Question: In what way is Heart of Darkness an account of Marlow's journey into the subconscious state of his mind?
Ans. Heart of Darkness is a record of a two-fold journey—a journey into the Congo, which at Conrad's time had not yet been fully explored, and a journey into the dark recesses of Marlow's mind and, in a sense, into the dark realm of the human mind in general. While narrating his experiences on board the Nellie to a small group of his friends, Marlow gives them not only an account of outward events but also his inward reactions to those experiences.
Marlow's encounter with the Manager of the Central Station and the Brick-maker there also gives rise to many thoughts in his mind. The Manager appears to be a man of an empty brain, while the Brick-maker seems to be a clever and curious man who asks Marlow whether he has any influence over the higher officials of the trading company. Although Marlow hates telling lies, he lets the Brick-maker assume that he does have considerable influence over the high officials of the company.
Marlow also reflects upon the work ethic. He has to work very hard to pull the wrecked steamer out of the river and repair it. He does not like the work itself, but he likes what is in the work, because work gives a man the chance to find himself and his own reality. While commanding a steamer on a strange and unknown river, Marlow feels like a blindfolded man driving his motor-van over a bad road. He also reacts deeply to the scenery: “We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.”
Further, Marlow’s reflections on hunger and the self-restraint of the cannibal crew are noteworthy. The hungry cannibals could easily kill the white men on board the steamer and eat their flesh, but they do not do so. Marlow views the cannibals with great admiration and curiosity about their impulses, motives, capacities, and weaknesses.
Again, we find him admiring Mr. Kurtz despite his demonic character. Even after returning to Europe, Marlow remains loyal to Mr. Kurtz’s memory. When Mr. Kurtz’s fiancée asks him what Kurtz’s last words were before his death, Marlow tells her a lie and says that Mr. Kurtz’s last word was her own name. This loyalty to Mr. Kurtz may be explained as Marlow’s own response to the primitivism and barbarism that Mr. Kurtz had been practising among the savages. This suggests that if Marlow had stayed for some time longer in the Congo and had begun to mix with the savages, he too might have followed the same path that Mr. Kurtz had begun to tread.
Thus, Heart of Darkness certainly describes a physical journey, but at the same time it also presents a psychological and mystical journey. Marlow conveys to us indirectly and subtly the influence of Mr. Kurtz’s primitivism upon himself. This subconscious mind is also the heart of darkness, which Marlow—or Conrad—tries to explore.
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