Dear reader,

In Heart of Darkness Conrad proposes the theme that humanity is innately barbaric and is

only moral when held to the standards of the thin veil that is society. He uses this theme to

expose “The horror! The horror!” that he experienced during his travels to the Belgian Congo

(Conrad 115).

The way Conrad uses imagery and symbolism to express conflict induces emotion so

powerful it is as if you were just brought into this imperfect world from blissful heaven,

disgusted by all around you. I knew instantly that with my research, I wished to mimic his style.

The theme of civilization vs. barbarism, encompassing every portion of Heart of Darkness,

would allow me to explore the emotions Conrad has so boldly bestowed upon me.

Each of my sources connect to the conflict of civilization vs. barbarism. Morality and

Empathy,from The New York Times, focuses on the origins of morality and reveals the factors

that cause people to become evil. This develops Conrad’s belief that humanity is innately

barbaric. Riding the Jungle Circuit, from The Saturday Evening Post, tells the story of a doctor

who visits the Congo during the 1950s. His descriptions of the landscape mirror Conrad’s and

reveal what a civilized man thinks of the uncivilized world in which he lives. Ivory in the

Chalcolithic enclosure of Perdigoes: the social role of an exotic raw material provides findings

from prehistoric times that may provide insight to how ivory became such an important material.

The connection Europeans have with ivory is one that drives them to do uncivilized things.

Finding the roots to that connection allows us to further understand what made Kurtz go crazy

and why the resource is so valued. Fighting for the Enemy reveals a connection that supposedly

civilized men have had with their supposedly uncivilized counterparts since colonization began.

The article details the role of indigenous people in European military pursuits and how the

presence of these men was essential to successful colonization. The final source, Joseph Conrad,

details the influential author’s life and what influenced his writing. Conrad understood many

unique perspectives that allowed him to look beyond cultural norms and write with insight

beyond his time.

The artifacts I created encompass the ideas of their respective sources but underline their

connection to Heart of Darkness. Conrad’s writing did a phenomenal job of conveying his

message to the reader; making them see what he saw. My goal with these artifacts is to make the

reader understand the gravity of the horrific history of the Congolese through evoking emotions

similar to those Conrad used. To accomplish this my magazine article on Joseph Conrad is

placed first because, in order to understand Conrad’s writing fully, you have to understand where

he came from, and the cultural normalities of his time. From there the artifacts move

chronologically to the order in which the events described in each artifact might occur to a

European in the Congo. The poem, The Jungle, is second, as it exposes the feelings of European

colonizers and foreshadows their downfall. The short story, detailing the beginning of

colonization and the murder of native culture, is third. The letter to a trading company manager,

revealing plans to further the influence and prosperity of the company through recruiting

Congolese slaves, is next. Last is the children’s’ [BS1] book. The book explains to the reader what

happens when a moral man is left to his own devices, away from the pressure of society.

Following the story of both Conrad and Kurtz, we can truly dive into the conflict between

civilization vs. barbarism in Heart of Darkness.

The story of Marlow and his haunting journey into man’s deepest and most primitive

desires is dark and truly disturbing but nonetheless enthralling. Heart of Darkness is a mixture of

philosophy and history, a truly thought-provoking novel. I hope you enjoy these ideas and

themes as much as I have. So, without further ado, set your moral clock back a couple of hours,

because what you’re about to experience is truly heart wrenching.

My best,

Ashlyn Puckett

Echoing Elephants

The menacing bundle mocked my regret, crushing me below its colossal figure. My

naive brothers, invigorated by our kill, danced across the forest floor, knowing not what

burdened them. Today we killed a god, damning our souls for nothing but our own indignant

greed.

When the white man stepped his hungry foot upon our fruitful shore, we thought it a

blessing. His apparent prosperity enthralled us all. There were those who thought it

sacreligious, but we invited him into our land all the same. He sat at our chieftain's table,

honored by gifts of a newfound friendship, of a growing harmony. It was not until later he

revealed his true and evil purpose: to collect our Ivory.

To the village he had shown an art, painted with a brush of falsities, but to me he peeled

back his work to reveal the canvas under it.

“Good sir, have you ever seen an elephant Killed?” he asked.

“The elephant is sacred. Here, we do not kill them. Not even hunters like me.” I responded

hesitantly, tripping over every foreign vowel.

“Well, I believe these creatures hold a sort of… monetary value. You see in the civilized world

we Europeans display our prosperity through the possession of valuable items, much like one

like you would do through his wives. One of such items, I believe, can be made through the

tusks of an elephant! I must have me some. I- we could make a fortune. Besides, you could

give the meat of the beast to your village, you could feed them for weeks. We’d be rich, and

your people would be happy.”

“To kill an elephant is against the beliefs of my people. They would never eat an elephant, not

even if they were going to die.”

“You uncivilized folk have such peculiar ways. Well, it will have to remain a secret. We will

find some men to aid us in carrying the elephant’s meat and swear them to secrecy. The village

will know not what they eat.”

I decided to help the white man, and, over the next laborious week, we prepared

relentlessly for the hunt. Each man, each plan, and each weapon were rigorously examined. We

were to trek through the Jungle with ten men, each man carrying the burden of his gun and his

sworn secrecy. Deep into the abysmal jungle, we would track down a local herd and slaughter

one mighty elephant.

Tracking down the elephants was not challenging. Their gargantuan feet left pits on the

wet morning soil so enormous that a man could get lost just looking into their void. Walking

through the jungle, dim and gloomy, in the footsteps of a titan incarnate, I could not help but get

the subtle inclination that we were in for more than we bargained for.

The elephants had made their way into a clearing with a wide stream, just graced by the

midday sun. As they drank peacefully from the stream, we assembled our weapons, we prepared

to light the fire which would diffuse and consume our way of life.

One, two, three shots I fired, sending the elephants on a frantic foray. I had chosen the

smallest bull of the herd, and he had been hit. As the rest of the elephants cleared out of sight,

the meager young bull limped toward the shore, my eager brothers running towards him. At the

sight of the men, he began to stamp and shout, waving his great trunk in the air. Though he

fought, his gunshot wounds gave in to the pound of carefully manicured machetes and hungry

men.

As the men chopped him into pieces, beginning to dissect his broken body for meat

before he had even stopped breathing, he let out relentless and agonizing cries. His cries must

have been heard by every living being in that jungle, for a moment the wind did not howl, the

trees did not sway, and the water did not flow. All of nature had come to its knees, petrified by

the sound of these echoing cries. All was still but the men, cleaving to the bone just as the

elephant’s voice dwindled to a phantom whimper, understood by none but the tormented spirits

who heard him whisper “god help me.”

It was evening and all that was left of the mighty beast was the bone and the white man’s

precious ivory. He spoke with alarming composure, “You’ve done a good job today, sir, and

tonight we will feast to your honour! First though, we must collect our reward.”

The white man walked to the carcass and sawed off the elephant’s two mighty tusks, wrapping

them in a tight bundle, carrying one upon his shoulder and leaving one for me.

Back at the village I sat in silence against a sea of joyous kinsman. The midnight feast

was elaborate, with music, dancers, and our village’s newest delicacy: roasted elephant. Its true

identity hidden, the food was devoured by everyone, including my European partner, but I could

not eat. To me, the white man turned and said between a full mouth, “You know, we ought to

get a trading company down here. That heard was much larger than I had expected and I think

there is enough ivory here to make a real profit! Of course it will take time and I’ll have to write

back home, but I do believe it will be worth it. What do you say old friend?”

I knew that regardless of my protests, the white man would send for his friends. While

he slept well that night, dreaming of ivory and the death of a million elephants, I stayed awake,

thinking only of how easy it was to kill a god, but how hard it was to stop the never ending

torment of his ghost.

Notes: Short Story

The short story laments the beginning of the Ivory trade in the Congo, foreshadowing its

horrible outcomes which are detailed in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The references to

elephants as gods is a nod to the theorized reason for Ivory’s value. Because of the mythical

creature from which Ivory comes, its value is high, making it an object for those with wealth and

power. Calling the elephants gods is also ironic because of the way Kurtz makes himself a god

in Heart of Darkness. Kurtz replaces the natives’ lost god with himself, which we can see

prequeled in this short story. In addition, the story also shows symbolism in that when the

hunters begin their hike to the elephants, it is day, and when the elephant is killed it is night.

This emphasized the beginning of the end to native culture and liberty. Each of these aspects

give way to the idea that the arrival of Europeans, accompanied by the killing of elephants,

symbolizes the end to native culture. In Heart of Darkness, we can see that native culture has

been almost entirely run over by European greed, reflecting the ideas of the short story.

The short story is narrated by a native hunter, whose thoughts are complex and deep.

We can see clearly what he is feeling. The intricacy of his inner thoughts creates a stark contrast

with his speech when he speaks to the white man. This shows that though his english may not

allow him the words to express his deep thoughts, he is a very intelligent man, and should be

treated as any other.

The final line of the short story reads, “While he slept well that night, dreaming of ivory

and the death of a million elephants, I stayed awake, thinking only of how easy it was to kill a

god, but how hard it was to stop the never ending torment of his ghost.” The speaker in the story

has helped to kill an elephant, a godly animal. In christianity, the absence of god would give

man readily to hell. In the speaker’s mind, the absence of the elephant signifies the end of the

native way of life, the death of their god, and the dawn of satan’s reign in the Congoleses’

world.

67 East St, Sittingbourne ME10 4BQ, United Kingdom 

August 4, 1924 

Dear Manager,  

The position to which you have assigned me is an enormously difficult one. The slave population is increasingly difficult to control with our shortage of European Manpower. To this I suggest employing the work of some of these Natives as lesser “commanders.” An insider’s knowledge may be of some use to us, allowing us to further understand the ways of these prehistoric people and the dangers of our surroundings. The proceedings of this alien environment we know not. With native loyalty, we may yet learn the secrets of this peculiar land.   

It is true that their loyalty to us, or rather their disloyalty to their own, is sure to stir discord. However, I infer that this is no dire condemnation, but a considerable blessing. The disparing disproportions between the Natives and our people is sure to be taken advantage of by those who wish to break their chains. With a separateness created between them, the native who looks upon his brother will know not whether he is friend or foe.   

Acquiring the slave’s loyalty shall be of no trouble. To turn one against one’s own, particularly when the parties have been exploited as we have their weaknesses, is not an uncomplicated process. However you and I both know the beguiling effect power has. I believe these natives will yield with only the slightest promise of influence. With the conditions they now live in, Natives have been stripped of any bit of civility they once had, now only leaving their raw and human desires. With no society to hold them to their values, the slaves will be able to explore each greedy whim their barbaric minds do desire, and in that they will be free. 

Sincerely, Your loyal devotee in the field 

 

Notes: Letter

The letter, ironically addressed “67 East St, Sittingbourne ME10 4BQ, United

Kingdom,” reveals the insensitive manner of a man in the Congo, morally lost and blinded by

greed. The address is a reference to a statement in Heart of Darkness by Marlow’s manager.

After Marlow sees a group of slaves marching under the command of another native, Marlow’s

manager says that the area has cleared out completely because “if a lot of mysterious niggers

armed with all kinds of fearful weapons suddenly took to travelling on the road between Deal

and Gavesend . . . I fancy every farm and cottage therebout would get empty very soon,”

(Conrad 56). This quote implies that a bunch of Africans marching around with weapons like

officers is a worrying sight to see, an idea that is promoted in this letter.

The date on the letter is one day after Joseph Conrad, the author of Heart of Darkness

died of a heart attack. This implies that even though Conrad made efforts in this writing to

enlighten others about the human rights violations occurring in Africa, the process continues. In

the letter, the Africans are only referred to as people once, while the rest of the time they are

called “natives” or “slaves.” This reveals the mindset of the Europeans in the Congo, believing

the African to be no more than an animal.

The final line of the letter, which reads “With no society to hold them to their values, the

slaves will be able to explore each greedy whim their barbaric minds do desire, and in that they

will be free,” is ironic in that the speaker claims that the slaves will be free, even though he

knows the appalling conditions they are forced to work in. The line also reveals the speaker’s

own desires. The speaker’s time in the Congo has stripped him of civility and amplified his raw

and human desires. Because the speaker is still held to society’s standards, he is not free to do

whatever he desires.  

The Jungle Ashlyn Puckett

The Jungle is a wall of haunting green,

Upon the mighty shore ev’ry man knows; Across her gate live horrors unforeseen.

Those mighty leaves the men do cut down clean, But in each mind this coward’s thought echoes:

The Jungle is a wall of haunting green.

Life grows within, barbaric and obscene, But these quick beasts the Jungle does enclose;

Across her gate live horrors unforeseen.

With a shy glimpse of her true horrid scene, Some men fall flat, some men run home, which shows

The Jungle is a wall of haunting green.

The men who do adapt to this routine, Must dawn her cap and, of the old, dispose;

Across her gate live horrors unforeseen.

The man, at once, has lost his prior sheen; He’s lost and wanders to her dark shadows.

The Jungle is a wall of haunting green; Across her gate live horrors unforeseen.

Notes: Poem

The Jungle portrays a European’s view of central Africa: uncivilized and unable to be

civilized, drawing parallels with Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. A main theme of the Novel is

the comparison between the supposed order of the civilized world and the chaos of the

uncivilized world. In the first and second stanza of the poem, men arrive on the shores of the

jungle and attempt to journey within, cutting down “mighty leaves” from the jungle’s brush but

fear the secrets of the jungle, mirroring Marlow’s first impression of the jungle. When Marlow

first arrives at the congo, he describes the jungle as a vast and impenetrable darkness. The jungle

then begins to reveal its dark secrets to the men, who begin to flee. In the fifth stanza it is

revealed that men who survive in the jungle must adapt to the ways of the jungle and throw away

everything they once knew. This is another reference to Heart of Darkness, in which Kurtz, a

previously renowned scholar and moral man, becomes a barbaric and unsympathetic being of the

jungle. The poem ends with the Jungle taking the man into her shadows, just as Kurtz is taken

in Heart of Darkness.

The Jungle is written in the form of a villanelle, a form commonly used to convey

obsession or recurring themes. The villanelle’s most notable characteristics consist of the

repeating first and third lines, or in this poem, “The Jungle is a wall of haunting green” and

“Across her gate live horrors unforeseen.” The repetition of these lines emphasizes the

unwavering fear that the jungle is impenetrable and horrific within.

Notes: children's Book

The book The tricks and the Treats is a spooky way of conveying where our morality

comes from to a younger audience. The book is also based upon Joseph Conrad’s Heart of

Darkness and vaguely mirrors the plot. The spooky house they come upon is parallel to the

jungle in which Marlow finds Kurtz in Heart of Darkness. When Casper the ghost enters the

house, he is left to his own devices, bringing out his naturally rooted greed and selfishness.

Casper’s character is similar to that of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness. Kurtz, who was before the

jungle a moral man, let his natural human instincts roam free once he became free of civilization,

unleashing his greed and malice. Casper, once inside the spooky house, has the same thing

happen to him. His greed takes over, and is no longer the kind ghost all of his friends thought he

was. At the end of the story, the wise pumpkin reveals a main theme of both the children's book

and Heart of Darkness: that morality is only maintained by society and that a man is naturally

barbaric. The book ends oddly for a children's book, revealing a sad but nonetheless moral truth

and then leaving the reader helplessly to their thoughts. This mirrors unsettling ending of Heart

of Darkness, the reader with only a dark story and equally dark thoughts.

Conrad’s book was written not to entertain but to teach a lesson. I chose a children's

book to convey the same message about morals (in that they are only upheld by society and that

once one is released from these bonds they become barbaric and unsympathetic) to a younger

audience.

Works Cited

Davis, W. E. “Riding the Jungle Circuit.” Saturday Evening Post, vol. 211, no. 15, Oct. 1938, pp. 12–66. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=19213450&site=ehost-live.

Johnson, Robert. “Fighting for the Enemy: European Powers Sought to Colonise the World.

They Could Not Do so without the Support of Indigenous Peoples.” History Today, vol. 67, no. 10, Oct. 2017, pp. 8–11. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=125122837&site=ehost-live.

"Joseph Conrad." Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, Gale, 1998. Gale In Context:

Biography, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631001518/BIC?u=powd59526&sid=BIC&xid=0ab033d2. Accessed 31 Oct. 2019.

Valera, António Carlos, et al. “Ivory in the Chalcolithic Enclosure of Perdigões (South Portugal):

The Social Role of an Exotic Raw Material.” World Archaeology, vol. 47, no. 3, Aug. 2015, pp. 390–413. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/00438243.2015.1014571.

What Makes Us Moral. By: Kluger, Jeffrey, Sharples, Tiffany, Silver, Alexandra, TIME

Magazine, 0040781X, 12/3/2007, Vol. 170, Issue 23