Question: Discuss the theme of self-restraint in Heart of Darkness.
Ans. Self-restraint is an important theme in Heart of Darkness, though it is not the major theme of the novel. This theme reflects Conrad’s philosophy that through devotion to duty, a man can discharge his obligations to society. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow is saved by self-restraint, whereas Kurtz is doomed by the lack of it.
The white men who come to the Congo for commercial purposes show little or no self-restraint. Motivated by mercenary interests, they display limitless greed. Their chief concern is to collect as much ivory as possible. Marlow regards these white men in the Congo—the Accountant, the Manager of the Central Station, and the Brick-maker—as “faithless pilgrims.” The Manager, to whom ivory has become an obsession, feels jealous of Mr. Kurtz because Kurtz collects more ivory than all the other agents put together. The desire of these white men for ivory knows no bounds.
The clearest example of the lack of self-restraint is found in the character of Mr. Kurtz, who becomes almost a devil himself after living for a long time among the savages. His greed for ivory is boundless. Ivory has become a mania for him, and he thinks of nothing else: “my ivory, my station, my Intended, my career, my—.” He collects all the ivory available in the region and keeps it buried underground for safe preservation. In the whole Congo, not even a single tusk escapes from Kurtz. So obsessed is he with ivory that he does not hesitate to kill others who possess it. This lack of self-restraint transforms Mr. Kurtz into a devil. He begins to take part in devilish practices—ceremonies and dances that end in “unspeakable rites.” These rites undoubtedly include sexual orgies, sadistic and masochistic practices, the shedding of human blood, and other disgusting activities.
In sharp contrast to the white men from the so-called civilized world, Marlow finds the cannibal crew to be remarkably characterized by self-restraint. They outnumber the whites, thirty to five,” and could easily satisfy their hunger by killing and eating them. Yet they restrain themselves. This example of self-restraint among the cannibals aboard the steamer deeply puzzles and impresses Marlow.
To sum up, Joseph Conrad is guided by a moral vision in writing Heart of Darkness. He appears to present self-restraint as a noble virtue capable of countering the darkness in the human heart.
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