Greed and Paranoia in "The Heart of Darkness"
Greed and Paranoia in "The Heart of Darkness"
To me, the Heart of Darkness was all about Humanities’ self interest. There was a lot of greed and plotting going on which lead to paranoia and self-doubt. To me, paranoia, self-doubt, and mental instability are inevitable when greed takes over people’s lives. I think that is what happened in Kurtz’s life.
I believe that Marlow went into this adventure looking to make money to survive, but more so he was looking for adventure. When he was little, he dreamed about exploring the world and I believe that was his true intention for going on this exploration. I think Marlow had a feeling that the Company was all about the money, however, Marlow was looking for something more than the money. He wanted adventure and to help civilize foreign lands. In speaking with his aunt, Marlow got the first hint as to what the Company was all about, however he joined the adventure anyway, “She talked about ‘weaning those ignorant millions from their horrid ways’ till, upon my word, she made me quite uncomfortable. I ventured to hint that the Company was run for profit.”
I feel that the Company was lucky to have Marlow in their expedition. Among the greedy, plotting workers, Marlow was pretty much a kind man, taking everything in without any bad intentions. Marlow felt terrible about the way he saw the natives treated. While on board Nellie, he regretted that the boiler operator was stuck on board the ship rather than out dancing with his fellow natives. Throughout the story, Marlow mentioned how bad he felt for the “slaves” also. He even gave one slave something to eat. I think that Marlow always knew this, however after being swept up in Kurtz’s heart of darkness, he realizes even more that there is something greater than ourselves out there. All the petty things we tend to find important in our lives are not so important in the grand scheme of things. I think Marlow realizes this when he returns to the city to find himself laughing at the people’s self-importance. It is also ironic that after seeing the heart of darkness, he can realize that there is more out there than ourselves rather than being swept up in Kurtz’s way of...