Heart Of Darkness

When one thinks of a forest, one thinks of a warm, leafy paradise with the sounds of screeching birds and mosquitoes. Looking deeper, the forest represents a place free of responsibilities, of rules, and overall, of society. In the Heart of Darkness, readers see this same representation in the African Forest. However, it’s not only seen as a place empty of civilization but also readers can see the adverse effect it can have on human beings to the point of going mad. While this effect is seen continuously throughout the book, it is best seen in Kurtz, one of the primary characters of the novel, who shows how even the finest of European civilization can’t escape the effects of the African forest.
One of the main focuses in the novel is the character,

The doctor who examines Marlow before his big journey to Africa first foreshadows the effects of isolation, which lead to Kurtz’s madness. This is seen when he strangely begins measuring Marlow’s head, and when Marlow asks why the doctor explains how he ‘s interested in “the changes that place inside” (9). This is the first sign of how people change after venturing into the African forest. As he continues along his travel to meet Kurtz, Marlow continues to see signs around him showing that as one gets deeper and deeper into the forest, one begins to go mad. The first sign is seen as Marlow is traveling on the sea to Africa. He sees a warship anchored off the coast blindly firing into the forest, even though he was told there is a camp of “enemies” settled there. Despite this war that seems to be going on, there is no reciprocating action from the “enemies,” in which Marlow states, “There was a touch of insanity in the proceeding, a sense of lugubrious drollery in the sight…” (11). Not only does Marlow witness this sight of “insanity,” but as well is informed by the Captain about a Swede who hanged himself after arriving in Africa. When Marlow asks why, the Captain replies, “Who knows? The sun too much for him, or the country perhaps” (12). Here, another indication of how the African landscape can affect those who dare to venture into it. As Marlow ventures farther into Africa, he continues to be witness these same situations of those who are slowly going mad from the isolation. Whether it was the men “strolling aimlessly about in the sunshine of the yard” at Marlow’s second station with the manager or even in Marlow himself who felt a personal “kinship” to the natives along the river as Marlow traveled up the river to see Kurtz. After finally arriving at Kurtz’s station readers can truly see the extent of madness and