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.