As much as the characters define the journey in Heart of Darkness, the journey definitely changes the characters. As Charlie Marlow adventures deeper into the Congo, the essence of his character and soul alter as the horror of the discoveries he makes shape him. Going into a region antithetical of their upbringing, the change in landscape and people cause a change in morals that draw the men towards the inability to discern right from wrong. Succumbing to the influence of greed and power, the men allow themselves to indulge in their vices and turn their journey into a potential downfall. Instead of becoming a beacon of light in the Congo, the men do not follow their stated mission and with their newfound psychosis, they add more chaos to
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The absence of law and order cause Kurtz to change from a sensible European officer to an insane colonist, “In the wilderness, he came to believe he was free to do whatever he liked, and the freedom drove him mad” (Telgen 96). The freedom that comes with the absence of civilization and oversight can cause any human to result to savagery and recklessness. However, with Kurtz it does not just stop there, “Madness given prolonged exposure to the isolation of the wilderness seems an inevitable extension of chaos” (Telgen 96). Kurtz isolated in the Central Station of the Congo away from almost all other Europeans and the remoteness only seeks to prolong the irrationality of his actions and his loss of sensibility. It is no surprise then that reality becomes blurred with time in the desolation of a ruthless jungle, “As reason loses hold, doubt, and ambiguity take over… the reality of everything he encounters becomes suspect” (Telgen 96). The haziness of truth and life in the jungle blurs the reality and graveness of the situation in the colony of the Congo as they exploit the natives and fail to see the wrong in their doings. The jungle causes the characters to begin to lose sight of the impact of their actions of the lives of the natives, causes the truth and reality to obscure in the Belgian colony, and becomes truer the farther one travels down the river into the heart of the
The absence of law and order cause Kurtz to change from a sensible European officer to an insane colonist, “In the wilderness, he came to believe he was free to do whatever he liked, and the freedom drove him mad” (Telgen 96). The freedom that comes with the absence of civilization and oversight can cause any human to result to savagery and recklessness. However, with Kurtz it does not just stop there, “Madness given prolonged exposure to the isolation of the wilderness seems an inevitable extension of chaos” (Telgen 96). Kurtz isolated in the Central Station of the Congo away from almost all other Europeans and the remoteness only seeks to prolong the irrationality of his actions and his loss of sensibility. It is no surprise then that reality becomes blurred with time in the desolation of a ruthless jungle, “As reason loses hold, doubt, and ambiguity take over… the reality of everything he encounters becomes suspect” (Telgen 96). The haziness of truth and life in the jungle blurs the reality and graveness of the situation in the colony of the Congo as they exploit the natives and fail to see the wrong in their doings. The jungle causes the characters to begin to lose sight of the impact of their actions of the lives of the natives, causes the truth and reality to obscure in the Belgian colony, and becomes truer the farther one travels down the river into the heart of the