Review of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”
Opinions range to the extremes on this book. Readers seem to be either reading for literary craft, pop psychology, turn of the 19th century global politics, or sociology / racism. The fact that Joseph Conrad can evoke such wide ranging responses attests to his skill as a writer.
I picked this up immediately after reading Conrad’s “The Secret Agent”, another deep dive into the human psyche.
In both books, the author lures his reader along with interesting leading characters that turn out to be messengers for the real theme of the story. “The Secret Agent”, invests most of the plot action around Mr. Veckor, whose ego-centric and simplistic ventures set the stage to investigate the deep emotions of his wife in mourning for her dead brother. Similarly, in “Heart of Darkness”, Marlow is on the adventure of a lifetime, and almost stumbles upon the deranged Mr. Kurtz who represents the real theme of the story. This is a clever ploy.
There is a lot I don’t yet understand in this book. My reading skills aren’t yet fine tuned to Conrad’s use of metaphors and symbolism. What did Mr. Kurtz’s final words “The Horror. The Horror”, refer to specifically?
Why did Marlow lie to Mr. Kurtz’s fiancé about this, telling her his last words were her name? (other than, in reality, that would probably be the only thing she would want to hear right then). What was the role of the beautiful black women on the shore of the river at Kurt’z camp? These are still inscrutable to me.
I did like the way Conrad uses repetition to bring home the major themes of this book. The words “Heart” , “Darkness”, and “Heart of Darkness” are found several times, in different contexts, throughout the story. The message here is clear I think. There is a parallel between the unfathomable African jungle and the mysteries of the human mind. There is Darkness, threatening, and an alure of the unknown where few people dare to go in and even fewer come out alive.
This is illustrated in couple of quotes from the story:
“…The vision seemed to enter the house with me—the stretcher, the phantom-bearers, the wild crowd of obedient worshipers, the gloom of the forests, the glitter of the reach between the murky bends, the beat of the drum, regular and muffled like the beating of a heart—the heart of a conquering darkness…”
And the final sentence…
“We have lost the first of the ebb,” said the Director, suddenly. I raised my head. The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness. ”
And my personal favorite:
“…Droll thing life is—that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself—that comes too late—a crop of unextinguishable regrets…”
It’s a 4 star book that leaves you with a succinct phrase that sums up our existance.
Jason Pryde
Langley, WA
www.jjkpryde.com
