Quiamno 1 Sage Quiamno Middleton English 335 13 February 2012 The Contagion of the Congo: The Mad Men

of The Heart of Darkness Stifling heat, mysterious fog, and the all-consuming darkness: the Congo brings two dissimilar men to psychological breaking points. Madness, given prolonged exposure to the isolation of the wilderness, seems an inevitable extension of chaos. The very question of how and why one goes mad in the interior of Africa pervades Joseph Conrads The Heart of Darkness. Conrad suggests that the British white mans fear of the continents unexplored heart, her uncivilized savaged people, and the internal power struggle of the crews colonial greed thrust Marlow, and before him Kurtz, towards the very definition of madness itself. Exploring Conrads unorthodox, and at times daunting, techniques reveals to readers the broader understanding of his effectiveness in addressing the problematic concept of imperialism in a newly transitioned modernistic world during his time. The Heart of Darkness deals with the subject of madness not in terms of medical lunacy but lunacy that originates from becoming very powerful, from corruption of soul and from higher level of intellect. According to one of the letters from The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad, Volume 9, Conrad described the central premise of the novel as an anecdote of a man who went mad in the Center of Africa. Africa is responsible for the mental disintegration as well as physical illness to both characters Marlow and Kurtz. Madness, in terms of Marlows experience, is the result of being removed from ones social context and allowed to be the sole arbiter of ones own actions. The atmospheric

Quiamno 2 influences at the heart of the African continent reeked havoc with the inadaptable European mind and reduced it either to the insanity of thinking anything is acceptable like Marlows experience or, as in Kurtzs case, to literal madness. When one becomes so far removed from societys more and restrictions, good and evil become relative terms. When these moral boundaries begin fading, Conrad suggests, man loses the sense of where he stands in the great internal moral battle within oneself. Losing this sort of moral foundation, Conrad argues, is the short step to losing ones mind. Conrad cleverly crafts The Heart of Darkness around the theme of madness. The concept itself has two primary functions in the novel. First, it serves as an ironic device that uses ethos and plays on the readers emotions, engaging the emotion of sympathy. In the beginning of the novel, Kurtz is already mentioned and dubbed mad. However, as both Marlow and the reader begin to embark on this treacherous journey up the Congo towards the heart of darkness and form a more complete and distinctive image of Kurtz, it becomes apparent that the madness is only relative. In the result of this, both Marlow and the reader begin to sympathize with Kurtzs character which brings out the conflicting hypocrisy of imperialism malicious colonial bureaucracy vs. open malevolent rule-defying Kurtz and which is the lesser of evils? Conrads technique of imagery in terms of the characters voices and the creative used of framed narration, is what made the method of creating an atmosphere where the reader is as disoriented as Marlow was, is highly effective. He uses modernism as a tool to enter the steam of consciousness technique to enter the sphere in the Victorian literature world. The reoccurring theme of madness also functions as a way to solidify the importance and necessity of social fictions for the sanity of humans. Although throughout

Quiamno 3 The Heart of Darkness, social mores and explanatory justifications are presented to be utterly false and even leading towards the very meaning of evil, it is nevertheless necessary for both harmony amongst the group and serves as individual security. Thus, madness is linked not only to the corruption of absolute power and a form of moral genius but to mans fundamental fallibility as it did for Kurtz because he was worshipped as a deity and answered to no authority. Being that powerful, all knowing, and the pure freedom that it leads to is more than any one man could bear. The transition that both Marlow and Kurtz go through, in the results of madness, is Conrads technique of setting up the allegory in the novel. The concept of madness in The Heart of Darkness is a means of changing the two dynamic characters. Madness changes Marlow and Kurtz into something they are not, but the transition also forces for the realization and revelation of the truth about themselves. The result of the journey itself brings out the ultimate truth about not only the two men of this novel but also about the Victorian society that Conrad was living in, in which was encountering the era of modernism. His romantic view of the world, in which he wanted the reader to experience, was defined in this on quote, My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word is make to make you hear, to make you feel it is before all, to make you see. From the beginning of The Heart of Darkness, madness is a critical theme as Marlow unknowingly faces the horror of the darkness and accepts the journey up the Congo that will inevitably change his life forever. As he travels closer and closer into the heart of darkness into Africa, Marlows story becomes stranger and starts becoming surreal. At the point of the novel, when Marlow sees the doctor, he is checked up and asked intriguing questions; Ever any madness in your family? he asked, in a matter-of-fact tone. I felt very

Quiamno 4 annoyed. Is that question in the interests of science too? It would be, he said, without taking notice of my irritation, interesting for science to watch the mental changes of individuals, on the spot, but (1, 26) The doctor implies that going into the interior changes mens psyches and he tries, in vain, to measure their skulls before they leave. He eventually suggests that men have a tendency to go mad in the African interior. After hearing this, Marlow thinks this is all ludicrous. However, this scene implied that the changes actually occurred internally within mind, not the physicality and size of ones head. This dialogue between Marlow and the doctor also represents the omnipresent threat of madness in a place where temptations are many and where the soul is always vulnerable. However, Marlow truly knew he was going mad when encountered the accountant and the conflicting situation that was presented to him. In the steady buzz of the flies the homeward-bound agent was lying finished and insensible; the other, bent over his books, was making correct entries of perfectly correct transactions; and fifty feet below the doorstep I could see the still tree-tops of the grove of death. (1, 48) At this point, Marlow draws the readers attention to the madness of the situation by juxtaposing two very different images together one of a man lying dead on his deathbed and another of the accountant quietly going about his business as if nothing were wrong. Marlow starts seeing the madness that is surrounding created by the colonialism of Africa, the destructive power of greed, and dehumanization of the indigenous people. This shook his moral foundation and led him into complete confusion. Contrasting to the character of Marlow, is the worshipped and raved Kurtz. After many years in the jungle, he is presented as a man of genius. Although Kurtz was once known as one of the best ivory hunters in all of Africa, he gradually became crippled by the

Quiamno 5 power and greed and ultimately fell victim to losing his humanity. No restraints were placed on him either from above, from a rule of law, or from within, from his own conscience. In the jungle, he came into believe he was free to do whatever he so pleased, and that freedom drove him mad. He obviously lost touch with humanity by being out in the jungle for so long. Kurtz became enamored by ivory, capturing it and owning it. He declared he would shoot me unless I gave him the ivory and the cleared out of the country, because he could do so, and had fancy for it, and there was nothing on earth to prevent him killing whom he jolly well pleased. (1, 51) Clearly from this Marlow witnesses the abuse of power and the madness that takes over Kurtz. Conrad uses a lot of symbolism and presents Kurtzs character as a voice that haunts Marlow, a disembodied head, and a mouth that opens as if to devour everything before him. When Marlow encounters Kurtz, he cannot stop talking about my ivorymy intendedmy rivermy station, as if he owned everything in the Congo. This is where the final arrogant insanity of the white man who comes supposedly to improve a land, but stays to exploit, ravage, and destroy it because he is all consumed with the power of evil greed. The extended length of time he was out in the jungle had a great effect on his mind, and therefore caused him to loose the sight of right and wrong. Kurtzs moral ground and understanding of the levels of humanity began to dissipate. Conrad uses the ivory as a symbolism as not only of Kurtzs greed but also of his changes in which led to his madness. Ultimately his greed, obsession, and madness led to his climactic death. Conrads Heart of Darkness was a vehicle for his social commentary on a spectrum of issues including the emergence of the 20th century British psyche in context of conflict and crisis. The madness that occurs with Conrads two main characters symbolizes his thoughts

Quiamno 6 on the society surrounding him. The concept of modernity provided the historical and socio-cultural setting for this time. The novel touched upon the topics of the impending deterioration of an empire and the growing threat to British dominance in the world. Using his newly founded bold techniques such as framing the narrator in a stream of consciousness to replying heavily on symbolism, imagery, and allegory, Conrad effectively addresses the problems of a new world emerging during his time.