Heart Of Darkness Throughout the story, Heart of Darkness, there is a thin line between what is seen as reality and what is illusion. The main character soon realizes that he has different interpretations of events and physical things than that of the Europeans.
Charlie Marlow first realizes how many things, events and even people, in Africa, seemed misnamed by the Europeans, distorting them from what they truly are. Consequently he is wary of labeling something in case he might misname it and as a result devalue it. In the end, Kurtz, who has already reached enlightenment, will be the one to teach Marlow, though not directly, the significance of a name. Charlie Marlow is the only one to be referred to by his name because through his journey to the inner station and consequent enlightenment, he alone, with Kurtz, have realized the importance of a name and therefore deserve to have one attached to them, as they are really the only people of actual importance and meaning. As soon as Marlow reaches the coast of Africa, he realizes a difference in the perception of certain events by him and his comrades on the boat.As Marlows boat pulls up to the Outer Station, he sees a man-of-war shelling the continent, which is quickly clarified, by a pilgrim, to be a front against a camp of natives - he called them enemies! - hidden out of sight somewhere (Conrad 78) Marlow felt a touch of insanity in the whole concept of shelling the natives, who had done nothing to be considered enemies or criminals and had very likely fled the area a long time ago.
Yet the Europeans feel that the natives are truly a threat and must be controlled. Further along, Marlow meets a pilgrim who is called the brick-maker, yet promptly notices that there is not a scrap of brick anywhere in the station. This is another example of how something, in this case the brick-maker, is misnamed, as he is not actually a brick-maker since he does not make any bricks at all, and therefore really has no purpose there. A final example of how things are misnamed and distorted is pertaining to Kurtz.Firstly, kurtz means short, yet to Marlow, the man appears to be seven feet long (Conrad 135).
Likewise, when the uncle and the nephew talk about Kurtz, who Marlow has heard to be a great and remarkable man, they only refer to him as that man and scoundrel. By not referring to him by his name, they do not refer to him as a human being with abilities and dignity, but as a thing, therefore stripping him of his humanity. After seeing how misnaming things can devalue them and cause much misinterpretation, Marlow has trouble naming things in fear of devaluing them. When the natives are attacking his boat he refers to the arrows and spears as little sticks and canes; when he reaches the inner station, he describes the heads on the posts as slim posts in a row, with their upper ends ornamented with round carved balls (Conrad 126). He is even wary of even formulating names for the simplest of things, in case he devalues something like the Europeans do. It is this understanding of the insignificance of meaningless labels that the Europeans had, and conversely the importance of his making things meaningful that will lead to Marlows enlightenment.
Since he is not corrupted by the materialistic ideals of the rest of them, he is able to see the situation with an objective view and reflect upon it. Also, he feels a certain bond between the natives when he sees them dancing about on the shore, which shows that Marlow is looking into his subconscious: but if you were man enough you would admit to yourself that there was in you just the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you could comprehend. (Conrad 106) Since the Europeans thought only about subjugating the natives and hording ivory, they were not in-tune with their subconscious and therefore unable to find the truths and the reality within them. The natives represented simple reality uncorrupted by European values of physical wealth, which Marlow noticed. After meeting Kurtz, who teaches him about self-truth and reality, in a more unconventional way, he understands that being able to name something is to be able to pass ones own judgement on an event.
And to be able to do this, one must not depend on pre-existing principles, but meet that truth with his own true stuff with his own inborn strength.Principles will not do. Acquisitions, clothes, pretty rags rags that would fly off at the first good shake. No; you want a deliberate belief. (Conrad 106) Principles, which we often receive from others, have no real value to us since we did not have to work and suffer to realize them.
Therefore names will not have any value or meaning to us, they will be just a name. That is why the Europeans cannot reach enlightenment and see their inner subconscious, since they only use principles that they have acquired from before and they really do not think for themselves; they are just hollow papier-mch, which Marlow can almost poke his finger through and find nothing but a little loose dirt, maybe (Conrad 93).Likewise, that is why Kurtz can reach enlightenment, to the extreme, and be able to truly name things, because he completely disregards moral rules and societys code of conduct and has as a result become a savage who is unscrupulous and barbarous. This is however, the opposite extreme from the disillusioned Europeans, who live shallow and pointless lives that do not amount to anything significant. The way in which Kurtz taught Marlow about truth and inner strength was through his last words, which was his judgement upon the adventures of his soul on this earth (148). Marlow describes how Kurtz seemed to want to swallow all the air, all the earth, all the men before him; he takes everything in, his entire life, all the events and judged it in two words, The horror; even if it was not the ideal life.
When Marlow explains the importance of inner strength, he says, for good or evil mine is the speech that cannot be silenced! (106) The strength of the matter comes from not turning away from the judgement if it is evil but facing up to it.That is why Marlow admires Kurtz; even though his life was evil and immoral, he faced and judged it; not trying to hide it under lies and excuses; it is realizing who and what you are. And in order to find out who you are Marlow sees work as an excellent method. I dont like work no man does but I like what is in the work the chance to find yourself (Conrad 97) By going through life with a purpose, such as work, we will be able to find out our strengths and thus learn more about ourselves.
However, there is a limit to how much of that personal knowledge of yourself that one should live out. Kurtz went all the way and lived out his primitive unconscious self, while Marlow peeped over the edge but stepped back into civilization, not going all the way. The reason he did not follow in Kurtzs footsteps was because he could not fully ignore his morality to that extreme that Kurtz did.Yet when Marlow returns to Europe, he has a certain disgust in the simplistic European way of life, and he hates himself for thinking that, but he cannot help it since he has lost his naivite. It takes an open mind and personal reflection to be able to reach your inner self.
It is because of this that Marlow, as well as Kurtz, are the only ones referred to by name; they, as a result of their enlightenment, are the only ones that know the true meaning of a name and the importance of inner strength and being true to oneself. Bibliography Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad English Essays.
