanity. His question as to whether the detrimental truth or a reassuring lie was worse(i.e. which would result in the heavens collapsing upon him) is a question as to whether it is up to him to reveal the darkness of humanity. Kurtz asserts( in his warped mind) that all he ever wanted was justice. Marlow's decides that the truth would just bring the darkness upon he and Kurtz's fiance and that he cannot dissolve the perceptions of Kurtz.

OPINION:

The first time I read this book, I hated it immensely. The second time I understood it, and I actually liked it. While the subject is a bit much for me, the examination of humanity and its conclusion that all humanity possesses evil(which can be brought out by one's surroundings) makes sense to a degree. I'm not saying that heads on stakes are reasonable, just that the idea that one's surroundings can transform and distort an individual's sense morality coincides with the whole tabula rasa concept. It's definitely not one of my favorite books but I think the concept is essential to be familiar with for other works.