The Heart of Darkness :: essays research papers

Heart of Darkness is a novel of indescribable horrors and actions that lie alfresco the human mind. It describes a mans (Marlow) voyage on a west African river to find an a man named Kurtz. The actual journey truly is towards the heart of shabbiness, where it takes Marlow by evidence of European indignity towards the natives. He wants to see this land for himself, he does not quite believe in himself of what is really there. This story hints at horrors that Marlow is incapable of describing, which leaves the reader to imagine actions that are outside of normal everyday life. The voyage that Marlow has taken has been long and exhausting. Its an adventure for him. He has experienced a gigantic deal of confrontation with the natives, jungle dangers and savagery. in that respect is no interest of the humans who live here and they are extremely mistreated. To them this is normal human behavior. Nothing has been make differently. Nowhere did we stop long enough to get a particular i mpression, but there was general sense of wonder. It was like a weary excursion amongst hints for nightmares. This describes Marlows voyage to the heart of darkness, the literal heart of darkness Africa. He was fully warned and well-aware of the evil he would encounter, however he chose to ignore that in effort to satisfy his curiosity. The author is also saying something about human nature. Human curiosity about an unknown place can make him bollix up the line of civilized human behavior and enter a world of nightmares. Marlow wanted to see it for himself, but what made it most fascinating was this land was something he had never experienced before. He knew he would be a "weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares" but he wanted to prove something to himself that could remain doubtable if not seen. There is a persistence of the human instinct that pushes people to try to find the unknown and calm their deepest desires and questions. To actually see and experience the u nknown are the save true ways we will believe. This adventure novel can mean a whole different thing. The heart of darkness can be a symbolic journey into the dark center of the heart and soul of a human revealing concealed evil. It is exploration of the inner self, reflecting the unconscious self of a human. Ironically, the truth is exposed not in terms of light, but in terms of darkness.