COLONIALISM IN JOSEPH CONRAD’S HEART OF DARKNESS
Nur Lailatur Rofi’ah Rizki Mulya Romadhona,
ABSTRACT A study was done on a literature work, novel by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness . this study is done because this novel does not contain a story that entertain but also inform the adequate data about the historical aspect to its reader. The phenomenon that informed is colonialism and its influence toward the changing character of the story. The objective of the study is to describe the colonialism that written in the Heart of Darkness and and its influence toward the changing character of Mr. Kurtz. This study used the qualitative description as research methodology which involved with library research, internet browsing, historical text that related to the research study. The result of this study shown that the colonialism in the novel was a mission of civilization toward the savage that had been distorted in to a force, exploitation violence to the native. And the colonialism spirit and its circumtances can influence person inside become savage too. The conclusion of this study is that civilization can not be the reason of colonialism, whereas the violence and exploitation are only done by savage.
Keywords : Heart of Darkness, Colonialism, Changing Character.
INTRODUCTION literature work, it is a kind of
What a piece of work is a man communication type between the writer How nobel in reason! How infinite in faculty! and the reader. Wonderfully, the reader Inform and movin how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! who lives in modern time possibly In apprehension, how like a god! The beauty of the word,the paragon of animal. communicating, learning and (Shakespeare) understanding about anything what There are many reasons for happened in the past time through the people reading a literature work. Such book. So, literature is not merely a as, reading for escape, reading to learn, fiction. Defining literary value is a reading to confront experience and matter of observing what happen to reading for aesthetic pleasure texts (Easthope,1991:57) (Hoeper,1990:1). It cannot be denied An important movement in that literature is part of a country’s literature was aestheticism, which heritage, human civilization and claimed that the main aim of art was to reference to history. We can understand evoke feeling and beauty. There are three more about human feeling and social branches of literature, poem, prose and civilization in a country more by seeing drama (Rees, 1973:2). For the writer, through its literature work. Writers reading a literature work carries usually write what they imagine, think different kinds of sensation, for and feel. So, when the reader reads a example, a poem can soften heart, a prose can inspire through its conflict about colonialism such as Plymouth and drown us in to deep reading Plantation by William Bradford, The because its suspense, whereas drama Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz, carries deep emotional feeling. The Slave in Algiers and A Struggle for literature its self can be responded in an Freedom by Susanna Rowson and emotional or intellectual way, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. depending on our moods and Joseph Conrad writes Heart of intellectual and aesthetic needs. Darkness through his journey to Africa
Studying literature also an exercises for where he met savagery toward people our brains, and makes us think for in Africa by the pilgrim. ourselves (Hoeper,1990:1). Joseph Conrad was involved in
As other literature works, poetry the in his own story and seen the and drama, novel grows in line with savagery in the realtime in 1800th and the phenomenon which happen in its the Heart of Darkness is one of his society. In the year 1800th, In a journal finest book that he has created. posted by WCL students Sarah Stallman (1960:339) says
Hymowitz and Amelia Parker at In 1890 he went to Belgian Congo to command a river steamer – realization www.wcl.american.edu/humright/cente of a hope expressed as a child when he put his finger on a map of Central r write : Africa and said he would go there one day. From his experiences in the Congo conrad was physically weakened but “By the mid 1800s, the western powers had psychologically awakened, and his established colonies all along the African coast. writing career dates from this period, Africa provided a source of cheap labor, raw materials and new markets for these countries, for he was then writing his first book, which were going through the Industrial Almayer’s folly. Years later he gave his Revolution. These colonizing powers, Congo story in one of his finest books, however, began to compete with each other “Heart of darkness.” over control. They decided to hold a conference to set up ground rules for colonizing Africa. In 1884, leaders from 14 colonial By reading Heart of Darkness, powers, including the United States, Belgium, Portugal, Germany and Spain held the Berlin we get a good deal information about Conference, where they divided the continent of Africa into 50 countries and claimed them colonial Africa. Literature serves as a for themselves. These divisions were made arbitrarily and without any consideration of the common culture, history and language shared social document and gives us insight to by different groups of African people. They often divided an ethnic group or brought the custom, attitudes and values of the enemies under the same government. The map of Africa today remains largely the same as when it was divided in 1884. time and place in which it was written. The spirits of colonialism was On www.litcharts.com/heartofdarkness well-spread during 1800th. In that time, state: many literary works raise the topic “Joseph Conrad’s novel reside in the There is a close relation transition period between Victorianism, with its strict convention and focus on between the colonialism and the empire polite society, and modernism, which sought to explode old conventions and in controling a land in the some time in invent new literary forms to convey human experience more fully. Conrad’s 1800th because in that time the empire work was instrumental in his effort, particularly his experimentation with of Europe explores the world in order the use of time and non-chronological narrative. Heart of Darkness also fits to civilize, to control their resources, to squarely into the genre of colonial literature, in thich European nation spread religion, etc and this intention from Africa to the Far East in the late 19th and early 20th century.” can be done by hook or by crook.
Conrad presented in the Heart of Doyle (1986:46) defines that :
Darkness how the moist air and the “Empire is a relationship, formal or pressure that includes the wild African informal, in which one state controls the effective political sovereignty of jungle atmosphere that gripping from another political society. It can be achieved by force, by political beginning to end raises the same collaboration, by economic, social, or cultural dependence. Imperialism is atrocities on the human beings who simply the process or policy of establishing or maintaining an empire”. trapped in this story was presented in his In relation to this,colonialism, novel that shows colonialism in Africa which is almost always a consequence during 18th century. of imperialism, is the implanting of
If we look back at the 1800th settlements on distant territory. century, historically, Congo was firstly (Said,1993: 8). a personal colony of King Leopold II of Even Conrad brings “colonial” Belgium. In Regelind Farn’s theme in his some writing, such as, Victory, desertation (Colonial and postcolonial Nostromo and The Rescue. The history, rewritings of “Heart of Darkness” phenomenon and well-description situation 2005:6) He defines that the borders of in the novel Heart of Darkness that appeals the huge state. Leopold exploited the the writer most to analyze this novel. country ruthlessly and gave it very little Conrad not only shows the colonialism in return. Congo was the name of Heart through his well-description in his novel of darkness land, now change to La but also reveals the darkness side of human Republique du Zaire in the 1800th, being desire to be wealthy by force, when Henry Morton Stanley stepped on violence and exploitation. this land. Based on the objective of the study data contains that describing the writer has purpose as follows: colonialism will be quoted as the prove
1. To describe the colonialism in in the analysis
Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Procedure of Data Collection
Darkness. 1. Reading The Novel
2. To explain how the colonialism For the writer, the Novel Heart
influences the change of the of Darkness is not strange anymore
character of Mr.Kurtz in Joseph because this novel is already famous
Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. enough and were observed by the
literature lover.but still reading the RESEARCH METHODE novel carefully is needed in order to In analyzing this research, the understand the content of the novel study employs qualitative approach. deeply, The writer toke several month Because the data are in the form of to finish reading this novel (about 3 words. As Biklen (1992:32) states that months) “Qualitative approach research is descriptive, the data collected are in the 2. Collecting The Data form of words or pictures rather than number. The written results of the The writer employs library research contains quotation from the data to illustrate and substantiate the research and internet browsing. The presentation. The data include interview transcrippt, field notes, writer searchs conceptual of photographs, videotapes, personal documents, memos, and other official colonialism that occured based on the records. They often contain quotation and try to describe what particular novel Heart of Darkness, and the situation or view of the world is like narrative form.” relation between colonialism and its Meanwhile to analyze the data, influence to the changing character of the writer uses content analysis. Mr.Kurtz. According to Brog and Gall in Artanti 3. Quoting from the Data Corpus (2003:16) The quotation of the data corpus “Content analysis is kind of research technique to the object systematic and qualitative description of the manifest content of consists of words, phrases, clauses and communication from especially written composition, novel news, newspaper, discourses that refer to Colonialism in magazines, advertise, etc.” In this study, the writer uses Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of The novel is printed in New York,
Darkness as the object of research. Any United States of America, editted by Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and
Robert Kimbrough in 1971. character of Mr. Kurtz that represent in
In this collecting data, the writer this novel. quotes the evidence which contains 1. Colonialism Described in colonialism. Heart of Darkness
“They were conquerors, and for that you want The history of Heart of only brute force – nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of other. Darkness starts in the Nellie, a cruising They grabbed what they could get for sake of what was to be got. It was just robbery with yawl, awaiting the turn of the tide in the violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind – as is very proper for Thames river. There are five persons those who tackle a darkness. The conquest of earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or lounge on her deck: director of slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much companies; captain and also the host, a (Conrad; 1971:6-7)”. “I’ve seen the devil of violence, and the devil of lawyer, an accountant; marlow and the greed, and the devil of hot desire; but, by all the stars! These were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils, that swayed and drove narrator. They exchang a few words 3. Analyzing The Data lazily, mostly silent. And some reason To analyze the data, which is they don’t start play dominoes, the the novel, the writer uses content situation in the lounge is meditative, analysis. According to Brog and Gall in and fit for nothing but placid-staring. Artanti (2003:16) “Content analysis is Marlow, sit cross-legged right kind of research technique to the object aft,leaning against the mizen-mast, systematic and qualitative description starts the story about his experience in of the manifest content of Congo toward the other passangers in communication from especially written the ship and how map fascinates him, composition, novel news, newspaper, especially its blank spots ”The biggest, magazines, advertise, etc.” It can be the most black part” of the map that seen that the content analysis is appeal him so much. technique implied in analyzing “It had become a place of darkness.but there was in it one river especially, a mighty big qualitative description such as novel, river, that you could see in map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head n the news, newspaper, etc. sea, its body at rest curving afar over vast country, and its tail lost in the depth of the land” (Page:8) ANALYSIS Conrad never says explicitly This chapter will analyze the that the setting of the novel refers to colonialism that is described in Joseph Congo, but through geographic science and history, we can find out the setting From the statement above, there of Heart of Darknes. “Heart” is the changing country’s name of symbolizes the center point or what Democratic Republic of Congo. But in inside something. Whereas “Darkness” the 18th until early 19th that state is symbolizes the dark place in the earth famous by Congo. The explorers and which refers to some places that the poet or literary workers call Congo or black men mostly live, the continent of Belgium Congo because it is famous as Africa. The country of Africa that is the personal colony of King Leopold II passed by a big river and the equator of Belgium. line is Congo. The colonialism in the Joseph Historically, the time of the Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is white comes to Africa is in the mid of described through the Marlow’s 19th century, where the expedition and experience during his voyage to Africa. exploration of a new world is up raising Marlow is a seaman that just returned in Europe. Boustin (1988:36) from six-year “dose” of the far east and “The exploration systematicaly to Central th Africa by Europeans start in the mid of 19 hunts for a new ship. By his aunt’s century. Among the explorers open that area is David Livingstone, Richard F. Burton and Jhon H Speke. The most famous of them is Henry help, he gets a job in an ivory company Morton Stanley, who crosses the Afrika from Zanzibar to Atlantic, explores the Tangabyika as a river Captain to change the river and Uganda, and traces Congo river streem, King Leopold II of Belgium pays him to open great area, which is now knoen as previous Captain that had been killed Republic of Zaire. Stanley builds trading post and signs some treaty with the African chiefs of bacause a scuffle with with native. tribes in the Organization that supported by the King” As the European mindset,
This area has been changed its Marlow’s aunt thinks that the voyage is name for several times. We may get confuse not merely to earn profit but also to about the changing of country’s name. civilize the native. Making the natives
Based on the timeline of this country’s bahave with morality, intelligent and name stated on Regelind Farn’s desertation modern
(2005:5) that: “I was also one of the workers, with a capital – you know. Something like an emissary of light, something like a lower sort of apostle. There “The past and present of the country that has been had been a lot of such rot let loose in print and known as the Congo Free State (18851908), the talk just about that time, and the exellent Belgian Congo (1908-60), Zaire (1971-97) and the woman, living right in the rush of all that Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the humbug, got carried off her feet. she talked focus of increasing public interest in recent years. about ‘weaning those ignorant millions from Historical works (notably Hochschild's) make a their horrid ways’ (page:12) fascinating read and help understand the complex background of "Heart of Darkness".” Here shows Marlow’s aunt’s consider themselves to be superior, civilized, and intelligent. Marlow however believes that its his aunts naivety to believe that his company naivety toward his journey to Africa. intends to civilize the ‘ignorant millions’, their motto is to exploit the resources of the colonies She is described as the most European and to earn as much profit as possible, since, in Marlow’s words, “Company was run for women that only hear unbalance profit”. This indicates that the empire’s motive behind keeping the control of the lands is utilitarian rather than humanitarian”. information about the exploration to the The theory that have defined by Africa and never undergo, living in the Mushtaq above is stand in line with jungle. She is just the woman who stay Binarism Theory that introduced by at home and see the expedition is a Russel. Binarism also givee the great and nobel work. Remember the significant signal of colonialism. The first type of colonialism is settler words such as uncivilized, savage, and colonialism, there is always the mindless people reffer to the native and motivation they migrate from Europe to the opposite words belong to the Africa, they often motivated by pilgrim. This theory also shown the religious, political, or economic class of the native. reasons. As the point of marlws’s Marlow is the man that his mind aunt’s point of view above, it states that is abode both liking the empire, as the the marlow’s journey is to civilize the germs of wealth and civilization that ignorance. But Marlow, that has a dose shown in the very beginning of the of experience of explorations and deep novel, and vice versa, hating the empire feeling in this journey as a sea man after undergoing a journey in Africa. shockes his aunt with his statement: While in the Thames river, ‘I ventured to hint that the company was run for profit’(Page:12) Marlow shows his admiration toward
It means that, his coming is not the Roman empire that lightens the about doing charity in humanity Thames river and brings the civilization mission but it is merely the economic to British. Their coming is spreading reason. In relation to this opinion, the wealth seed.
Mushtaq (2010:26) also defines in his ``I was thinking of very old times, when the Romans first came here, journal that : nineteen hundred years ago -- the other “The image of the black people is stereotypical day... Light came out of this river since and provides a view of the African people as -- you say Knights? Yes; but it is like a being ‘others’ in contrast with the ‘self’ which running blaze on a plain, like a flash of is the British empire. The ‘others’ are lightning in the clouds. We live in the considered uncivilized, savage, and mindless people; they are physically, emotionally and flicker -- may it last as long as the old psychologically maltreated by the whites, who earth keeps rolling! But darkness was under the armed guard of the here yesterday”. (Page: 5) Company's white employees.
As the statement above, it is “A slight clinking behind me made me turn my head. Six black men advanced in a file, toiling up the path. They walked erect and slow, vividly explained that Civilization balancing small basket full of earth on their heads, and the clink kept time with their mission might follow in the footsteps of footsteps. Black rags were wound round their loins, and the short ends behind waggled to and forced labour. The ruthless method of fro like tails. I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were civilization practiced such as connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking. colonization is allowed. Doing an Another report from the cliff made me think suddenly of that ship of war I had seen firing into a continent. It was the same kind of exploitation, robbery with violence, ominous voice; but these men could by no stretch of imagination be called enemies. They murder on a great scale from a different were called criminals, and the outraged law, like the bursting shells, had come to them, an complexion or slightly flatter noses, is insoluble mystery from the sea. All their meagre breast panted together, the violently dilated nostrils quivered, the eyes stared stonily no a big deal. uphill. They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike “They were conquerors, and for that you want indifference of unhappy savages. Behind this only brute force – nothing to boast of, when raw matter one of the reclaimed, the product of you have it, since your strength is just an the new forces at work, strolled despondently, accident arising from the weakness of other. carrying a riffle by its middle. He had a They grabbed what they could get for sake of uniform jacket with the button off, and seeing a what was to be got. It was just robbery with white man on the path, hoisted his weapon to violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, his shoulder with alacrity.” and men going at it blind – as is very proper for (Page:16) those who tackle a darkness. The conquest of earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or The second type of colonialism, slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much”. Exploitation Colonialism, is shown (Page: 6-7) from the paragraph above. It describes In this pharagraph, it is shown the trait of whites exploit the native to the greed of white and the exploitation work. In relation to this, the toward the native. From the mouth of classification of human being also the Congo, Marlow takes a short trip shown by mentioning their caste, class, upriver on a steamer. This ship leaves or race base on their complexion, black him at the Company's Lower Station. men and white men. Also the disparity Marlow finds the station to be a vision between them by showing what they do of hell—it is a ‘‘wanton smash-up’’ and appearace description. with loads of rusting ancient wreckage Marlow’s real introduction to everywhere, a cliff nearby being the land and the enterprise begins here. demolished with dynamite for no An insoluble mystery is coming to apparent reason, and many starving and Marlow after seeing this violence, that dying Africans enslaved and laboring how come these black men are called side is needed in order to have a enemies, criminals and having outraged comprehension. law, whereas, the whites who torture As Marlow relizes about the the blacks shout doing the civilization native will undergo as the result of mission and weaning those ignorant colonialism that they will dying slowly. millions from their horrid ways. “Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees, leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half Here it may be appropriate to effaced within the dim light, in all the attidutes of pain, abandonment, and despair. Another quote Karl Marx who also noted that mine on the cliff went off, followed by a slight shudder of the soil under my feet. The work “the profound hypocrisy and inherent was going on. The work! And this was tha place where some of the helpers had withdrawn to die. barbarism of bourgeois civilisation lies They were dying slowly– it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not unveiled before our eyes .. .in the criminals, they were nothing earthy now – nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation lying confusedly in the greenish colonies, where it goes naked”. Zins gloom. Brought from all the recesses of the coast in all the legality of time contracts, lost in (1998:P.65-66) uncongenial surroundings, fed on unfamiliar food, they sickened, became inefficient, and This is the turning point of were then allowed to crawl away and rest. These moribund shapes were free as air – and nearly as thin. I began to distinguish the gleam Marlow’s opinion about the of eyes under the trees. Then, glancing down, I saw a face near my hand. The black bones colonialism because he sees the reclined at full length with one shoulder against the tree, and slowly the eyelids rose and the sunken eyes looked up at me, enormous and colonialism practiced by his own eyes. vacant, a kind of blind, white flicker in the depths of the orbs, which died out slowly. The The noble mission that his aunt’s man seemed young – almost a boy – but you know with them it’s hard to tell” description is not true. Moreover, he (Page:17-18) sees beyond greed of human’s lust. In this Marlow’s journey in the “I have seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot outter station, he sees the slavery and desire; but by all stars! They were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils that the exploitation toward the native, he swayed and drove men - ” (Page:17) meets the Company’s chief accountant
His opinion toward the native is that tells him for the first time about also changed. Marlow doesn’t thinks someone, named Mr. Kurtz, that is told the native as criminals and enemies but by the accountant as remarkable as a victims of Colonialism of white. person, first class agent and he can send
Sometimes, our opinion can be changed in as much ivory as all the other agent after looking deeply inside to the put together. This explanation makes phenomenon. Understanding from both Marlow curious about Mr.Kurtz and decides to meet him in the very bottom patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion.” of the jungle.
The next day Marlow leaves (Page : 23) that station with sixty native carriers, At this place, Marlow hears that each with sixty-pound load. After Mr. Kurtz is ill. The situation is very fifteen days on difficult track, Marlow grave. The manager thinks, it needs hobbles into the central station. three months to raise and repair the
Marlow’s first interview with the sunken steamer to go to the inner manager of the central station proves station. And to repair, it needs rivets. unusual. He knows that Marlow has One evening, Marlow overhears walked twenty miles since dawn, but he the manager speaking to one of agents, does not ask him to sit down. The one of the men mentions Kurtz and follows is complete description of the saying something about taking manager’s appearance and character advantages “this unfortunate accident”. that he is an unwelcoming man. To Marlow’s sensitive mind, it is
“He was civil or uncivil. He was quite. He indicating an air of sinister secrecy. allowed his ‘boy’ – an overfed young negro from the coast – to treat the white men, under his very eyes, with provoking insolence ” The young man who was with
(Page 22-23) the manager invites Marlow to his
room, when Marlow asks with genuine In this central station Marlow interest, “who is this Mr.Kurtz ?” the also see the colonialism is practiced by agent explanation reveals that Marlow the Manager while they collect the and Kurtz are classed together as being ivory, that their main purpose to of the new “gang of virtue, ” and the migrate to Africa agent is sure Marlow must know the “I asked myself sometimes what it all meant. They wandered here and there company’s plans to Mr.Kurtz. Marlow with their absurd long staves in their hands, like lot of faithless pilgrims laughs and asks the agent if he reads bewitched inside the rotten fence. The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was the company’s private correspondence. whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of He does not answer. “when Mr. Kurtz imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like whiff from corpse. By jove! I’ve is general manager,” Marlow says in a never seen anything so unreal in my life. And outside, the silent wilderness severe voice “you won’t have the surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and opportunity”. invincible, like evil or truth, waiting The reason for the manager’s 4. Even the abundant flow of discourtesy to Marlow is his belief that precious ivory from Kurtz’s
Marlow, like Kurtz, poses a threat to station station infuriates the his own position. Whereas Marlow sees manager. He knows such success the manager is intentionally delaying will endear Kurtz to the company. shipment in order to make Marlow 5. Marlow’s impulsive reaction to reaches the inner station, Mr. Kurz, the revelation of the manager’s longer and hope Kurtz will die of inhuman treatment of Kurtz neglect. shows his horrot at such conduct.
One evening, when Marlow Also he knows he is classed with
lies on his steamboat, and hears Kurtz. What vicious plot will the
voices approaching. On this manager concoct to get rid of his
conversation James L. Roberts steamer captain?
(1965:P.23) said it establishes the By using Eldorado Expedition,
following important points regarding Marlow continues down the river on his
Kurtz and the manager. steamboat with a crew of several whites
1. The manager fears and hates and about 20 to 30 blacks. As he
Kurtz. travels down the river to the inner
2. The manager has purposely station, he comes across this shack
delayed and avoided sending where he picks up wood, and a note
either food or supplies to Kurtz, cautioning him to travel carefully. The
hoping he will sicken and die. journey seems like passing the
3. The manager’s defense of his prehistoric time
neglect for Kurtz is false and “Going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginning of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees invalid. If Kurtz could manage were king. An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was warm, thick, the upper 300 miles of the river heavy, sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of sunshine.” alone in a dugout with four native (Page:34)
paddlers, the manager could have He continues down the river and
sent supplies up to him by the becomes surrounded by savages in the
same means at any time. fog. Marlow is frightened but the
savages don’t do anything... until the fog rises. The savages attack and Marlow returns to England. He visits
Marlow’s men fire back. The arrows of Kurtz’s fiancee who is still in mourning the savages have little effect on a year after Kurtz’s death. She still
Marlow’s men or his boat. And the remembers Kurtz as the great man he guns of Marlow’s men have little effect was before he left, and Marlow doesn’t on the savages since they fire too high. tell her what he has become before he
Only Marlow’s helmsman dies. dies. Marlow gives Kurtz’s old letters
Marlow blows the whistle and to her and leaves. mysteriously, all the savages retreat in 2. The Changing Character of fear. The journey to meet Kurtz is very Mr. Kurtz difficult behind the hostile wall of Reading for character is more jungle and savages – for remarkable difficult than reading for plot, for man. Marlow shortly reaches the inner character is much complex, variable, station where he is greeted by the and ambiguous. Anyone can repeat
Russian Fool who seems to survive in what a person has done in a story, but the heart of the continent by not considerable skill may be needed to knowing what’s going on around him. describe what a person is (Perrine,
Kurtz is very ill and needs to be taken 1959:85) back to England, but he does not want The Portrayal character of Kurtz to go. In fact, he is the one who is a riddle for the main character in this ordered the attack on the steamboat so novel, Marlow. Conrad’s portrayal of that they couldn’t take him back to Mr. Kurtz in Heart of Darkness is one
England. Kurtz is worshipped by the of Conrad’s greatest achievements in natives because the native treat him as the field of characterization; and yet
God and Kurtz takes advantage by Mr. Kurtz remains a mysterious and completely exploits them. Kurtz tries elusive person whom we are not able to to escape to the natives but Marlow understand fully. catches him and takes back to the While Conrad has certainly steamboat head back for England. delineated Mr. Kurtz in a manner which
While still on the river, Kurtz is dying fascinates us, we cannot claim that we and saying, “The horror, the horror.” have been able to understand the mind manager and the inner station is no of Mr. Kurtz. doubt, place of the remarkable person,
Mr. Kurtz is presented as a Mr. Kurtz. remarkable Man, according from the After Marlow hears about Mr. chief accountant of the trading Kurtz, he desires to meet him in the company of which Marlow has become inner station. Before he reaches to the an employee. Here we learn that Mr. inner station, he meets the Manager in Kurtz is, a “remarkable man”, and a the central station. Then we hear a good first-class agent of the Company. The deal about Mr. Kurtz from the manager accountant tells Marlow that Mr. Kurtz of the Central Station of the Company. is in charge of a very important trading Although the manager also speaks post in the interior of the Congo. Mr. about Mr. Kurtz’s efficiency as an Kurtz is able to collect as much ivory agent of the Company, yet the manager for export as all the other agents of the is inwardly hostile to Mr. Kurtz Company taken together. The because of his fear that Mr. Kurtz accountant also speaks of the high might one day supersedes him. While potential of Mr. Kurtz who, in his talking to his uncle a little later in the opinion, would one day rise to a very story, the manager clearly states his high position. apprehensions with regard Mr. Kurtz; “On my asking who Mr.Kurtz was, he said he was a first-class agent; and and his apprehensions are fully shared seeing my dissapointment at this information, he added slowly, laying by his uncle. down his pen. ‘He is a very remarkable person.’ Further question elicited from Later we find the brick-maker at him that Mr. Kurtz was at present in charge of a trading post, a very the Central Station talking glibly about important one, in the true ivory- country, at the ‘very bottom of there. Mr. Kurtz. The brick-maker describes Sends in as much ivory as all the others put together....’ ” Mr. Kurtz as a great apostle of pity, of
science, and of progress. In the brick- (Page:19) maker’s view, Mr. Kurtz is a man of The company has three stations high intelligence and wide sympathies. in the Africa. The first is the outter But Marlow can easily see that the station where the chief accountant brick-maker is talking about Mr. Kurtz works, the central station, place of the in a hypocritical manner, and that actually the brick-maker shares the has entered his blood, has consumed his manager’s antagonism towards Mr. flesh, and has taken complete
Kurtz. possession of his soul.
‘Tell me,pray,’said I, ‘who is You should have heard him say, ‘My this Mr. Kurtz?’ ivory.’ Oh yes, I heard him. ‘my “’The chief of the Inner Station,’ he intended, my ivory, my station, my answered in a short tone, looking away. river, my -- ’ everything belonged to ‘Much obliged,’ I said, laughing. ‘And him. It made me hold my breath in you are the brickmaker of the Central expectation of hearing the wilderness station. Every one knows that.’ He was brust into a prodigious peal of laughter silent for a while. ‘He is a prodigy,’ he that would shake the fixed stars in their said at last. ‘He is an emissary of pity, places. Everything belonged to him – and science, and progress, and devil but that was trifle. The thing was to knows what else.” know what he belonged to him – but that was trifle. The thing was to know
(Page: 25) what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own. Soon afterwards we come to That was the reflection that made you creepy all over. It was impossible – it know some more facts about Mr. Kurtz was not good for one either – trying to imagine. He had taken a high seat and his way of life at the Inner Station amongst the devil of the land – I mean literary of which he holds the charge. We now (Page : 50) learn that Mr. Kurtz has a passion for Mr. Kurtz has also developed a ivory. Indeed, his main concern as the strong sense of power in the region in agent of his Company is to collect which he lives, and over the natives ivory. In this respect, he is even more with whom he has been coming into a enthusiastic than his employers could close contact. He shows his sense of have been. The word “ivory” has ownership of things by repeatedly always been on his lips. Next to ivory, saying: “My ivory, my intended, my his greatest concern is his intended (the station, my river, my–.” From the way girl whom he proposes to marry). Even in which Mr. Kurtz talks, it would seem greater than his love for his fiancee, that everything belongs to him. At this and greater than his passion for ivory is point, Marlow feels that Mr. Kurtz is an the fascination which the wilderness unbalanced kind of man who has lost soon begins to exercise upon Mr. his sense of proportion. It seems to
Kurtz. The wilderness seems to have Marlow at this time that, if the penetrated into the very being of Mr. wilderness were to hear Mr. Kurtz
Kurtz. The wilderness has caressed talking about his possessions, the him, has loved him, has embraced him, wilderness would burst into a mocking laugh. It also seems to Marlow that, if In his early life, Mr. Kurtz had
Mr. Kurtz owns everything around him, been a man of sound views and an he himself is owned by the powers of enlightened outlook upon life. All darkness. In other words, Mr. Kurtz Europe had contributed to the making seems to Marlow to be a man who has of him. On one occasion he had written become wholly evil. Marlow feels that a pamphlet in which he had argued that eventually the powers of darkness the white man had a great responsibility would claim Mr. Kurtz as their own. towards the savages who recognized his
According to Marlow, Mr. Kurtz has superior abilities and gifts. taken a high seat among the devils of “he bothered me enough when the land. In other words, Mr. Kurtz now he was here. “Each station should be like a beacon on the road toward better seems to Marlow to be an embodiment things, a centre for trade of course, but also humanising, improving, of evil. instructing.””
The changing character of Mr. (Page:33)
Kurtz is analyzed as the previous In the eyes of the savages, the mindset of white that is more civilized white man was a kind of God; and, that the black, native Africa. But the therefore, according to Mr. Kurtz’s colonialism change the character of Mr. original way of thinking, the white man
Kurtz into the savage because the could do a lot to improve the conditions influence of his circumtances. This of life for the savages. The white man changing is possible as, Perrine could exercise unlimited powers of
(1993:70) state that, A changing of the benevolence for the good of the character must meet three conditions: backward peoples of the world. Such
(1) it must be within the possibilities had been Mr. Kurtz’s views before
of the character who makes it; coming to the Congo. However, at the
(2) it must be sufficiently motivated end of that pamphlet, Mr. Kurtz had
by the circumtances in which also jotted down the following words:
character finds himself; and “Exterminate all the brutes.” Now, this
(3) it must be allowed sufficient time injunction seemed to contradict all the
for change of its magnitude preceding arguments in that pamphlet.
believably to take place. On one hand, Mr. Kurtz has wanted the white men to confer all kinds of spellbinding speeches to them. He has benefits upon the brutes; and, on the been presiding over their midnight other hand, he wants all the brutes to be dances which always end with annihilated. Perhaps his injunction to unspeakable rites. exterminate all the brutes might only “He was not not afraid of the natives; they would mot stir till Mr. have meant that the brutal part of the Kurtz gave the word. His asendncy was extraordinary. The camp of these savages should be exterminated and people surrounded the place, and the chief came every day to see him. They that they should be transformed into would crawl . . . ‘I dont want to know anything of the ceremonies used when civilized human beings. In any case, approaching Mr.Kurtz,’ I shouted. Curious, this feeling that came over me Mr. Kurtz’s ideas has, in those days, that such detail would be more intolerable that those heads dying on been highly progressive, and he has the stake under Mr. Kurtz windows ” really been an apostle of pity (Page : 59) enlightenment. But subsequently, after In other words, he has been his prolongs stay among the savages, participating in their custom of offering
Mr. Kurtz has himself become a human sacrifice to their gods, and savage. What puzzles us most about perhaps even in their cannibalism. this man is the great change which Having lived among them, he has takes place in his character and his lapsed into primitivism and has been outlook after he has lived in the interior giving full outlet to the primitive of the Congo for a fairly long time. instincts which have gained an
Instead of civilizing the savages, he ascendancy in his mind. He has been himself becomes almost a savage. seeking abominable satisfactions and
Having lived in the midst of savages, he has been gratifying the monstrous he falls a prey to the influence of these passions which had begun to rage in his men and begins to share their way of breast. He has been satisfying all the life and their customs. He identifies primitive appetites and lusts which had himself with them to such an extent that emerged in his heart. The monstrous they begin to regard him as one of passions, and their gratification include themselves. Not only that, they begin to all kinds of sex perversions such as worship and admire him because of his collective sex orgies, gang-rape, eloquence in speech and because of his homosexuality, sadistic and collecting the maximum possible masochistic practices, and so on. quantities of ivory; and, at the same
time, he pays frequent visits to the “They only showed that Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of interior of the wilderness in order to his various lusts, that there was something wanting in him” participate in the primitive rites and
(Page : 58) customs of the savages. He has also
managed to subdue the savages in order This change in Mr. Kurtz does to be able to rule over them as their not mean that he has entirely forgotten chief of chiefs, so that all the chiefs, of his European heritage or that all the the native tribes come crawling to pay marks of civilization have been their homage to him. extinguished in him. The strange thing The Russian explorer and is that he retains his identity as a traveller who has studied the ways of civilized man, while at the same time Mr. Kurtz and who has come into succumbing to his primitive instincts at intimate contact with him has high times. In other words, whenever he praise for Mr. Kurtz. In fact, the mingles with the savages, he becomes a Russian’s praise of Mr. Kurtz greatly savage like them; and on such exalts Mr. Kurtz’s image in our eyes; occasions he fully shares and and even Marlow cannot help being participates in their rites and customs, influenced by the Russian’s eulogy of including the offering of human Mr. Kurtz. The Russian says that Mr. sacrifice and cannibalism, and Kurtz has taught him much and that including also the satisfaction of certain Mr. Kurtz has enabled him to see into monstrous passions and lusts. But he the life of things. The Russian has becomes his civilized self when he become a devoted admirer and disciple returns to his residence at the of Mr. Kurtz, and has even nursed him Company’s station and resumes his during his illnesses. The Russian has activities as a trader in ivory on behalf felt greatly impressed by Mr. Kurtz’s of the Company of which he is the poetic talent also, and has often listened employee. Thus he leads a double life. to Mr. Kurtz’s recitation of his poems. He is a civilized man, striving to serve At the same time, the Russian bears the Company to his utmost by witness to Mr. Kurtz’s passion for and from the savages environment in power, his passion for ivory, his which he has been living. Marlow finds passion for his fiancee, and his passion the native woman’s devotion to Mr. to own things. Kurtz also to be evidence of Mr.
Marlow too begins to admire Kurtz’s influence over the savages.
Mr. Kurtz after having come into This native woman has been Mr. personal contact with him. Marlow Kurtz’s housekeeper and, most cannot exactly define the positive probably, also a mistress of his. Then qualities of Mr. Kurtz except his Marlow feels deeply impressed by Mr. magnificent eloquence but Marlow Kurtz’s dying words: “The horror! the does fall under that man’s spell. horror!” Marlow takes these words to
Marlow has found Mr. Kurtz to be mean that, while dying, Mr. Kurtz has
“hollow at the core”, and yet been able to recognize the evil within subsequently Marlow becomes a himself. To Marlow, it seems that Mr. devotee of that man. Marlow pursues Kurtz has, at the end, partially
Mr. Kurtz into the wilderness when Mr. redeemed himself by realizing the
Kurtz has slipped away from his cabin horror of the evil which has been on the ship in order to rejoin the dominating his mind, and which has savages in response to the beating of taken possession of his heart and soul. their drums; and Marlow brings Mr. Marlow regards Mr. Kurtz’s last words
Kurtz back, though he has to use all his as an “affirmation” and as a “victory”. powers of persuasion to make him After having heard these last words of agree to come back. Thus Mr. Kurtz Mr. Kurtz, Marlow becomes further has found the call of the wilderness to confirmed in his friendship and his be irresistible even after having decided admiration for Mr. Kurtz; and it is to accompany the white men who have because of this feeling of friendship for come especially to take him away and the dead man that Marlow tells a lie to send him to Europe for medical Mr. Kurtz’s fiancee when, in response treatment. This means that Mr. Kurtz to a question by her, he says that the finds it difficult even at this stage to last word spoken by Mr. Kurtz before tear himself away form the wilderness his death was her own name. In proportion to the fullness of which manage the rise to the surface if their development, the character in a a civilized man has to remain in an story are relatively flat or round. The environment of savagery and brutality flat character is characterized by one or for a long time. two traits; he can be summed up in a sentence. The round character is Conclusion complex and many-side; he might require an essay for full analysis. In this novel the writer finds that
(Perrine;1959:87) colonialism is the consequence of the
Mr. Kurtz is not an ordinary imperialism that is done by the white character in an ordinary novel. Heart of toward the native Africa. Instead of
Darkness is an extraordinary work of civilizing the savage of Africa, the fiction-cum-facts, and Mr. Kurtz is an whites exploit them by slavery and extraordinary person. In addition to violence in order to get their purpose what he seems to be or what he “ivory”. apparently is, he has also to be viewed Heart of Darkness that is as a symbolic figure. He represents the presented by Joseph Conrad, tells about western man’s commercial mentality social-colonial literature which and the western man’s greed. Secondly, happened in the Africa some time in he represents the hypocrisy of the white 1800th. This novel also refers to the man’s claims of civilizing the savages. history that is occured during that time.
Thirdly, he represents the western E.g. the character of Mr. Kurtz that man’s love of power and his desire to refers to an explorer, Henry Morton subjugate and rule over the backward Stanley, which takes an adventure in races of the world even at the sacrifice the jungle of Africa and opens the of the fundamental principles of ethics economic activity by making some and morality. Finally, Mr. Kurtz stations in the inner jungle of Congo symbolizes the power and force of the River. primitive human instincts which may Heart of Darkness shows seem to have been brought under smoothly the disparity between the control by the civilized people but civilization in the Thames river and Congo River (white and black, civilize Bogdan, Robert & Sari Knopp Biklen. Qualitative Research for Education, An and savage, intelligent and ignorance). Introduction to Theory and Methods. Allyn and Bacon: USA, 1992 This novel reveals that the civilization Borg, Walter R & Meredith Gall. In is not always act in a humanitarian Educational Research An Introduction. Longman, Inc: New York, 1983 way. There is the possibility that force, Boustin, Eduard. Lands and People. violence and slavery are also used. Boston University: Grolier international. 1988 Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness: An The human civilization Authoritative Text Backgrounds and propaganda sometimes has been sources Critics. 2nd Ed. W.W.Norton & Company, Inc: New York, 1971 distorted into colonialism that ensued Doyle, Michel W. Empire. Cornell exploitation toward the native by the University Press: New York, 1986 Farn, Regelind.Colonial and pilgrim, the natural resources robbery, Postcolonial Rewritings of "Heart of Darkness" A Century of Dialogue with the changing ideology, genocide and Joseph Conrad. by the Faculty of Cultural Studies. A PhD dissertation. at religion influence, as this novel tells us. the University of Dortmund: Germany. ISBN: 1-58112-289-6, 2005 Colonialism also influences the Hoeper, Jeffrey D, and Pickering, James H. An Introduction POETRY, changing character of civilized white Macmillan Publishing Company: New York, 1990 man , Mr. Kurtz, that shown has us his Horvath, Ronald. J. Current changing character when he gets deep Anthropologhy. 13rd Vol, No.1. The University of Chicago press: Illinois. 1972 in to the jungle of Africa, he becomes a Kennedy, J.X & Dana Gioa, Literature: savage too by exploit the native to his An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 4th Compact Ed. Pearson personal purpose. Longman: New York, 2005
Heart of Darkness is also a kind Mushtaq, Hammad. Othering,Stereotyping and Hybriding in Fiction: A Postcolonial analysis of of condemnation from Joseph Conrad Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899) and Coetzee’s Waiting For The as a literary worker toward the barbarians (1980). Foundation University of Islamabad (Pakistan); Baku. 2010 colonialism. Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. must be interesting in analyzing a novel 2nd Ed. Harcout, Brace & World, Inc: New York. 1959 from the second language of the writer. Perrine, Laurence & Thomas R. ARP.
Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 6th Ed. Harcourt Brace & REFFERENCES Company: New York. 1993
Ashcroft, Bill, Gareth Griffiths & Roberts, James L. Heart of Darkness Helen Tiffin, Post-Colonial Studies: and The Secret Sharer Notes. Cliff’s The key Consepts. 2nd Ed. Routledge: Notes: Nebraska, 1965 Oxon, 2007 Reaske, Christopher Russel, Analyze UNESCO. International social science Drama. Monarch Press: New York. journal: Sociology of literary creativity. 1966 Vol XIX No.4. Paris, 1967 Russell, L. (ed.) Boundary Writing: An Exploration of Race, Culture, and Zins, H.S. Joseph Conrad and British Gender Binaries in Contemporary Critics of Colonialism. Botswana Australia, Honolulu: University of Journal of African Studies . Vol.12 University of Botswana: Botswana, Hawaii Press,2006 1998. S.S, Samekto, & M.A. Ikhtisar Sejarah www.litcharts.com/heartofdarkness Kesusastraan Inggris. Daya Widya: accessed on 20 June 2012 Jakarta, 1975 http://www.utm.edu/staff/lalexand/brnov Stallman, R.W. The Art of Joseph el/heart.htm accessed on June 26th 2012 Conrad: A Critical Symposium, www.wcl.american.edu/humright/cente Michigan State University Press: New r accesed on 13 May 2012 York, 1960