Depravity In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

"Men! The only animal in the world to fear" (Lawrence). This quote is talking about how the most dangerous and capable animal in this world is man himself. Without the restraints and expectations of society, man is capable of anything. Conrad illustrates these negative effects that result from taking man out of his environment in his novel Heart of Darkness. He shows that man has the ability to adapt to to new civilizations, however it may not be beneficial. In Conrad's novel, he uses the literary elements of conflict, character development, and the setting to demonstrate the theme of human depravity when removed from civilization. Conrad uses character conflict to show the development of Kurtz and Marlow during their time at the Congo. Kurtz had conflict against the environment as it was slowly deteriorating his mind and morals. When he arrived to the Congo, Kurtz …show more content…
For example, Conrad specifically depicts the river of Thames as a "And the river was there - fascinating - deadly like a snake" (Conrad 7). Multiple elements in Heart of Darkness allude to the Bible. In the book of Genesis, the snake was lying to Eve and deceived her. In Conrad's novel, the snake similarly represents the deception that takes place in the Congo. The Europeans thought they were helping the natives there, even Marlow himself thought that. However, Conrad exposes what is actually happening down there. Conrad also uses a painting that Kurtz owns to show the darkness that is truly taking place there. The painting is of a woman in a cave with a dim lit candle. "Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman, draped and blindfolded, carrying a lighted torch" (Conrad 21). The Europeans are the blindfolded woman, as they think they are doing good in the Congo. The reality is that they are blind to the light and are stuck in their sinful nature, or the