Morality In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

“It would have been too dark too dark—too dark altogether…” (Conrad 117). This quote explains how Marlow feels after working in the Congo. He found that his work in the Congo exemplified man’s true nature. He tells this to passengers on a ship anchored on the Thames, where Marlow is waiting for an interview. In Heart of Darkness; Joseph Conrad reveals how living outside the restraints of civilization exposes a man’s heart of darkness. Kurtz showed what living outside the restrictions of society can do to a man’s morality, civility, and sanity. When staying in the Congo, Kurtz lost all aspects of morality when fulfilling his job, which was collecting ivory. The Russian exemplified Kurtz’s moral degradation, “He declared he would shoot me unless I gave him the ivory…” (84). Greed for more ivory overtook Kurtz and caused him to threaten murder for more. His desire for surplus ivory was shown through the vast imports of ivory he brought to the company. When Marlow first arrived the company’s chief accountant told him that Kurtz “Sends in as much ivory as all the others put together…” (27). Greater profits spurred Kurtz’s desire for more ivory. His greed grew from the love of ivory to the love of women. He abandoned …show more content…
When Kurtz had no restraints he allowed it to affect his morality, civility and sanity. The manager allowed the lack of restraints to replace his former view of humanity with hatred and contempt. These men were two examples of man’s decline when social restraints are removed. This book showed the true nature of man’s heart when nothing holds back the evil inclinations of the heart. When reading this book, a person may become slightly confused as to who is speaking. Even though the story was slightly difficult to follow at times, it truthfully demonstrated man’s true character without societal