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Heart Of Darkness

Marlow's Moral Ambiguity

In the novella, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad expresses the absurdity of European imperialism in Africa as well as the moral dilemma of a man in a godless world. The lack of Christianity or of any morally stable system is evident not only to the reader, but to the characters as well. Marlow's narrative explains man's instinctual desires (id) versus man's mortality (superego). He is disgusted at the brutality of the company and horrified by Kurtz's degeneration, but he claims that any thinking man would be tempted into similar behavior.

In the beginning, Marlow snakes down the river for the sole purpose of fulfilling his dreams of adventure. When he arrives he discovers mass destruction on the earth and people. He is repulsed at the white man's greed and brutality to the natives. Although he distances himself from these "pilgrims," he is highly critical of his surroundings. Throughout the novella, Marlow longs for the evidence proving that these......


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Approximate Word Count: 385
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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