Heart of Darkness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Heart of Darkness - Essay Example The narration of the book from the viewpoint of Marlow shows his own hypocrisy from the very beginning of the story when he says that even London was once one of the darkest places on earth. Even though he knows it to be true, he does not accept that the natives in the Congo could have a culture which is at least as valuable as the one which he is a part of. In fact, the narrator struggles with ‘understanding’ a culture as well as people throughout the novella. To be fair, this lack of understanding is not limited to cultures or individuals, it also extends to places as well as emotions. For instance, even though the descriptions of different locations as given by the narrator are quite extensive, he does not see beyond what is physically present. For example, he describes the Central Station as: It was on a back water surrounded by scrub and forest, with a pretty border of smelly mud on one side, and on the three others enclosed by a crazy fence of rushes. A neglected gap was all the gate it had, and the first glance at the place was enough to let you see the flabby devil was running that show. (Conrad, 1902, Pg. 35) The most important point which can be made about the narrator is that (at least for the majority of the story) he focuses on outward appearances and refuses to look for a deeper meaning in things. Even though he shows signs of being philosophically inclined, yet he either ignores or does not care to understand the region, the people or even the actions of Kurtz. Over the period of his journey, the situation changes and he develops a somewhat deeper understanding as he is changed by his surroundings in much the same way Kurtz was. The bonds of brotherhood created by race and other common factors unite Marlow and Sonny’s brother with Kurtz and Sonny respectively. It must be noted that race as a common ground for creating an understanding between people is used