Blog: Frederick Karl on Heart of Darkness

In Frederick Karl's Psychoanalytic Criticism on Conrad's The Heart of Darkness, Karl discusses the novella's description of human behaviour after the individual has been enveloped in irrational and wild thoughts, completely devoid of moral restraints. On observing the last words of Kurtz before his death, Karl notes two possible interpretations of Kurtz's will: Marlow's and the reader's. In Marlow's interpretation, Kurtz speaks "The horror! The horror!" to finally comment over the wild immorality of the dark world he has plunged himself into and, in Marlow's opinion, Kurtz shouting of the horror reveals his sense of morality, a distinction and identification of the immorality he saw. If this were true, the question is to what degree did Kurtz distinguish morality from immorality? How blurry was the line? On the other hand, Karl's interpretation is that Kurtz's shouting demonstrates his anguish over the end of his life and that he will not live to continue grasping more power. Unlike the first interpretation, which Marlow would be willing to accept since he himself has a strong sense of morality, this interpretation corresponds well with the character of Kurtz, whose mind has spiraled downwards into irrationality, immorality, and darkness. His megalomania, his obssession with wealth and power, had completely grasped his thoughts until the very end. But, if we were to give Marlow's opinion some consideration on this second interpretation, then the question is, if Marlow did not die, then would his near death experience still have shown him to understand the immorality of his world?

Blog 5: Heart of Darkness

In paragraph 142, Marlow draws the audience into a lull with the heavy syllables and somber tone in his speech to demonstrate Kurtz's descent into the darkness of his soul. Using the words "heavy, mute spell", Marlow describes the wilderness of Africa as a captivating, mysterious, and dangerous force that draws Kurtz to awaken his primitive and "brutal instincts." He suggests that this heavy spell further draws him deeper into the jungle, where the "throb of drums, the drone of weird incantations" develop the monotonous and savage mood of the darkness. The vibrant and mysterious imagery of the jungle and the natives develops the sense that Kurtz becomes overwhelmed by the darkness inside of him, as he souls descends into madness.

Blog 4: Heart of Darkness

In paragraph 103, Marlow continues to digress from his account of the events leading up to the death of his helmsman, as he pauses frequently and quickly changes the subjects he describes. Contemplating, Marlow mentions details of his journey and the people he meets in anachronistic order. His lack of ordered thoughts suggests that the remembrance of the events he describes have severely traumatized him. To him, his journey towards the deeper land has psychologically damaged him, as he faces incomprehensible danger and the manifestation of human darkness from living among the dangerous natives and death, far away from the comforts of civilized home. As Marlow comments, the listeners of his story cannot comprehend the psychological toil the journey has on civilized men like him; with many external protections like the developed morality of civilization and police establishments, man can refrain himself from dwelling in the evils of the unconscious and the evil, primal traits of the mind. Without these external influences, Marlow believes that inner strength only stands to stop one from falling captive to the "powers of darkness."

Blog 3: Heart of Darkness

In paragraph 83 in the Heart of Darkness, Marlow continues to ponder his deeper journey into the unknown, contemplating on the strangeness of the natives. Ironically stating that "the earth seemed unearthly", he fears being unfamiliar with the natives. Though he perceives them as monstrous savages, he hesitates to describe them, demonstrating that he cannot grasp the mystery and unknown danger they pose to him in this unknown land. Yet, he also mentions that by looking into himself, somewhere in his unconscious, traits remain that reflect the savagery of the primitives, despite the differences between the white man and the natives. Interestingly, his observation resembles Freud's belief in the id, ego, and the superego. The traits that Marlow mentions belong to the id, and the principles of mankind and the "cloak of time", the progression of civilization and its benefits, belong to the superego.
Afterwards, he observes the "savage" fireman working on the boiler as if he was an inferior species. He comments on how the native is a much more improved kind than the natives on the bank simply for the training and knowledge the native received from the white men to work. As the fireman works, Marlow describes the fireman's actions and demeanor as if he were a frightened, extremely obedient servant. In describing the teachings the fireman had to fix the boiler, Marlow points out that the teachings were understood in terms familiar to the native- the appeasement of evil spirits, which highlights the balance between good and evil.

Blog 2: Heart of Darkness

To contradict the suggestion of the "glorious affair" surrounding Fresleven's death, Marlow depicts the conflict violently as the tension rises between Fresleven and the natives. Although he suggests that Fresleven's assertion of dominance to maintain his self-respect is noble, Marlow frequently mentions the remains of the former captain, giving the paragraph a somber and dark tone. Also, despite Fresleven being supposedly the "gentlest, quietest creature" and the natives' frantic escape demonstrating fear for the captain's death, the violent confrontation highlighted the savage, wild, and dark nature of man that the novel will continue to show.

Heart of Darkness: Blog #1

As an introduction to his journey to the heart of darkness, Marlow illustrates the Romans' journey to London to compare the two journeys. In the Roman times, the Roman Empire was seen as the zenith of civilized society and London as a faraway, uncivilized land. For the Romans, the journey to conquer uncivilized lands far away from the comfort of civilized Rome deprived them of familiarity with society and shrouded them in the unknown. Much like the conquering Romans, Marlow is journeying into an uncivilized land filled with uncomfortable weather, illness, death, and mystery, away from the comforts of civilized London.