Resumo de Heart Of Darkness (1902)

Joseph Conrad?s Heart of Darkness details the collapse of morality in
the absence of civilization. Through an unnamed narrator, Charlie
Marlow recounts his journey through the Congo to locate Mr. Kurtz, an
agent in charge of an important trading station on the Interior. While
waiting at the Central Station for repairs to be made to his steamship,
Marlow begins to hear many rumors about Kurtz, which gradually begin to
intrigue him. He sees a painting done by Kurtz which he describes as
?sinister,? yet hears him praised as an exceptional and intelligent
man, and revered as an upcoming leader. He becomes even more intrigued
as he overhears a conversation between the station manager and his
uncle, expressing their concern that Kurtz and his high moral ideals
are going to change the way business is conducted, therefore
interfering with their plans to make a profit by exploiting Africa and
its natives.
After three months of repairs, Marlow is finally able to lead an
expedition to the Inner Station. Along the way, the ship with heavy fog
and mysterious screams from the jungle, and ultimately survives an
attack by the natives, whom Marlow scares off by blowing the
steamship?s whistle. He later finds out, through a Russian trader, that
Kurtz himself has ordered the attack on the ship, hoping to scare them
away. The Russian also informs Marlow that Kurtz can no longer be
judged by the morals and values of European civilization, as Kurtz has
advanced beyond them, and is even regarded as a deity to the natives.
However, the Russian admits that Kurtz is ill, and in need of
assistance.
Upon finding Kurtz?s station, Marlow finds it surrounded by severed
heads attached to stakes, and learns from the Russian how the natives
do not walk, but crawl into Kurtz?s presence. Marlow becomes
frustrated, and begins to see that Kurtz is completely out of control,
yet still praises him as remarkable. Kurtz, who is indeed seriously
ill, is brought to the steamer by the crew, which begins its journey
back to the Central Station and, more importantly, closer to
civilization.
Despite his illness, however, Kurtz resists leaving the Interior,
and attempts to escape from Marlow by leaving the ship late at night
and crawling on all fours through the jungle. Marlow pursues him and,
in a moment of weakness, is able to threaten Kurtz into going back to
the steamship. Kurtz speaks of having big plans, which he regrets that
he was never able to complete. Marlow assures him that Europe already
considers him to be highly successful, and will welcome his return.
Once Marlow is left alone with Kurtz aboard the steamer, his
expectations are disappointed. Kurtz turns out to be egotistical and
immature, spouting off grandiose plans and ideas which never came to
fruition. The steamer breaks down, which delays the journey back, and
Kurtz dies before reaching the Central Station. He entrusts to Marlow
his personal letters and writings, and utters some of the most famous
last words in literary history. Marlow himself falls seriously ill
during this time, and barely survives. He leaves Africa after his
recovery.
Conrad?s novella raises questions about morality and civil order,
and ultimately comes to the conclusion that, while European society
prevents men from going mad or running wild, it is also European
society that created Kurtz and other men like him. In the absence of
the controlling ideologies of civilized society, men will often become
corrupt, or even be driven to acts of madness and moral depravity.

Conrad?s ideas about civilization and savagery are closely tied in
with the exterior/interior dichotomy seen throughout the book. The
further man travels into the interior, the less civilized man becomes,
as is evident in Kurtz?s degeneration. The juxtaposition between light
and dark, and white man and black man also plays into this motif, as
the Africans are generally seen as savages who lack rule, order,and
civilization, while the white Europeans are a colonial force intent
upon ruling and exploiting Africa and its people. However, precisely
because civilization acts as both the cause and the control of moral
ineptitude, these exterior/interior, white/black, civilized/savage
binaries inevitably collapse, as it is only the white men who suffer
any sort of moral degeneration. An example of this is in Kurtz?s
pamphlet regarding the civilization of African savages, a work Marlow
describes as eloquent and noble, which unravels in one short
post-script calling for the extermination of the African natives. The
document reveals both Kurtz?s degeneration into madness and his moral
duplicity.
This novella, which was generally well received despite its strong
social commentary, blasted imperial attitudes and attempted to prove
that white Europeans are ultimately the true savages. It set out to
collapse imperialist binaries, such as civilization/savagery, through
which European defined itself and attempted to set it self above native
peoples. On a psychological level, Conrad?s work strongly implies that
there is a heart of darkness, or immoral core, inherent in all men.

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