Marlow's Psychological struggle with the Hypocrisy

       In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlow is thrusted into a world with a skewed sense of morality and justice. His mental word is constantly going through metamorphsis as he struggles to understand whar he is witnesssing on numerous psychological levels. Marlow attempts to undestand the many scenes of torture, death and slavery within the realm of the hypocritical rhetoric that is used to justify those actions. But obviously attempting to understand their backwards way of thought is impossible. The very reason for Marlow’s presence in the Congo is hypocritical. The Company stated he was there to “trade” but Marlow has only witnessed oppression.Therefore, one could assert that Marlow finds some sort of resolution to this hypocrisy with the emergence of Kurtz. For Kurtz is blatantly honest in his dealings. He does not try to skew what he does but instead through some preverse honesty tells Marlow the reasons for his actions in Africa. Moreover, it is safe to say that Kurtz holds a pivotal position is Marlow's psychological growth. He is able to dismiss the hypocrsiy of the "traders" by understanding the truth of Kurtz's purpose. However, there is also a much broader aspect that arises from the metamorphsis of Kurtz's psyche. The struggle between the truth of justice and the blindness of the European Imperialism is simply microcosm of the larger struggle that is present across all humans of that time. Essentially Conrad uses Marlow's psychological struggle as a backdrop to a larger hypocrisy that is presented through the painting of the blind lady of justice that is revealed Kurtz's room.

Essay Ideas for Heart Of Darkness (supplemented by Fredrick Karl)

As of now I am still trying to process all the information. The works by Fredrick Karl have really revealed to me the many nuances of Marlow's journey. However, I have found an interest in exploring Marlow's perception of imperialism and Africa. Sub-topics include; his role in this process, and its effect on Africa and the natives along with how that affects the way he perceives his journey. The difficult part will attempting to include a psychoanalytic aspect to this entire perception.

The Psychological Journey

The reader's own journey into the "heart of darkness" is governed entirely by Marlow's subconscious. We see the Congo with all its wonders and horrors through the memories of Marlow as he relives his own personal journey and encounters all the emotion and pain that he left behind in the Congo. Further,  since the prominence of this journey lies within it being a psychological one, the reader must understand that every minute detail that Marlow conveys to his audience is underscored by the deeply seated beliefs and emotions that Marlow had while traveling. Therefore when one takes this concept into account, we are left with a brilliant depiction of a man's journey into his subconscious as he grapples with the painful experiences and emotions that the Congo left him with.

The portrait.

At first glance this portait may look like a noble picture of a woman lighting the darkness for all to follow. However, the true meaning of this nuanced picture lies within the minute details that Marlow gives to us. Firstly and arguably most importantly, we must consider the blindfold. I noticed immediately that the presence of the blindfold across the eyes of someone carrying a torch its quite ironic. For if one is blindly lighting the way one could easily be leading there entire group further into darkness. Moreover, there is a direct correlation between what is happneing in the portait and the actions of the Europeans in Africa. The Europeans claim to be lighting the way for the people of Africa, but in realityre only leading them further into darkness.

Questions for Discussion #2 p. 429

When Marlow speaks of the people of England in the olden days, he characterizes them as barbaric and uncivilized. He then goes on to describe how the Romans invaded and brought with them their culture and technology. These series of events are quite similar to Africa and its colonization by the Europeans. Thus, Marlow's purpose in introducing old England is to set the stage for his exploration of Africa and to simply give a historical perspective to the country's condition.