The Significance Of Nature In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

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In the eyes of the universe, Earth is but a microscopic dot of blue mass. The peculiarity of the lived experience is that on this dot, there can exist societal differences as enormous as the universe itself. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow departs the Western World and dives into the heart of Africa, as if traveling from one end of the universe to the other. Marlow’s calling to Africa is driven by an innate hunger for adventure. By the end of the novel, however, Marlow’s frivolous curiosity is overwhelmed by disillusionment with the alternative civilization he discovers. In this coming of age tale, Marlow’s growth is defined by a loss of narrow minded innocence that develops into a conflicted understanding of the universe. At the novel’s onset
“There was in it one river especially, a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land…The snake had charmed me.” The river’s snake-like appearance is not a coincidence; it is in fact foreshadowing the events to come. Some of the most “charming” snakes, aligned with intricate diamond patterns fit for an art museum, can be the most poisonous. Similar to a snake, this river, with its “charming” twists and turns, ends up delivering the poisonous knowledge that eradicates Marlow’s sense of
Kurtz. Marlow retrieves an ailing Mr. Kurtz, who is holding onto life by a thread. In his last words, Mr. Kurtz screams, “The horror! The horror!” When reflecting upon this outcry Marlow states, “I affirm that Kurtz was a remarkable man. He had something to say. He said it. Since I had peeped over the edge myself, I understand better the meaning of his stare, that could not see the flame of the candle, but was wide enough to embrace the whole universe, piercing enough to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness.” Marlow admires Kurtz because Kurtz was able to break free from racism and wholeheartedly assimilate with all stretches of humanity. Perhaps Kurtz knowledge of the world comes at the cost of sanity. Marlow observes Kurtz’s universal perspective, but he himself does not quite attain it. Although he has taken steps in the direction of understanding for the natives, Marlow’s innate prejudices restrain him from crossing the bridge into the land of

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