Who's the hero???

[jessalynn9]

Here's the question...


Why does Heart of Darkness have two competing heroes? Make the case for either of Marlow or Kurtz.


Any ideas?

[clas]

They are "heroes" in different stories.

[shaysta89]

There are no heroes in Heart of Darkness. Conrad had a very negative view of man in general and thought our civilization was just a feeble pretence and a folly. Kurtz was portrayed as a man of ideals who collapsed against the might of the wilderness. It was to show that even the best of men are no match to fight the inherent darkness that lies deep within all of us.

Marlow is seen as more restraint than Kurtz, believing that doing work, practicing fidelity and being honest keeps the darkness in you in check. (PS: I'm elaborating this very generally so please keep that in mind. I would advise against reproducing this in exams or essays). However, you'll realize in the end Marlow ends up telling a lie, even if the intention was good (ie preserve the Intended's faith in Kurtz).

The novel pretty much leaves us hanging, thinking about man and about the civilization that we are so proud of. The darkness looming over Thames at the begining of the novel was just the literal description of darkness (ie evening). When the novel ends, that darkness becomes as much a moral darkness as it is physical. It leaves readers pondering if we are really that different from those uncivilized cannibals in Africa? But note in HoD, location remains ambiguous except for Thames. Even though we all know most of it is set in Africa, Conrad's way of keeping the location ambiguous adds on to the fact that the wilderness is around us, everywhere. This is an universal darkness.

I advise you to read up on Schopenhaur and Emmanuel Kant's theories about the noumenal vs the phenomenal. That really helps to understand Heart of Darkness because only then can you understand Conrad's views in the novel. It's not simply about good vs evil, heroes vs anti-heroes - even though Kurtz is definitely our fallen hero in the novel.