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Every man, or woman --to be politically and socially acceptable-- has buried, within
himself, beneath centuries of societal norms and restrictions, a dark side, a savage
side. When a man is taken out of society, and left to create his own norms, he must
rediscover those primordial instincts which have sustained his species since the
beginning of its existence. Survival of the fittest, physically and intellectually,
cliqued as it may be, is the foundation of these archaic yet prevalent instincts. Persons
who dominate one or many through mental or physical prowess develop a sense of
superiority. This feeling, if fostered by the environment, and intensified to the
extreme, produces a sense of having god-like powers. A man believing himself to be a or
the God is seen, by the society from which he was taken out of, as a monster. Since
monsters can not be allowed to roam the civilized world, someone must be sent to destroy
it. To find the monster, the person selected must take the same path as the monster. This
path is a journey into one's own mind, soul, or true-self. The person on this path will
never see evil so singularly personified as in the face looking back at him. In taking
this path, the person runs the risk of becoming the very thing he is trying to destroy.
In Joseph Conrad's macabre story Heart of Darkness, the protagonist represents the person
selected to seek out and destroy the monster. Conrad uses many techniques to bring the
reader into the darkness: archetype, symbolism, and foreshadowing. The theme of this
classic tale is succinctly made through the words of the western philosopher Nietzsche;
when fighting monsters the person fighting should be careful not to become one, and when
looking into a void the person must be aware that the void also looks into him. 
The readers are first introduced to the protagonist, Marlow, as he is being commissioned
--by the "Company"-- to hunt down the monster, Kurtz, who is considered by some to be the
main character. Marlow, a boat captain, almost nomadic in his need to travel, is also a
man of simple morals, simple to the point of religious, the most prevalent commandment
seen in his character is "thou shall not lie." Marlow, after spending a little time in
London, embarks on his journey. The purpose of this journey is to find Kurtz, a man who
is also employed by the "Company" --which is in the ivory business, and has its greedy
hand spread over Africa like a malignant tumor (Gatten). Having lost control of Kurtz,
the "Company" choose to relieve him of his post and had, before Marlow, already employed
another man --who eventually joined Kurtz-- to retrieve him. With hopes of a successful
recovery, of both the monster and the ivory which he guards, Marlow makes the journey
down the Congo, which is never named as such, into the heart of Africa --the heart of
darkness. Darkness, meaning literally, a country where the inhabitants are themselves
dark. Darkness, meaning symbolically, the savage part of a man's soul.
The readers, reaching the midpoint of the story, find Marlow encountering one delay after
another. Months of delays force him to observe his environment and the mentality of the
people who surround him, both foreign and domestic. Marlow realizes that Kurtz is
entrenched within a society which has few rules. Of these few rules, which direct the
savage African society surrounding him, Kurtz is the creator and enforcer of the
majority. Unrestricted by society, human nature is left to itself in its purest form.
Kurtz, a far superior being mentally than the savages who surround him, suffers from a
god-complex. With this mental disorder in full effect, he is left unopposed to claim his
position 
as a god. On his journey to find Kurtz, Marlow realizes the same principles that Kurtz
had realized on his. Human nature is inherently both good and evil --light and dark. It
is the society's perception of good and evil which lead to its definitions. Evil is
universally accepted as being tempting; shown succinctly by the adage; "Be a slave in
heaven, or a ruler in hell." This temptation is most prevalent in environments lacking
rules, environments like that in which Kurtz was ensconced. This struggle inevitably
creates unrest within the soul of the those involved. 
Finally reaching Kurtz's station, after the delays and dealings with the savages and
others also employed by the "Company," Marlow finds his prey --the monster-- Kurtz,
closely following the stereotypes of what a monster is expected to do. Kurtz was found to
be participating in monstrous acts such as: having heads of rebels impaled upon sticks,
as an admonition to others of his power. Without the constraints of society, Kurtz is
able to seek out and fulfill his inner desires and go beyond any restraints that he may
have had before. In Kurtz, Marlow sees, ". . .the inconceivable mystery of a soul that
knew no restraint, no faith, and no fear, yet struggling blindly with itself" (113). T.
S. Eliot said, "we are continually reminded of the power and terror of Nature, and the
isolation and feebleness of Man" (Walker). Marlow also believes that the very wilderness
speaks to Kurtz, telling him secrets; "whispered to him things about himself which he did
not know, things of which he had no conception till he took counsel with this great
solitude --and the whisper had proved irresistibly fascinating" (98). A man's growth is
through his experiences, and both Marlow and Kurtz grow, through their respective
journeys, at a meteoric rate.
Kurtz, dying, struggles against the evil consuming his soul, ". . .both the diabolic love
and the unearthly hate of the mysteries it had penetrated fought for the possession of 
that soul satiated with primitive emotions. . ." (116). The war between good and evil 
within his soul is immense, as he struggles between what he once was, and the evil that
he now is being consumed by. Kurtz, a genius at whatever he attempted, was hired by the
"Company" to collect and deliver --out of Africa-- any and all ivory found. Kurtz is also
an extremist, and with these extremes he has been in many environments from which he
learned and applied to the world in which he now dies in; ". . .the path of Kurtz's
career from the most enlightened European traditions to the most primitive human
instincts. . ." (Walker, ixv). He, in doing his job to the extreme, eventually was earned
a title of god by the aborigines, and the title of monster by the society in which he
once lived. As they trek through the wilderness to leave the station Marlow comments, "A
voice! a voice! It rang deep to the very last. It survived his strength to hide in the
magnificent folds of eloquence the barren darkness of his heart. Oh he struggled! he
struggled!" (115). 
Kurtz's greatness is as prevalent as ever as he fights the darkness consuming his soul.
Marlow, watching his captured prey move closer to death, sees its face and expressions;
". . .on that ivory face the expression of somber pride, of ruthless power, of craven
terror --of an intense and hopeless despair" (118). All of these horrid expressions came
from his understanding human nature; ". . .the appalling face of a glimpsed truth. . ."
(119). Marlow watches as Kurtz is dying, knowing that he can do nothing to save him, "His
was an impenetrable darkness. I looked at him as you [would] peer down at a man who is
lying at the bottom of a precipice where the sun never shines" (117). At some point 
in his self-discovery, or observing Kurtz's, Marlow finds that he is very similar to him
--eternally connecting the two-- from which loyalty is born. His loyalty to Kurtz is so
profound that it takes precedence over his own morals, "Even after he learns of Kurtz's
violent acts, Marlow is still drawn to him, risks his life for him, lies for him"
(Walker, xiv). Having none of the barriers created by society, Marlow finds that in the
wilderness --in the 
darkness-- Kurtz was not only able to see, in a deadly moment, the truth of human nature,
but also avow his epiphany with a single phrase: "The horror! The horror!" (118). In this
climactic scene Kurtz passes his secret --the antagonist-- onto Marlow.
The most incredible part of his death was that, ". . .his stare, could not see the flame
of the candle, but was wide enough to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness"
(119). From their initial meeting Marlow refers to Kurtz's soul as being either consumed
by evil, fighting off the evil, or no longer existent; "It echoed loudly within him 
because he was hollow at the core. . ." (98). After his death, Marlow ponders the
monster's last words, whispered on a breath, knowing the truth of the words; ". . .it was
a victory" (120). Even after death, his loyalty to Kurtz was unyielding; "I did not
betray Mr. Kurtz --it was ordered that I should never betray him --it was written I
should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice" (109). 
Of the many techniques used in this novella, archetype, symbolism, and foreshadowing are
the most predominant. The first technique, archetype, being the age old battle between
good and evil, is see from beginning to end --on every page. The second and third
techniques, symbolism and foreshadowing use similar descriptions of myriad objects and
ideas: the river --the serpent-- with its colors and actions; ". . .a mighty big 
river. . .resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at
rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land" (11).
The women in black, both symbolizing and foreshadowing death; " She seemed uncanny and
fateful. . .knitter of black wool" (16). The blankness of the destination on the map,
symbolizing and foreshadowing discovery; ". . .blank spaces on the earth. . ." (11). The

darkness, symbolizing the savage part of man, and foreshadowing death; ". . .into the
depths of darkness. . ." (29). 
"Droll thing life is --that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile
purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself --that comes too
late --a crop of inextinguishable regrets," (119) laments Marlow --after the death of
Kurtz. Albert J. Guerard's thesis is that the journey was of a self-discovery into the
savage part of man, the evil part inherent in all men. Destined to encounter one another,
Marlow had a connection with Kurtz from the moment the name was given to him, "He
[Marlow] recognizes a kindred spirit [Kurtz]" (Walker, xiv). Marlow is tormented by both
Kurtz and his abhorrent secret. He, also being a great man, keeps the torment to himself.
Having fought the monster, and ebbed the temptation to become one, Marlow looked into the
void --which was the darkness-- and survived.
Bibliography
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad. Bantam Classic
edition, ?1981.
Cyber Nation International, Inc. Great Quotations. [Online] Available.
http://www.cybernation.com/victory/quotations/authors/quotes_nietzsche_friedrich. html.
April 1, 2000.
Brian Gatten [Online] Available
http:// www.sparknotes.com/guides/heart html. April 1, 2000. 
Walker, Franklin "Introduction," Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer by Joseph
Conrad. Bantam Classic edition, ?1981.