Sunday, February 13, 2011

Heart of Darkness- Cultural Psychosis


I read Tony C. Brown’s essay entitled “Cultural Psychosis on the Frontier: The Work of the Darkness in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.” In Brown’s literary analysis, he states that the darkness in the African jungle alters the characters’ view of the world. Removed from society’s norms and mores, each man must react to the horrors they witness individually. While this freedom leads to Kurtz’s demise, Marlow recognizes the true atrocities are not performed by the “savage” natives, but by the supposedly civilized Europeans. This greatly distorts his original, idealistic view of Europe at the time. Brown provides a great deal of textual and historical support in this essay. It is a common belief that Marlow’s journey occurred in the Congo Free State. At the turn of the twentieth century, the native people of this territory were subjected to brutal violence by the members of exporting European companies. Although the Europeans were supposed to be on a civilizing mission, they only brought violence and terror with them. This is clearly shown in the novel when Marlow scoffs at his aunt’s claim that he is on a “civilizing mission” after he witnesses a group of natives forced to build a railroad despite their sickly condition. Brown believes as a person continues down the river, the more removed he becomes from society. The wilderness “manifests as an unrestrained savagery which by its very nature threatens as a massive presence which will ‘block’ the imposition of a civilized order,” (Pg 70). Kurtz is a clear example of this belief. Free from any regulations, he channels the brutal ways of the jungle. After he escapes from the steamer, Marlow attempts to reason with him, but it is fruitless. Kurtz has become so removed from civilization, it is impossible to reason with him. There is not a great deal of bias in Brown’s writing, although he firmly believes that the Europeans committed a great deal of brutality in Africa during this time period. Overall, this article presents a well-thought, enlightening argument that I agree with. After all, sometimes it is difficult to recognize who is committing the true atrocities.