The Horror In Joseph Conrad's The Heart Of Darkness

“The horror! The Horror!” (p.179). These famous last words said by Mr. Kurtz before his death in Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness say many things about who he is and what has been happening throughout the book. This horror is not only a way for the reader to look into a different time and place, but also a way to reflect upon life today.

The Heart of Darkness tells of Marlow, a steam boat captain, who is telling of his experiences on the Congo River to another group of men at a much later time. His story on the Congo begins with him receiving the job as captain of his own steamboat and then leaving shortly after to begin his journey down the river. Throughout his trip, he meets many different people and sees many horrific sights, including

Similarly, everyone has some sense of morals, wherever they may come from, an oftentimes he will continue to go against his set of morals, even though he knows that he should not. Looking back to Kurtz as an example, as he is suffering and about to die, the last words he is able to say are “The horror! The horror!” (p.178). These few, yet powerful words demonstrate that Kurtz knew that what he had done was cruel and wrong, but that is not all that called for a cry of horror. It was also his knowledge of his cruelty, but he did not care. He continued on with his practices. Marlow was able to see this when he said “It [Kurtz’s cry] was an affirmation, a moral victory paid for by innumerable defeats, by abominable terrors, by abominable satisfactions. But it was victory!” (p.179). This same truth was made by Paul in Romans:

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing