Thursday, August 1, 2019
Heart of Darkness â⬠Metaphorical or Physical Journey? Essay
The worth of any physical journey can be measured by the value it has to the traveller; by the psychological, moral and philosophical insight gained during the course of travel. This is especially valid for a trip of such immense significance as the one undertaken by the narrator in Joseph Conradââ¬â¢s Heart of Darkness, Marlow, as he travels along the Congo River in Africa. The symbolic importance of the Congo River is paramount throughout the novella; however, it is equally important to consider the role of the river on which the tale is told ââ¬â the Thames, the centre of the nation that dominated colonial expansion. Both rivers offer a platform of observation of their respective societies ââ¬â allowing Marlow to remain independent from these cultures and thus maintain his own moral compass. On a surface level, the Thames appears to be the epitome of tranquillity and civilization, as Marlowe describes it as being ââ¬Ëcalmââ¬â¢, waiting for the ââ¬Ëturn of the tideââ¬â¢ and being the centre of ââ¬Ëthe biggest, and the greatest, town on Earth.ââ¬â¢ However, Conradââ¬â¢s multi-layered writing undercuts this view, as many descriptions of the Thames have mortuary connotations, implying a feeling of death on the river. For example, Conrad describes a ââ¬Ëmournful gloom, brooding motionlessââ¬â¢, the feeling of stillness coupled with the ââ¬Ëgloomy tone creates a corpse-like atmosphere. Even the images of light that Conrad employs are more or less negative in their more subtle meanings. He describes the torches of light (a metaphor for Western Civilization) as being merely a ââ¬Ëflickerââ¬â¢, which implies that the faà §ade of culture and humanity is ephemeral in nature. The first words Marlow uses describe his surroundings as ââ¬Ëand this alsoâ⬠¦ was one of the dark places of the earthââ¬â¢, reminding listeners of the dark past, which is only partially and insubstantially covered. He then goes on to describe the ââ¬Ërobbery with violenceââ¬â¢ and the ââ¬Ëaggravated murder on a great scaleââ¬â¢ which the Romans had committed in ancient Britain. Whilst the present reality demonstrates an apparent conquering of the darkness, Conrad implies a different message, as he mentions the ââ¬Ëtoyingââ¬â¢ of the ââ¬Ëbonesââ¬â¢ (another name for dominoes made of ivory), which refers to the abominations committed by King Leopold II in the Congo Free State, as he exploited the lives of African to further his own commercial enterprise. This associates the Thames, which has supposedly defeated its darkness, with an inherent evil, as it is at the centre of a culture obsessed with the ââ¬Ëconquest of the earthââ¬â¢ under the guise of ââ¬Ëweaning the ignorant millions from their waysââ¬â¢. At the end of the novella, the primary narrator, who is listening to Marlowââ¬â¢s tale, begins to perceive the Thames leading into ââ¬Ëthe heart of an immense darknessââ¬â¢, showing how the story has shaped his own moral, psychological and philosophical views. The mortuary images used to describe the Thames are repeated later on as Marlow recounts his visit to the company offices in Brussels, which he describes as a ââ¬Ëwhited sepulchreââ¬â¢. The word ââ¬Ëwhitedââ¬â¢ implies a degree of artificiality in Brusselsââ¬â¢ apparent pristine condition, whilst the word ââ¬Ësepulchreââ¬â¢ has further associations with death. It is also a biblical allusion to the Book of Matthew 23:27, in which Jesus exclaims: ââ¬ËWoe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whited sepulchres, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and all kinds of filth.ââ¬â¢ This allusion shows how the very European Marlo w, has recognized a deep hypocrisy in his fellow countrymen, as the symbol of white (one of purity in Western civilization) is simply a faà §ade to hide Europeââ¬â¢s inherent evil. This motif of white is repeated throughout the novel, especially in Brussels where Marlow mentions the ââ¬Ëstarched white affairsââ¬â¢ of the Company uniforms, and near the end of the text describes the corpse like ââ¬ËIntendedââ¬â¢ as having a ââ¬Ëpale headââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëashy haloââ¬â¢ and a fireplace of ââ¬Ëmonumental whitenessââ¬â¢. Marlow who is described as being ââ¬Ëin the pose of a meditating Buhhdaââ¬â¢ sees a different connotation to the white (just as white is associated with death and mourning in Eastern philosophy). Whilst Marlow sees and experience this hypocrisy first hand in Europe, on the Congo River, he observes an almost cinematic stream of images of temptation and sordidness, with the River acting as a ââ¬Ëmoral bufferââ¬â¢ for him, as his perceptions of humanity and morality change. This change in Marlowââ¬â¢s nature happens through the characterization of Africa as a living hell which Conrad (through Marlow) achieves by continual allusions to the ââ¬ËInfernoââ¬â¢ in Danteââ¬â¢s Divine Comedy, which details the personaââ¬â¢s own journey into the centre of the earth and through the nine circles of hell. This is most effectively achieved when Marlow admits to his listeners: ââ¬ËI felt as though, instead of going to the centre of a continent, I were about to set off for the centre of the earth.ââ¬â¢ This is paralleled when Marlow visits the company Offices and describes his assignment as going ââ¬Ëdead in the centreââ¬â¢ (again invoking deathly overtones), which also explicitly references Dante. Like Marlowââ¬â¢s morals and philosophy, the allusion is developed throughout the journey, as Marlow observes the chaotic ââ¬Ëwanton smash-upââ¬â¢ caused by the Europeans, and describes it as being in ââ¬Ëthe gloomy circle of some Infe rnoââ¬â¢, and showing how the river, acting almost as a slideshow for European corruption, helps change Marlowââ¬â¢s view of the morality of the Colonialists, who have turned Africa into a living hell. The allusion to Dante, whilst certainly the most obvious, offers only an observation and a result, not a cause for the corruption. The allusion to the Book of Genesis on the other hand, provides insight into why there is corruption present on the Congo. When Marlowe first describes the river, he likens it to an ââ¬Ëimmense snake uncoiledââ¬â¢, which references the Devil in the form of a snake, tempting Eve to take a quince from the Garden of Eden. This allusion is more causal in its purpose, as it demonstrates the reason why the Europeans who have integrated into Africa (especially Kurtz and the station Manager) have been corrupted by the primitive allurement of the ââ¬Ëunspeakable ritesââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ësatanic litanyââ¬â¢ afforded to them by the jungle. Whilst Marlow is offered these things during his journey, morally he is able to maintain his distance, continuing as righteous through a continual commitment to pragmatism and action. This is evidenced by his almost obsessive need for ââ¬Ërivetsââ¬â¢ to repair his boat so that he may continue his journey on the moral insulation of the Congo River, shielding him from any immoral temptations offered whilst ashore. On the other hand, people like Kurtz who have the river, find that the moral veneer provided by the faà §ade that is European civilization is quickly stripped away when they go ashore for a ââ¬Ëhowlââ¬â¢ and a ââ¬Ëdanceââ¬â¢. Marlow explains this phenomenon of primitive reversion among the colonialists via the effect that he perceives the river to have, saying that travelling down the river was like ââ¬Ëtravelling back to the earliest beginnings of the worldââ¬â¢ with the ââ¬Ëfascination of the abomination; corrupting the Europeans, especially Kurtz, who is debased to ââ¬Ëan animated image of death carved out of old ivoryââ¬â¢. Significantly, the current symbolically make the journey into the ââ¬Ëheart of darknessââ¬â¢ difficult, while the journey back is easy and rapid. In conclusion, the journey undertaken by Marlow on the Congo River, as well as his story telling on the Thames, much deeper significance than simply physical and geographical journeys, changing his perceptions of the morality and psychology of men. Conrad uses Marlowââ¬â¢s insights to influence the reader to share in the enlightenment gained by the narrator.
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