A Spiritual Journey Of Discovery

In literature, journey usually aims at the discovery of truth. Although the original purpose of Marlow in Heart of Darkness is not so, he gradually discovers "truth" on his journey to the heart of the Dark Continent during his journey in Africa.First, Marlow discovers the Congo has been exploited and is divided up by Western Powers, whereas the Europeans purport to bring advanced civilization to the Congo, which is considered backward, and to enlighten "the heart of darkness." As Marlow penetrates deeper and deeper into the land, he recognizes the sharp contrast between the Congo made up by the public opinions in the West and the actual Congo. What the Westerners actually do is to colonize the land in the guise of civilization. They do not bring civilization to the Congo; on the contrary, they suppress its development with their brand of civilization.Then Marlow detects that European colonialism not only plunges the land into deeper darkness, but also gives rise to "the darkness" in man's inner world, that is, the evil in human nature. The evil in the whites who come to the Congo is manifested unscrupulously in the jungle without social or moral restrictions. Kurtz's evil doings in the jungle embody the atrocities committed by the Europeans there. The evil in some blacks, when enslaved by the white colonists, is also revealed. Marlow himself would have been engulfed by "the darkness" but for his vigilance to "the darkness" in human nature because of his moral sense and profoundly skeptical attitude toward everything around him. Meanwhile, through his own observations and experience, he gradually finds the way to avoid being engulfed by evil forces, and to evade depravation-devotion to work, self-restraint and a meaningful faith.