Mørkets Hjerte

Conrad's most famous novella is based on his experience as mate on the riverboat Roie des Belges in the Congo in 1890. It is one of the most prominent masterpieces of symbolism in English literature. It represents an attack on imperialism, a parable of moral and ethical growth and decline, and a psychological study all at once.Conrad uses symbolism in his work in order to covey some deep notions and ideas that would have been otherwise too bleak and terrifying if expressed in plain prose. The symbolic journey of Marlow into "that immense heart of darkness" represents, thus, his progress through the African jungle, but also a journey into the deepest depth of the human soul. At the beginning of the story, both Marlow and the reader are enveloped in a thin veil of innocence that is gradually torn apart under the corrupting influence of the characters that meet Marlow on his way.The Congo of Heart of Darkness is a terrifying world ruled by a perverse inverted order of Civilization, which was carried into the depth of Africa with the design of bringing light, education, and advancement. Such was the shiny surface of imperialism. What it hid underneath, however, was the world of horror through which Marlow had journeyed only to be met with greed, cruelty, and insanity. Madness is, therefore, addressed in the novel as the outcome of isolation. Kurtz, by means of illustration, had lost his reason when he was entirely cut from the civilization to which he belonged. The darkness mentioned in the title seems, accordingly, to be an inherent part of every human being; a part that can only surge when we are confronted with the meaninglessness and emptiness of the world.