Themes

=The Evil In Human Nature= One of the most obvious themes shown throughout the novel is simply that of the evil in mankind. Most of the central ideas of //Heart of Darkness// relate to the evil that lives inside oneself. Marlow suggests throughout the story many questions and theories as to why men become wicked. In Kurtz' case, for example, Marlow believes that the jungle 'whispered' to him, and his ability to do whatever he wanted made him lose all sense of morality. However, Marlow also states that all men are born with evil already inside of themselves. This would suggest that the jungle's darkness only helped to grow the seeds placed within at birth. Marlow believes that all men have the capabilities of being evil, but what happens to them and affects them determines whether or not they do great things or evil things. Strangely enough, however, Marlow still thinks that Kurtz is a remarkable man, even after all of the horrible things he has done. He does not refrain from analyzing Kurtz, and definitely saw him as a hollow shell, corrupted beyond all hope of salvation, but it was that Kurtz saw the horrors of the world that really left Marlow seeing him as a great man. Aside from Kurtz, evil is represented anywhere darkness is seen or described. It is shown in virtually all of the story's characters, including the General Manager, who is overcome by his greed, and the several men Marlow talks to who simply want to advance up the corporate ladder.

=Women Living in Fantasy= Several times during the novella Marlow makes references to women in a negative light. Marlow explains-outside of the frame story, to the other passengers aboard //The Nellie// that women could never last on their own in the world. Marlow has seen that women do not (according to him) see the world as men see it. Women do not look at the world and all of its evil, but rather see the good in everything, and live in a "fantasy world" where everything is right and proper. The best example of this is at the story's end, when Marlow pays a visit to Kurtz' intended. When Marlow arrives, the woman is still in mourning, and insists on talking to Marlow about how great Kurtz was. She says that "no one knew him as well as I!" In reality though, Marlow knew Kurtz much better, because Marlow saw him in his final days. She goes to describe him and his death by saying "of all his greatness, of his generous mind, of his noble heart, nothing remains--nothing but a memory." Contrary to all of that, Kurtz--in his final days--was anything but noble, generous, or great. In fact, he even //cheated// on this woman by taking an African mistress while in the jungle. The woman is completely obsessed with Kurtz and found him to be the greatest man who ever lived, and Marlow could not shatter that idea, because he knew it would devastate her, and that she may not even believe it--since she worshiped him so much. Knowing she couldn't handle the truth, when she asked what Kurtz' last words had been, Marlow lies and tells her that he said her name. Her response was, "I knew it--I was sure!" Marlow knew however, the reality; that Kurtz had a heart of darkness and that his last words really referred to the horrors of the world.

=Power= Another theme that plays a huge role in the story is power's ability to corrupt individuals. Many characters show signs of this, including firstly, the General Manager. For one thing, he sees Kurtz as a threat to his position, and hopes that Kurtz has become ill and died. He also plans to hang the Russian Trader who does business with Kurtz in order to make a higher profit. One of the main factors that leads to this insane thirst for power is greed. The brickmaker--another minor character--is so obsessed with ascending to the top of the ranks in the company that he pumps Marlow for information for quite some time because he assumes Marlow has some sort of influence in the company and can get him a job. In addition to that, when the Inner Station is described, Marlow talks about how the word "ivory" is whispered as if it is some sacred object that is worshiped by all. The only thing that anyone in that company cares about is ivory, and everything that they do is in order to get more, earn a higher promotion, and in doing so, make more money. Power also appears in forms that are not related to greed, but again, the most notable example is with Kurtz. When he goes mad and holes himself up alone, searching for ivory, it is clear he doesn't do it for the money. Kurtz lives in a desolate part of Africa, in a hut, by himself, having company only from the natives and the Russian Trader. Kurtz does this, and collects ivory all day, not because he wants money--although he does show some signs of greed--but more for the sole fact that he //can//. Kurtz knows that the natives worship him and see him as a powerful deity that possesses thunder and fire. He abuses this powerful status that he is given in order to command the tribe and be worshiped as a god. This lust for power is ultimately what causes Kurtz' downfall, and insanity.