Enlightenment: A Journey Into Every Mans Heart of Darkness

Many times the outside world may be just as unpredictable and wild as the hearts and souls of men. The human spirit will always be untamed, and this is its key benefit in reaching self-awareness and consciousness. If at the very center of a man is the unknown, it must be our life journey to discover who we are. Our actions will resonate in the echoes of eternity. This is a paradox, as we are a reflection

of the outside world, yet completely separate. It is important for man to understand this if he wishes to reach his full potential: physically, mentally, and spiritually. Through the course of a mans life, he must venture into both of these worlds for the quest of exploration, self-truth, and enlightenment. In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Charlie Marlow descends first into the Congo, experiences many horrors, and later reflects on his experiences in the physical and metaphorical Heart of Darkness through his journey into the Congo, insight into the hearts and souls of many evil European men, and his return and adaptation into normal society. In Marlows journey, he ventures through the Congo and experiences physical evil that is the result of the white men. When Marlow is making his way to the Inner Station, he sees Black shapes crouches, lay, sat between the trees leaning against the trunks in all attitudes of pain, abandonment and despair (Conrad 18). It was apparent from the start that the natives were being treated like slaves, and were left to die in a ravine, like garbage sitting in a dumpster. Marlow sees the natives walking with that deathlike indifference of unhappy savages (Conrad 18). This is very important as this impression will stay in Marlows mind and haunt him for the rest of his life. Marlow is also disturbed by the white man who strolled despondently, carrying a rifle by its middle (Conrad 18). He realizes that being white means everything in a society that is ruled by the cruelest. The physical conditions in the Congo are only the result of the white man, who creates and destroys. As Marlow journeys deeper and deeper into the Congo, he discovers that the European men ruling Africa have empty and evil souls that account for all of the evil that has accumulated in the Congo. The soul is the most important aspect to any man, and it is a reflection of all the persons life choices. The quote The soul of man is a dark vast forest, with wild life in it (D.H. Lawrence) do not mean that humans are evil at the very core. In fact, it implies almost the opposite, that every person has a soul that is free to pursue his desires. Kurtz and Marlow started out as one person, but their life choices led them to have very different lives in the end. Marlow tried to do the right thing in every

situation, while Kurtz focused on taking as much ivory from the Congo as possible. Even though Kurtz though that his life was going to be complete with ivory and riches, as he lies dying, Kurtz yells The horror! The horror! (Conrad 86). Kurtz in the end betrayed himself by living a life of selfishness, he only realized his wrongdoings when it was too late. Kurtz stepped over the edge and looked into the invisible (Wilson 2). Marlow also looked into the invisible but lived to tell the tale. This occurred, perhaps because Marlow was given another change at life, and he believed that he could do more right in the world, unlike Kurtz. A mans soul is the whole of him (D.H. Lawrence). Marlow realizes from the beginning that there is much more to life than money and he lives a life very different from Kurtz as a result, by trying to do only the best not himself, but for all of society. Marlows integration into normal society was the last test that he faced. Marlow experienced many horrors, but unlike Kurtz, Marlow was strong and could live with his illusion of life destroyed. Marlow told the intended The last word he pronounced was-your name (Conrad 96). Even though Marlow thinks less of women, he realized that the worst thing he could do was take the intendeds illusion from her. Marlow learned that the horrors of life are plentiful and many are unnecessary, yet he wrote a book about it. Conrad did consider the novel to be his confessional (Lipka 31). Through all of the horrors that Marlow experienced, he became a better person because of it. Marlow thaught back on his experiences in the Congo many times and realized things many things that people are unaware of. Marlow ceased, and sat apart in the pose of a meditating Buddha (Conrad 96). Marlow is obviously the most enlightened on the ship and Marlow realizes that the real horror has been internalized and lies within the heart, the Heart of Darkness (Lipka 31). Through his journey, Marlows interaction with many evil men, and his return to society from the Heart of Darkness make him mature and transform him into a better man. Even more, his change is visible in his physical appearance, too since Marlow grows older with more respect for life and more insight into his world and culture. Many people have not experienced what Marlow has experienced

and lived to tell it. Marlow is a benign soul that is the opposite of his white peers in Congo. Reflection and introspection allowed Marlow the opportunity to spiritually rise above the rest. This enlightenment was the only way that Marlow could keep from going insane, and helped him understand the events that transpired during his time in Congo. In the end, Marlows soul was still wild and untamed and this was his greatest asset. He chose his own path in life, was undeterred by the evil, and managed to change from a young man who only wanted to explore, to an older and wiser Marlow who understands the horrors that will live in his heart forever.

Bibliography

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Toronto, Canada: Random House Inc, 1999 Lawrence, D.H. Lipka, Jennifer. The horror! The horror!:Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness as a Gothic Novel. Conradimam, vol 40, no.1, 2008:pg 31. Print. Wilson, Harold O. Another Look at Conrads Heart of Darkness. 2010. Online