Life & Books

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness: The First Set Book of My Master’s Course

There are four set texts in my English literature master’s course with the first one being Joseph Conrad’s Heart Of Darkness. This books has—and still is—taken me on quite an emotional journey 😵‍💫 but I’m so invested.

What is Heart of Darkness About?

Marlow, a British sailor, is sharing a story with his crew mates while waiting to sail out on the River Thames. Years ago he’d travelled up the Congo River in order to rescue a man called, Colonel Kurtz. Kurtz, once a revered man showing immense promise for the advancement of imperialism, is believed to have gone ‘savage’.

Getting to explore the heart of the Congo was a childhood dream of Marlow’s. But the reality turns out to be vastly different to what he’d hoped for. Marlow’s visit to Congo was during a time when King Leopold II (Belgium king) privately owned the land and was extracting ivory from it. Marlow’s account of his journey notes what appears to be a criticism on the imperial agenda. He describes pointless acts of dominance and authority on the part of the Europeans within Congo. Along egregious acts of violence and inhumanity being inflicted upon the Congolese people of the time.

That’s a very simplified version of the story but there are some YouTube summaries you could check out.

What Makes Heart Of Darkness So Interesting?

What makes Heart Of Darkness so interesting is that Joseph Conrad wrote the story after his very own journey—albeit much shorter—up the Congo River; making the story somewhat reflective of the author’s own experience. As much as it is a work of fiction the level of destruction and senseless violence was very inline with the realities of the time.

The Facts of What Was Happening in Congo

The fact is King Leopold II was rapaciously taking whatever he could profit off of from the Congo under the guise of establishing free trade and abolishing slavery. He was ruthless, greedy and entitled—to say the least.

But the most fascinating part is that none of the atrocities happening in the Congo were publicly known. Meaning the novella (short novel) was sort of a tell-all to the British society of the time.

What I’ll be Focusing on as I Continue Studying Heart of Darkness

The big question many scholars address when it comes to Heart Of Darkness is whether or not it’s justified to say Conrad wrote the novella to criticise imperialism. And honestly I keep going back and forth on this one.

Yes, Conrad does shed light on events that were being actively hidden away. However, he does it in a way that feels too evasive and timid. I believe if Conrad really wanted to effect change he had means and a platform to do so, profoundly. Instead he writes a story that clearly *dehumanises the Congolese people as if they still need to be rescued from themselves but perhaps in a less violent way.

*if you’re interested in a more detailed analysis check out Chinua Achebe’s essay An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness