Heart of Darkness

As I had no introduction to the book, Heart of Darkness began very slowly. The details Conrad used are phenomenal, “The sun sank low, and from glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without heat, as if about to go out suddenly….” At first I thought of Marlow as being egocentric because of the descriptions of the listeners as Marlow began to tell his story. They seemed to reflect that Marlow talked often and didn’t allow others a chance to speak:  “It was just like Marlow. It was accepted in silence. No one took the trouble to grunt even.”

Marlow’s meeting with the doctor was peculiar to me. I was hoping that, in the end, Marlow would return to him to help conduct his study, even though the doctor already knew Marlow would not return in the same state he had left in.

Conrad’s descriptions continuously pulled me into the story farther. The scene that stuck with me was that of the fog. As I was reading, I could feel the fog around me, choking me, as it was choking the crew of the steamer. The use of such details is what made me yearn to know what was in the fog deeper in the forest and how Marlow and his crew would survive if they were attacked.

As the mood of the story darkened, Conrad used humor to lift the mood. "What they wanted to keep that body hanging about for I can't guess. Embalm it, maybe." His use of these witty statements brought out a new side of Marlow’s character and made him more interesting. Not only was Marlow a hard working, he was also humorous and compassionate.

Compassion was very intriguing to me throughout the book. It seemed Marlow had found compassion for the natives along the Congo River, unlike his crew. The death of the Helmsman reflected the clash of the cultures the most as the Pilgrims watch him die with no thought but to eat him. Marlow shows compassion for the natives towards the “black shapes crouched… between the trees.” Marlow offered one young man a biscuit. The scene between Marlow and the young man is touching, with descriptions of how the biscuit was taken and Marlow’s attention to detail about the moment with the young man. Also, Marlow’s compassion manifested when the natives were called criminals, enemies, savages, and rebels. He did not see them as these, but as people of the land – just natives.

Conrad’s use of repetition of “heart of darkness” really made clear the heart of darkness is simple to look into, and going into the heart of darkness, as the doctor said, “Changes take place inside.”