Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

First published: 1899, serial; 1902, book

Type of work: Novella

Type of plot: Psychological realism

Time of plot: Late nineteenth century

Locale: Belgian Congo

Principal Characters

• Marlow, the narrator
• Mr. Kurtz, the manager of the Inner Station, Belgian Congo
• The District Manager,
• A Russian Traveler,
• Kurtz’s Fiancé,

The Story

A group of men sit on the deck of the cruising yawl, The Nellie, which is anchored one calm evening in the Thames estuary. One of the seamen, Marlow, reflects that the Thames, at the time of the invading Romans, was one of the dark and barbarous areas of the earth. Dwelling on this theme, he begins to tell a story of the most barbarous area of the earth that he has experienced.

Through his aunt’s connections, Marlow once secured a billet as commander of a river steamer for one of the trading companies with interests in the Belgian Congo. When he goes to Belgium to learn more about the job, he finds that few of the officials of the company expect him to return alive. In Brussels, he also hears of the distinguished Mr. Kurtz, the powerful and intelligent man who is educating the natives and at the same time sending back record shipments of ivory. The mysterious figure of Mr. Kurtz fascinates Marlow. In spite of the ominous hints that he gathers from various company officials, he becomes more and more curious about what awaits him in the Congo.

During his journey, as he passes along the African coast, Marlow reflects that the wilderness and the unknown seem to seep right out to the sea. Many of the trading posts and stations the ship passes are dilapidated and look barbaric. Finally, Marlow arrives at the seat of the government at the mouth of the river. Again, he hears of the great distinction and power of Mr. Kurtz, who has an enormous reputation because of his plans to enlighten the natives and his success in gaining their confidence. Marlow also sees natives working in the hot sun until they collapse and die. Marlow has to wait impatiently for ten days at the government site because his work will not begin until he reaches the district manager’s station, two hundred miles up the river. At last, the expedition leaves for the district station.

Marlow arrives at the district station to find that the river steamer he is to command sunk a few days earlier. He meets the district manager, a man whose only ability seems to be survival. The district manager, unconcerned with the fate of the natives, is interested only in getting out of the country; he feels that Mr. Kurtz’s new methods are ruining the whole district. The district manager also reports that he has not heard from Kurtz for quite some time but has received disquieting rumors about his failing health.

Although he is impeded by a lack of rivets, Marlow spends months supervising repairs to the antiquated river steamer. He also overhears a conversation that reveals that the district manager was Kurtz’s implacable enemy, who hoped that the climate would do away with his rival. When the steamer is finally ready for use, Marlow and the district manager sail to visit Kurtz at the inner station, far up the river. The journey is difficult and perilous; the water is shallow, and there are frequent fogs. Just as they arrive within a few miles of Kurtz’s station, natives attack the vessel with spears and arrows. Marlow’s helmsman, a faithful native, is killed by a long spear when he leans from his window to fire at the savages. Marlow finally blew the steamboat whistle, and the sound frightened the natives away. The district manager is sure that Kurtz has lost control of the natives. When they dock, they meet an enthusiastic Russian traveler who tells them that Kurtz is gravely ill.

While the district manager visits Kurtz, the Russian tells Marlow that the sick man has become corrupted by the very natives he hoped to enlighten. He still has power over the natives, but instead of his changing them, they have debased him into an atavistic savage. Kurtz attends native rituals, kills frequently in order to get ivory, and has hung heads as decorations outside his hut. Later, Marlow meets Kurtz and finds that the man has, indeed, been corrupted by the evil at the center of experience. Marlow learns from the Russian that Kurtz ordered the natives to attack the steamer, thinking that, if they did so, the white men would run away and leave Kurtz to die among his fellow savages in the wilderness. Talking to Marlow, Kurtz shows his awareness of how uncivilized he has become and how his plans to educate the natives has been reversed. He gives Marlow a packet of letters for his fiancé in Belgium and the manuscript of an article, written sometime earlier, in which he urges efforts to educate the natives.

The district manager and Marlow load Kurtz, now on a stretcher, onto the river steamer to take him back home. The district manager contends that the area is now ruined for collecting ivory. Full of despair and the realization that devouring evil is at the heart of everything, Kurtz dies while the steamer is temporarily stopped for repairs.

Marlow returns to civilization. About a year later, he goes to Belgium to see Kurtz’s fiancé. She still thinks of Kurtz as the splendid and powerful man who went to Africa with a mission, and she still believes in his goodness and power. When she asks Marlow what Kurtz’s last words were, Marlow lies and tells her that Kurtz had asked for her at the end. In reality, Kurtz, who had seen all experience, had in his final words testified to the horror of it all. This horror is not something, Marlow feels, that civilized ladies can, or should, understand.

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