How Does Heart Of Darkness Change

”Men! The only animal in the world to fear” (Lawrence). D.H. Lawrence is stating that the only animal man has to fear is man itself. Heart of Darkness shows how cruel heartless man can really be. The men in the company acted ruthless towards the natives and some showed no restraint. It is seen that man is naturally “dark” when removed from civilization through the setting, character development, and symbolism of the novel. “The Nellie a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest. The flood had made, the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down on the river, the only thing for it was to come to and wait for the turn of the tide(Conrad 1).” Before the company could head to the Congo, they had to wait for the storm to pass; meanwhile, Marlow describes his story from his
previous experience there. The company then began to travel the jungle of the Congo and Marlow said suddenly, “and this also, has been one of the dark places of the earth(Conrad).” Marlow knows the real situation of the Congo and he knows exactly the kind of wickedness which thrives there. Even though he's been there before, he returns for a second time, despite knowing how man can become “dark” when entering the deep jungle. Character development was seen throughout the novel as main characters Marlow and Kurtz both changed dramatically.
When arriving in the Congo, Marlow couldn't even bare to look at the slaves. He was too innocent and had morals and the extreme racism hurt his heart. Marlow once stated, "The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much(Conrad 7)." However, by the time Marlow arrives at Kurtz’s hut, he sees the heads on poles and is amazed at how great they look. Kurtz was discovered to be insane and showed no restraint whatsoever. Kurtz killed and stole, and did whatever it took to ensure he had wealth and fame. Despite killing the natives, Kurtz was viewed as a god and worshipped. In the end, his health began to fail him and he removed from the jungle. Heading back into civilization Kurtz realized the horrible things he partook in while in the Congo and his final words were, “The horror, the horror(Conrad)!” Both Marlow and Kurtz had change of heart because they were removed from civilization for too
long. The literary element symbolism is used to portray how wicked the Congo is. Marlow points out that the Thames River is shaped like a snake on the map and that it represents deceit and temptation. “The snake had charmed me”(Conrad), This is important because it symbolizes the serpent in Genesis that deceived Eve and tempted Adam. Later in the novel Marlow said, "Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman, draped and blind-folded, carrying a lighted torch. The background was somber—almost black. The movement of the woman was stately, and the effect of the torchlight on the face was sinister(Conrad)." The painting symbolized that the Europeans didn't even know why they were in the Congo. Man is the only creature man has to fear. The company was afraid of the natives even though their real threat was themselves. When they entered the Congo, a “dark” place full of evil, they became corrupt because they were surrounded by temptation rather than civilization. Both Marlow and Kurtz’s hearts became wicked. Marlow didn't want to exterminate the natives like Kurtz did, but he was still okay with Kurtz’s actions. The comparison between the river and a snake showed that their path was only towards evil and the painting showed that they had no reason to be in the Congo.