Exploration of Evil in Heart of Darkness

Conrad's Heart of Darkness says that everybody has within oneself vulnerability, fragility, weakness and
strong fear of being deviated from the essential norms and values. All of us possess within ourselves
basic evils. In our day to day normal life this basic hidden evil doesn't emerge strongly and
overwhelmingly. But when we enter into that zone, which fires our evils, these evils becomes
insurmountable and unconquerable.

These evils becomes so threatening that they can claim our lives. For example, greed and lust for power
and prosperity is invisibly hidden in the innermost part of our life. At the normal state of our life we are
not aware of how life threatening they are. But the moment we enter into the atmosphere of
temptation we succumbs to the temptation of evils if we have no substance to prevent.

In the novel, there is a unique and pretty extraordinary genius Kurtz. He is a superb European. He
represents a highly refined civilized, European, moral self. Amidst the enchanting glow and glamour of
his civilized personality all basic evils remained unknown. But as soon as Kurtz landed on the soil of
Congo, his civilized personality and 'self' began to dwindle and disintegrate. He saw the prospect of
exploiting ivory. He happened to see lots of economic resources in the Congo. He found those people
incapable of self-governance. So in Kurtz's mind the ambitious desire to rule the Africans in Congo
developed. Having seen lots of ivory, Kurtz's greed soared uncontrollably. In the name of dominating the
natives, he became more barbaric than the natives. When Kurtz came to stand face to face with
savagery, with savage people, with savage culture, he ought to have controlled his moral self. He must
have curbed his lust for those things which are by nature tempting and destructive. But Kurtz gave in for
power, material gain and for the beauty of brutalities. His civilized 'self' became so torn that he became
the avatar of the natives. He was so engulfed by barbarism that he began to say, 'Exterminate all the
brutes'. One step ahead, he becomes so cruel that he was ready to shoot his own bosom friend just for
the sake of a small piece of ivory. He was so obsessed that he rapaciously exploited Congo.

His evils cropped up and mushroomed panoramically. He became so sexual that he forgot about his
European girlfriend and began to enjoy with an African woman. So it seems that Kurtz's evils increased
by leaps and bounds as he came in touch with evil- stimulating outer atmosphere. But like Kurtz, Marlow
too had reached Congo. But unlike Kurtz, Marlow kept himself intact amidst the enticing climate of evil.
Hence the novel asserts that by exploring the outer world of evil the explorer happen to explore his own
inner world of evil. Whichever evil you explore, evil is evil and the elements explored remains evil.
Hence Conrad's The Heart of Darkness is an exploration of evil.

Joseph Conrad ridicules the hollowness of the Western European civilization. European civilization puts
forward, several tales claims. Western civilization trumpets countess slogans like "Universal Culture",
Universal Civilization and The White man's burden. But all of its claims and slogans sound somewhat
hollow and empty. The veneer (Mantle) of the European civilization, at the surface, seems gorgeous and
glamorous. Nobody succeeds in protecting oneself from being tempted by the gorgeous veil and the
veneer of the European Civilization. Its outer appearance is so enticing and hoodwinking that we could
not help falling in love with it. In addition, the European civilization claims more than what it is capable.
It claims to give more than what it is able to give in reality. It tends to play the game of what the famous
post-colonial critic Gayatri Spivak called 'Othering'. It is artistically boastful of its innate superiority.

According to Joseph Conrad the Western civilization is worrisomely fragile and anxiously breakable. Its
claims and slogans are empty and dangerous hollow. Its basic context lacks a sense of profundity when
Kurtz came in the face of confrontation with Congo, the symbol of Barbarism, an antithesis of
civilization; Kurtz began to show his hidden barbaric self. His unrestrained greed just increased
unbelievably. His civilized self didn't moderate and subdue the sudden emergence of the barbaric self.
As Kurtz's living in Congo continued he gradually changed into the most cruel and exploitative. Had the
western civilization been as strong as it was told, Kurtz should not have degenerated into the lusty,
licentious, cruel and exploitative figure. Not only Kurtz, but the group of pilgrims who were on
Christianization mission turned out to be exploitative figure. Their so called mission of Christianization in
Congo was a mask behind which the ghost of economic exploitation dances joyously. Kurtz's much-
boasted mission to civilize the African native is a hollow white man's burden. The real target was ivory.
The outer face of the European civilization is tantalizing. But inwardly it is fragile and breakable. It
topples down consequent upon its contact with barbarism. Hence, to dramatize the fragility of the veil
and veneer of the Western Europe Civilization is the powerful and prominent theme

Relation between Colonizer and Colonized in Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness explores the intimate relation between colonizers and colonized.
Marlow and Kurtz both are representative figures of colonizer who go on African land in the name of
civilizing and educating the native people. All the ignorant native people who indirectly are influenced
and made dependent towards European are colonized. If we see the activities between European
visitors and the real native people of African lands, we can see the clear relation between colonizers and
colonized.

The colonizers are trying their best to colonize the people economically, socially, politically and mentally
in different areas. Colonizers use different ways to colonize the people. In Heart of Darkness the very
important action is the intention of collecting Ivory. Ivory symbolizes the white man's greed and the
white man's commercial mentality. The white man's chief concern in the Congo is to collect ivory and
send it to Europe. The greater the ivory collected, the greater is his achievement. Ivory is a kind of
money, which European wants to collect and take in their own control. By doing this, they want to
exploit the natives economically. The European trading company is the institutional representation of
the colonizer to colonize the native economically.

This event shows the intention of European countries during the eighteenth century. By entering into so
many third world countries they collected the raw materials and sold their commodities in those
countries. By doing this, they succeeded in ruling over those countries politically to which is one of the
crucial points to show the exploiting nature of colonizer towards the colonized. This European intention
of ruling politically and exploiting economically caused the social colonization.

Conrad has addressed the problem of colonialism elsewhere in the novel Heart of Darkness. How Kurtz
influenced the people of the native African land and took them under his direct control is very symbolic
to see the relationship between colonizers and colonized in the novel. They say one thing but do the
next. The distinction between what they say and really do should be understood to see the relation
between colonizers and colonized. In the novel also Kurtz says that he wants to educate, help and
enlighten the African people, but in reality he controls all the means of economic production, social
conditions and even politically and he himself ties in the powerful, superior condition rather than all the
native people. It is one of the most striking colonial motives of Kurtz. In the name of maintaining peace
and order he developed a secret cult. This cult of secret ritual helped Kurtz make the African obey him.
Hence, the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized is the relation of domination. Kurtz
exploited Congo to the in-depth satisfaction of his hungry self. He sent loads of ivory to Europe within
two years, which clears the relation of the colonizer and the colonized is the relation of exploitation. In
an effort to rule over them, he did not hesitate to sexually harass an African lady. He even displayed his
threatening to the natives in terms of collecting ivory. Hence, the relation of the colonizer and the
colonized is the relation of violence and terror.

The sights of wretchedness and misery of natives of the Congo clearly show the futility of the White
man's seemingly useful work. Marlow sees a lot of black people some are naked, some are ill, some are
chained, some are on the death bed, and some are starved and diseased. The chained are criminals who
have violated the rules set by whites and soon they will face the death penalty. By showing such
situation of Congo, it is made obvious that the white man's difference and unconcern are the main cause
for the degradation of the black natives. Nowhere do we find any mention of any service being rendered
by the Whites to the natives. This is an irony to the white man's so called 'mission to civilize the natives'
and ‘the white man’s burden’.

In the same way, if we symbolically understand Marlow's role, it becomes clear that even he also
selfishly and greedily devours the African land. Kurtz is only one of the best representative members of
Marlow. The master plan has been plotted by Marlow. He imposes the seemingly sincere presence of
colonizer in Africa together with the deceptive mask. His inner intention is to suck, the juice of African
lands in an inner inhuman manner.

In this way the whole novel moves between the inhuman, deceptive and so-called helpful intention of
colonizer who always wants to control the people in different ways. In that sense there lies the
diplomatic relationship between colonizers and colonized in Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness.

Symbolism of Light and Darkness in Heart of Darkness

The symbolic meaning of light and darkness play the central role in the novel Heart of Darkness. If we try
to see the meaning of light it means bright, knowledge, capable in every field, life, perfection, etc. and
Darkness, on the other hand, refers to dark, illiteracy, death, ignorance, inability etc. these both aspects
are applied in a very symbolic manner through the novel. In other words, the whole novel moves
between the relationship of the symbolic aspects of light and darkness.

The very short and simple story of the novel is that Marlow, who thinks that he has possessed the light,
sends his representative candidate Kurtz to give the light in the so- called dark place Africa in different
ways. According to the view of Marlow and Kurtz, African people are in darkness. But the reality turns in
another direction. At the end of the novel, it is implicitly said that actually the darkness is possessed by
the so called civilized white man. The inhuman, deceptiveness and the selfish Kurtz and Marlow are the
main source of darkness in the African land. They have disturbed the solitariness of natives, their culture
has been made impure and their way of living have been degraded to darkness by the interruption of
whites. The existence of darkness is at the core of shining civilization.

According to Kurtz and Marlow, they are uncivilized, inhuman. So, they say that they want to give light
to the all Africans who are living in ignorance. They want to civilize them, educate them. But in reality
they try to keep them under their control. The means of economic production are captured by them.
Social status, political power all are under the control of so called light possessed people.

There are so many darkness imageries in the novel e.g. before Marlow begins to speak, the sun is setting
and dark clouds hang over the river, the knitting woman sits outside the door of darkness, knitting black
wool, Marlow describes to his shipmates that Kurtz belongs to the power of darkness etc. The whole
novel is filled with the symbolic aspects of light and darkness. All the main characters are describing
about the bad aspects of dark and bright path of light. But the measuring is that those who have talked
more about solving the problem of darkness are covered with the very deep fog of darkness. We easily
say that Marlow has possessed the heart of darkness, Kurtz has possessed the heart of darkness, but
both of them say that all Africans are living in darkness. In this way, the complete plot structure of the
novel moves around the symbolic meaning of light and darkness. Marlow and Kurtz are imposing the
more darkness, over the African people by saying that they want to give the light to them. Everyone
talks about the finding of light, but possess only darkness. There is very vast distinction between what
Marlow and Kurtz say and what actually they do. In that sense, symbolism of light and darkness plays
central role in the interpretation of Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness.

Significance of the Title Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad's most read novella Heart of Darkness has double meaning in its title. One dictionary
meaning is that the title refers to the interior of the Africa called Congo. Another hidden meaning is, the
title stands for the darkness or the primitiveness that every person possesses in his or her mind and
heart.

The etymological meaning of the phrase Heart of Darkness is the innermost region of the territory which
is yet to be explored, where people led the nomadic and primitive way of living. The setting time of the
novel Heart of Darkness dates back to those periods when the continent of Africa was not fully explored.
So the continent was called the heart of darkness. The major and significant events of the novel take
place in the Dark Continent, though the first and the end of the story takes place outside the continent.
The central character, Kurtz, comes under the influence of the savages and becomes one of them in the
same dark place called Congo. The savages and Kurtz, in fact, belong to the heart of darkness.

The description of the scenery by Marlow adds something vital meaning to the title of the novel. The
wild scene, thick and impenetrable jungle, the pictures of the natives hiding in the dense jungle, the
silence and the dangerous stillness of the river Congo, the thick fog, all these features are suggestive to
the title Heart of Darkness. The outer physical setting intensifies the horror and the fear among the
readers. The reading about the description of the natives and their way of appearing in the novel bring
the terrific effect in the mind of the reader.

On one occasion, Marlow is attacked by the natives in his steamer. In that attack the helmsman is killed.
The natives attack the steamer of Marlow not knowing why he is there, but in the ignorance. The
ignorance and backwardness of the savages, the purposeless attack creates the feeling like being in the
midst of the heart of darkness. The attack to the steamer is planned by Kurtz, who has become one
savage living with the natives. He becomes more barbaric than the inhabitants. The essence of savagery,
brutality and cruelty sums up in the existence of Kurtz. Kurtz's mission was to civilize the natives, to
educate them, to improve their way of living and the important one is to bring the light into their lives
and into that dark territory. But he ends in converting himself into the savages, and the most striking
thing is that he has set himself like a god in that Dark Continent. He starts following their unspeakable
rites. He does any brutal raids for the sake of collection of ivory. According to Marlow, Kurtz has become
a devil being failure to control his moral restraint. He lets his inner self, the primitive self, dance freely in
the lap of darkness and becomes the representatives of the darkness. His superstition and evil has
become the embodiment of darkness. Psychologically, Kurtz is the symbol of everyman's darkness which
is veiled under the curtain of civilization. Kurtz is the heart of darkness.

The term heart of darkness stands for another meaning too. The journey of Kurtz and Marlow to explore
the interior of the Dark Continent called Congo is not only the physical search of some the territory, but
it is an exploration of the innermost part of the human mind and the human heart. The geographical
search is comparatively easier than the search of one's self, one's Dark Continent. Both Kurtz and
Marlow are in an implied sense in the journey to find their dark region of mind and heart. In case of
Kurtz, he cannot hold the mystical and attractive power of his savagery self, his suppressed primitive self
and gives in. He fails to control his moral restraint. He submits to the dark side of his personality and
becomes one savage. He reaches to the heart of darkness, but cannot resist its power upon him and he
cannot come back from his subconscious state of mind. But in the case of Marlow, he too travels to the
heart of darkness, the subconscious. He reaches there and witnesses the heavy influence of primitive
self on Kurtz. He notices that he has become totally a devil, deviating from his main aim to civilize the
savages. Marlow, despite the truth that Kurtz has been transformed into the barbaric self, praises him
and is attracted towards him. He has fallen a near prey to the primitiveness. But, amazingly, he does not
submit himself to the savagery self of his subconscious. He reaches to the heart of darkness, witnesses
the transformation of Kurtz, and gets to know the irresistible power of barbaric hidden self, praises it
and again comes back to the light of civilization. He is so able to control his morality and spirituality. His
journey to Africa is, symbolically, exploration of the dark side of human life, either psychologically, or
morally and or spiritually.

A critic commenting upon the title of the novel, Heart of Darkness, states that the darkness here is many
things: it is the unknown, it is the subconscious, it is the moral darkness, it is the evil which swallows up
Kurtz, and it is the spiritual emptiness, which he sees at the center of the existence, but above all it is a
mystery itself, the mysteriousness of man's spiritual life.
Use of Narrative Technique in Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad used frame narrative in Heart of Darkness under the influence of the medieval tale telling
poets such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Boccaccio. The device of frame narrative which is also known as
narrative within narrative has become one new technique for Conrad to narrate his story to the readers.

The narrator in this technique does not involve himself in the events, but keeps himself at a distance so
as to observe all the accounts of the characters and delivers it to us. The two narrators go on describing
the events one after another, interweaving all the incidents. In frame narrative, one narrator makes
frame by introducing and explaining the events at the beginning, then handing over the narrative to
another narrator and at last again resuming the narrative himself. The first narrator remains apart, but
still he is with the crew members and is one of them.

In Heart of Darkness the first narrator remains anonymous and according to some critics, the
anonymous narrator is the author himself. So, in that sense, Conrad is the first narrator and he narrates
in such a way that sometime his identities merge with the second narrator, Marlow. The first narrator's
introduction gives entry to the central issues that Marlow is going to deal with in the rest of his
narrative: the gloomy role of the city as a center of civilization, the nature of imperialism, an individual's
ability to explore one's mind and reach to the core of the subconscious. The author has excellently used
poetic language to give the clearest view of physical setting and the effects of outer setting to the inner
landscape of Africa.

The whole narrative is divided into three chapters and it is interesting that the each shift from one
chapter to another ends in the crucial moment in Marlow’s approach to Kurtz. At the first break, Marlow
just hears about Kurtz and becomes eager to see him thinking that he might be an idealist. From this
point, the narrative is carried further by Marlow. At the second shift, he becomes too curious about
Kurtz just before discovering about his real truth. This, each pause and shift have significant value in the
narrative demanding listener’s attention and their reaction upon the incident. From here, the rest of the
responsibility of the narrative is taken by the first anonymous narrator.

According to Edward Said in his book titled Joseph Conrad and the Fiction of Autobiography, 1966, p viii,
Conrad has used ‘retrospective method’ to convey what he could not mediate upon at the time of the
experience. In the course of the narrative, Marlow moves back and forth to introduce past in order to
understand the present and the interrelationship of past and present.

Kurtz's fall in Heart of Darkness

Kurtz is one of the representatives of European values. He is a petty tyrant, a dying god, an embodiment
of Europe. He has been presented as a funneling character Marlow. His ambition is also traveling Africa,
but though Kurtz managed to reach his inner within like as Marlow, he fails at last because he cannot
come out of it.

His downfall seems to be a result of his willingness to ignore the hypocritical rules that govern European
colonial conduct. Like Marlow, Kurtz also wished to travel to Africa in search of adventure specially to
complete great acts of humanizing, improving, and instructing. Once he tested the power that could be
in the jungle, however, Kurtz abandoned his philanthropic idea and set himself up as a god to natives at
the inner station. While he used to worry about the best ways to bring the light of civilization to the
Congo, he dies as a man believing that the company should simply "Exterminate all the brutes."

Kurtz's language is modeled with the colonial motif of Europeans behave. His ways of behaving, a
concept all are formed inside the Marlow's designation. His fall is one of the crucial points which proves
inability to catch his within. He used to say that he will take light in the darkened African land. But after
all what he really did is exploitation of African people in the field of economy, society, relation, policies,
etc. He affected to almost all aspects of African society. But when he died, he spoke the sentence
"Exterminate all the brutes" as a request to his company. Marlow remarks that all Europe contributed to
the making of Kurtz. The very existence of Kurtz also proves that these very remarks as true. Kurtz is
completely open about his lust. He is the man of many lusts.

When Kurtz's dies Marlow learns about the inner Salvation. Kurtz's death has been presented as
Marlow's salvation in the novel. Kurtz’s fall is the result of the colonial conduct of European society. He
is a made up man. His mentality has been influenced or imposed with the colonial motive of European
conduct, but he doesn't know all these reality. He only thinks about his intention, positions and
superiority in different levels. But it is very interesting that Kurtz having the heart of darkness tries to
exterminate so called another kind of darkness.

In this way Kurtz is a kind of blind- folded man with the colonial motive of European conduct. He himself
has so many lusts. He achieves power, joy, labor all these things, but his fall is in that situation in which
he himself is not known about what actually darkness is and who has possessed the real darkness. His
fall has been shown without any kind of realization. What he did before his fall is only served the holistic
European colonial motive designed by Marlow and at last he is presented as the scapegoat of his lusts in
different fields which was designed by European colonial conduct.

In Heart of Darkness Kurtz is equated with European and his fall is linked with the fall of European
civilization. The principal cause of Kurtz’s fall is his lack of moral restraint. His fall is the fall of rational
power when it stands face to face with the fascinating savagery. His fall suggests that a civilized man is
hollow at the core. According to Conrad, however civilized we might be a primitive savage self is deeply
hidden within us. If we don’t act in keeping with the virtue of moral restraint, this primitive demon
comes out from its prison and renders our lives hollow and brutal. Kurtz's fall is the fall of the civilized
self in an atmosphere of freewheeling subconscious life.

Heart of Darkness is Essentially a Journey Within

Heart of Darkness is undoubtedly the story of a journey within. Marlow's journey and Kurtz's journey to
the Congo, and African Country is basically a journey to the Congo of our mind. Literally speaking both
Kurtz and Marlow reached Congo at different time in their life. The novel narrates the journey to Congo.
By narrating the outer journey to Congo the novelist indirectly hints at the inner Journey.
It is said that everyone carries within him/her own Congo. As an outer Congo was full of fear, terror,
savagery and forces of temptation, so it our Congo full of dark forces. To reach the bottom line of our
inner Congo it is, according to Conrad, necessary to make an outer journey to literal Congo. Our Congo is
a manifestation of inner Congo. By reaching a geographic Congo by making an outer journey, it is
possible to reach the center of our inner Congo.

Jung said that Marlow's journey to Congo is a descent into a subconscious. The subconscious is a vast
territory, dark forces which affect our lives without making us aware of the functioning of its
mechanism. Kurtz descended into the subconscious. But he failed to take control of it. He failed to
handle the operation of dark forces from the level of his subconscious. Kurtz unconsciously descended
into the realm of the subconscious. That is why, he can't return from it. On the contrary, Kurtz was
devoured by the dark forces in the subconscious.

Marlowe's journey within is somewhat different. Unlike Kurtz Marlow descended into the subconscious
with full awareness with a strict sense of self restraint and with a sense of unflinching and unwavering
loyalty to a standard of norm. Kurtz was deviated from the standard of civilized ethical norms. Due to
this deviation his journey within proved to be fatal. Instead of keeping firm control over the
overwhelming power of subconscious forces Kurtz went on yielding to the temptations of the dark
subconscious forces. That is why Kurtz became brutal and barbaric, atrocious and exploitative, rapacious
and lusty. In sharp contrast to Kurtz Marlow never deviated from an established ethos. That is why he
did not become a puppet in the hand of subconscious forces. He made an inner journey cautiously
because he had made a cautious outer journey to Congo. Due to his durable moral rectitude, Marlow
even tried to save Kurtz from his inner malaise.

There are several elements on the strength of which we can say that Heart of Darkness is a journey
within. When Marlow was piloting his steamer along the river that flowed between a dense forest,
Marlowe became frightened and awake in the distance. Joseph Conrad has used both awakening related
symbols and dark forces-referring images. The reason behind the use of these polar opposite symbols is
to produce sufficient evidences that the novel is ultimately about the inner journey.

Kurtz's utterances "Horror, Horror" suggest Kurtz's failed and futile inner journey. When Kurtz reached
the depth of the inner heart of darkness, he was in no position to return and claim his civilized self.
Marlow's attempt to take Kurtz back to Europe reflects Marlow's successful inner journey. Marlow
succeeded in mastering his inner Congo. That is why Marlow remained untouched by the temptation of
the savage self. This success of Marlow in making the inner journey successful had been exemplified by
his Buddha image also. Marlow is, throughout the play, seen sitting in lotus position. His lotus position
reflects his complete and triumphant inner journey.

Marlow not only reached his inner Heart of Darkness, but succeeded in coming out of it. Kurtz too
managed to reach his inner Congo but failed to come out of it. Hence his inner Congo engulfed Kurtz.
Two golden fact about Marlowe's journey is that he reached Congo. By reaching Congo he reached his
own inner Congo. By completing his out journey he succeeded in making his own inner journey. Next
equally important fact is that Marlow knew a profound and invaluable truth made him aware of the
fragility of the human self. This awareness led him towards the path of self-realization. That is why
Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a journey within.

Use of Irony in Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad has used a figurative device, irony, to cater the hidden meaning in the novella Heart of
Darkness. When there is the contrast between what is said and what actually is, then the situation is
said to be ironic. Whenever the irony is used, it heightens the degree of effect: sometime the comic
effect and sometimes the tragic effect.

There are many ironies in the novel, but the greatest and noteworthy irony is the conversion of Kurtz in
the Congo. Kurtz was an intelligent agent of the Company who once wrote a pamphlet stating the
formative role the whites that they can play in the interior of Africa. As per him, the whites can suppress
the savages, their brutal customs of killing human beings, and their way of living and can civilize the
backward people. Here, he held a very high and progressive concept about taming the cannibals. But we
see at the end of the novel, “Exterminate all the brutes” written at the end of the pamphlet. Here lies
the irony, that at first what he wrote about the constructive role of whites contradicts with the
statement. Similarly, Kurtz is expected to civilize the savages because he is thought to be one of the
great people having moral restraint. However, just the opposite happens in the novel, in place of
civilizing the brutes, he himself has become a savage. While dealing with the whites he behaves
normally, but when he returns to the interior, he finds himself one of them and becomes a savage. Later
on, he becomes so powerful, dominating all the savages that he is worshipped as a god. He starts
following the night rituals that ends with the beheading of many savages and cruel raids for the ivory.
Kurtz cannot control his moral self. He forgets the demarcation line of civilized man and a savage. He
went there to transform the savages, but he himself is transformed. In this way, Kurtz’s transformation
into savage is one great irony of this novel.

Another significant irony is Marlow’s ultimate reactions to Kurtz. At the beginning of the novel, Marlow
gets many information about Kurtz and he forms an attitude of disdain towards Kurtz. However,
afterwards, he becomes his admirer and respects him. He has developed a strong feeling of friendship
with him. He persuades Kurtz to return back to the city. He begins to cherish the cruel man who has
turned into a savage. Marlow has started to see him as his own kin in terms of the primitiveness. Thus,
another civilized and highly cultured man, Marlow, has also fallen a near prey to the influences of
savagery. We expect Marlow to hold his hatred towards Kurtz till the end, but happens opposite to our
hope.

There is irony in the attitude of Kurtz’s fiancée. She has been a great lover and devoted to her beloved
Kurtz. She feels proud that her lover is in the great mission to civilize the savages. She has harbored a
highest degree of respect for her lover whom she worships like a god. When she knows about the death
of Kurtz, her grief overpowers her. Marlow goes to see her after one year of Kurtz’s death, and still he
finds her in mourning. She speaks of high words for him. The irony in this case lies in the fact that, the
man she loves and still adores had become a devil in the process of civilizing the savages. The irony
becomes higher when Marlow says that his last words had been her name which was a white lie. The
last words of Kurtz were “Horror, Horror”.
The adoration of Kurtz by the Russian is very ironical. According to the description of Marlow, Kurtz has
become a devil, living among the savages he has been no less than them. But for the Russian, he is a
hero of great worth. The Russian says that Kurtz has enlarged his mind and can teach to see the essence
of the things in a different way. As per the Russian, Kurtz possesses a hidden wisdom which enlightens
him. It is so ironical that a man who is by all means a devil can illuminate the Russian.

In this way, the novel Heart of Darkness possesses many ironies to heighten the degree of feeling, of
sorrow when there is an unexpected transformation of Kurtz, when the white fiancée goes on believing
that her lover is noble and praiseworthy and when we find Marlow praising Kurtz despite his devilish
nature.