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The Morality In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

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The Morality In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness
Khaksar 1
Parsa Khaksar
Mr. Weitzel
A.P. Literature
14 September 2015
Heart of Darkness Essay The iniquity of the hearts of men precipitates the moral and social depravity of the entire population. In Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, Marlow finds that barbarism and savagery are universal among nations, and that the common man is able to be influenced by the slightest of impulses. The distinctive evil that roams Europe soon pervades newly discovered Africa and allows the darkness to fill the land. The European colonizers brought not only civilization and enlightenment to the land of the Congo, but also savagery and utter corruption. Throughout his journey, Marlow learns of the darkness of human kind, their hearts, and their minds through …show more content…
The mind of man, as he soon comes to know, is capable of many things, and is to be perused by man himself. Marlow is a very wise man, and loves to explore and learn things both about others and about himself. He learns that the evil desires that lie within every man are able to be overcome and avoided, whereas Kurtz and many others do not and fall victim to them. Society in the Europe and eventually in the Congo was trying to pull Marlow down to its levels of corruption and darkness, but Marlow learns that he was able to avoid it as best as he could, and that he has evil inside of himself as well. When Marlow first hears of Kurtz, he hears only good things; Kurtz is a hard worker, an ivory specialist, and an honorable man. However, when he reaches the inner station and gradually spends time with Kurtz, he sees the clear faults in him. When …show more content…
However, the evil of some people might not be evident until drawn out from societal values and motives. The darkness of men consumes their mind and is able to control them in inexplainable ways. Marlow draws that Europe’s presence in Africa spread new evils that spread throughout the natives, through Kurtz, and through himself. Darkness is everywhere and can be present in many different ways. Kurtz struggled with the desire for greed and power, which led him to his own fall. Marlow discovered his own corruption and moral depravity, but was able to control it. Although darkness is universal among men, its temptations can still be
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