The framing device employed by Joseph Conrad for the narrative of his Heart of Darkness, where the experiences of the main character, Marlow, regarding his journey through the African continent are related to the reader by an anonymous narrator, causes the insights gained by Marlow as a consequence of his quest being conferred upon a specific group of individuals, whose preconceptions regarding the true nature and motivations behind colonialism are challenged.
Like the narrator, Marlow is someone who once admired the noble questers of the past like Sir John Franklin and Francis Drake, who undertook journeys of exploration and conquest and were lured by the mystery of unknown continents. But now Marlow assumes a role as the figure of enlightenment, 'sitting cross legged on the deck like a European Buddha' (p.10), who will give these preconceptions of the narrator, which the reader who may also be inclined to share, a greater depth and complexity.
Marlow The Obstinate Quester
Marlow describes his initiation into the African trading company as plagued by dark omens and hints of corruption, as he sees women knitting black wool and is examined by a doctor who talks of profound psychological alterations occurring in Europeans who travel into the continent. He portrays himself as an obstinate quester, with an element of hubris, who desired to undertake his journey regardless of the potential dangers - perhaps like the individuals related by the narrator in the opening such as Sir John Franklin, who journeyed unprepared into the hostile wilderness.
However the reality of the situation he finds in Africa, is unveiled as nothing but an ignoble scramble for profit, without any of the hint of glamor professed by European society, and more specifically by the company. After observing the chaotic attempts of Europeans to assert their Western civilization onto the wilderness of Africa, Marlow comes to realize how fragile the world he comes from really is. He is confronted by the chaos of destroyed machinery, destroyed pipes, and the 'objectless blasting' (p.22) of a cliff, to which he states ironically, 'the work was going on. The Work!'(p.24). His quest reveals a brutal natural world free from the shackles of civilization, which is enigmatic, threatening and 'seems to be warding off intruders.' (p.20)
The Horror The Horror
This idea is further reinforced during his meeting with the enigmatic Kurtz, which leads not to enlightenment, but rather, into a dark void, where his preconceptions regarding his own humanity are called into question. Kurtz is a figure whose once noble ideals about civilization have become replaced by something much more sinister. The eloquent words of his pamphlet, which once expressed Kurtz's passionate belief in the African mission, has now been scrawled over with the words 'exterminate all the brutes'.(p.77)
Kurtz's plans to civilize the country, are ideologies – or rivets, like the ones Marlow needs so desperately for his ship - which are simply too weak to endure their quest into the heart of darkness, which does not reveal to them any mysteries about the continent, but exposes disconcerting realties about their own nature. 'The horror, the horror'(p.100), a term exclaimed by Kurtz on his death bed evokes this idea of a disconcerting knowledge regarding the savagery which lurks under the surface of human nature, and is a moment of self realization, and alludes to the hidden evil of mankind, masked by the superficial veneer of European civilization.
Conrad - 'Anything but the Mood of Wistful Regret'
Writing in 1917, Conrad stated about Heart of Darkness that 'it is well know that curious men go prying into all sorts of places (where they have no business).' Conrad himself had experiences of this in the Congo. One of the fundamentals of quest literature is that the quest rarely fulfills the traveler's expectations, and this can be seen in Marlow's story. His monologue is imprecise, ambiguous and slightly stumbling, and this creates an inconsistent stream of consciousness, interspersed with fragmented images.
Conrad wrote 'I won't characterize the mood precisely, but anybody can see that it is anything but the mood of wistful regret, of reminiscent tenderness.' (Conrad, authors note, xi) The imprecise nature of the mood is supported by a narrative structure of dense, but evocative complexity. Its effectiveness lies in mystery.
Sources
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness,Penguin Popular Classics, 1994
Joseph Conrad,Youth A Narrative and Two Other Stories, The Works of Joseph Conrad in Twenty Six Volumes John Grant , Edinburgh, 1925, volume 6
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