Toma Cristina Ana-Maria

Faculty of Letters
Romanian-English Department
2nd Year

The title of the novella Heart of darkness

Heart of Darkness (1899) is a short novella by Polish novelist Joseph Conrad, written as a
frame narrative, about Charles Marlows life as an ivory transporter down the Congo River in
Central Africa. The river is a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an
immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast
country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land. In the course of his travel in central Africa,
Marlow becomes obsessed with Mr. Kurtz.
The story is a complex exploration of the attitudes people hold on what constitutes a barbarian
versus a civilized society and the attitudes on colonialism and racism that were part and parcel of
European imperialism. Originally published as a three-part serial story, in Blackwood's
Magazine, the novella Heart of Darkness has been variously published and translated into many
languages. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Heart of Darkness as the sixty-seventh of the
hundred best novels in English of the twentieth century.
First of all, I should mention that I chose for my essay to analyze the title of this novella,
because I find the plot of the story full of symbolism and in particular the main element which
perfectly frames the entire masterpiece is the title.
Starting from a basic meaning, heart is the chambered muscular organ in vertebrates that
pumps blood received from the veins into the arteries, thereby maintaining the flow of blood
through the entire circulatory system and the vital center and source of one's being, emotions,
and sensibilities.The basic meaning of darkness is reflecting only a small fraction of incident
light or absence of light.
We can read the title at the level of symbol and at a literally level.From the literally level we
discover a dark continent named Africa, in the heart of the continent is centered the action, in
Congo.The symbolism is represented by the colour, the black people of Congo and the dark soul
of people.
Between heart and darkness it is an antithesis because heart shows positive emotion, heart may
be represented by white people who are entering in the darkness of negative emotion, the black
people.In the journey of Marlow and his companions they sink in the core of a jungle, the

symbolism of the jungle is related to the nature of habitants who are wild and brutal as the
landscape.
The title functions also as an anticipatory element for characters of the novella.Kurtz,
Marlow are strong persons, but constructed by the dual theme of the title, they pendulate
between white and black, between good and bad, between two worlds which are facing.Kurtz is
not aware of his deep darkness, the grade of implication in the black world of Congo.
As far as I am concerned, the combination of the words: Heart of darkness have a strong
impact on readers mind, it implies that it is about something fascinating and it really is,
something magical, intriguing.
"And this also has been one of the dark places of the earth." are the words of Marlow, realizing
the uniqueness of Africa in contrast with the civilized society.Applied to the deeper meaning of
the title it is the relation of opposite people, souls, mentality, traditions.The union which is
settled by the trade of Marlow with ivory ( symbol of white colour, as the purity of a heart ) by
coming face to face with canibalism, a dark side.
Also Marlow, during the novella go through an inside journey of his state of mind, of his
personality.In his attempt to civilize the savages, he becomes one of them.Marlow brings out the
darkness from himself and he is not conscious about this.In that space takes place a battle
between mind and heart, the emotions wins against what is rational.
The landscape, the surrounding space is bounded with the atmosphere of a mystic country, the
vast rivers establish the connection between humanity and what is unknown, the surface of water
and depths of it.This may be the synesthesia of a deeper interaction between what we see and
what is hidden.We see Congo by eyes of James Conrad, but what is hidden is kept in the heart, in
the black heart of people who are in the country.White people came with white heart, but after
living there, their heart become black.The darkness is tempting and they were attracted to what is
mysterious, even the fear existed as a predominant feeling, but the power of mystery overcomes
boundaries of weakness.
At some point, one question came into my mind, why the title is Heart of darkness and not
Heart and darkness.I responded myself that these two elements cannot be separated, because they
are similar and must belong to each other.Like Marlow witness how Mr. Kurtz is living with
some skulls hanged in his residence, their hearts live with the darkness.Heart and darkness also
could be considered two worlds, the world of heart lives in the world of darkness, so the heart
becomes a part of what is dark.The black world absorbs heart step by step, as for example Mr.
Kurtz is the one who is the most involved in this mysterious world.

Kurtz is the main symbol of the title, being the catalyst of change, he is adapting in Africa like
he was born there.He does not fight with darkness, himself is a part of it; Marlow says about him
that is hollow, illustrating the fact that is as same as the dark.Dark is an illusion made by light,
also for Kurtz many illusions build him, the way describes Marlow him mixed with opinion of
Kurtzs fiance who believes that he is humanitarium and genius.In fact, Kurtz remains an
enigma for all, even for Marlow just like a shadow.
We always refer at Kurtz and Marlow regarding to their life in Africa, but we should also keep
in mind that there were hard times for Africans, living in a time of European
Colonialism.Therefore, we also should took into consideration that the heart of natives got
blacker and blacker as a result of oppression of white people.It is actually the heart of darkness
of every human, the duality which exists in us, but darkness of Africans is higher because of the
environment, traditions, rituals and other things specific for them.
The word heart appear many times in the novella using two senses, one specify location,
position, as core, heart of the heart of territory, heart of an impenetrable darkness.The second
sense has multiple specifications as state of mind, aspect, emotion, in the novella it may be noble
heart, torn, heavy because of the pain in the moment when Kurtz dies, heart which stops when
Marlow says to Kurtzs fiance about last words of Kurtz, telling her a beautiful lie.
All these contexts in which appear the first words of the title show the supreme feature of
being complex, realizing that humans have heart even they are European or Africans, but also a
continent can have heart.
Gradually, you enter in the action of the book the intense atmosphere it is felt, the intensity is
given by the colour black, the more you get involved the more you get deeper in the terrifying
jungle, in the fascinating, but also insane world of the cannibalism, of people who are
discriminated.
The jungle is the surface of the heart, is the surface of the darkness, because it is located in the
core of Congo, surrounded by rivers, which are link to life and death, the duality expressed by
the title.Jungle lacks light, being covered by foliage and mists implying the synesthesia of
natives with nature, they identify with surroundings and their heart is like the jungle, without
light, seeing things through fog.The civilized world presumes opening, light, open spaces as their
heart and mind which are opened to what is new, to what is normal.In black heart of Congo you
discover what is evil in you and you just close your soul.
Many critics interpret that the novella was written in a racist tone, due to the period of
colonialism.J.Conrad describes a world of primitive surroundings, mentioning that you feel like
you are at the beginning of the mankind and natives too are acting like primitives, Kurtz it was

like a God for the savages.There you can feel free, but in a wild and crazy way, it also implied
the fear of being unsafe and the strong solitude.
The title is a name used to show a exploration in the mind of humans, in generally,
discovering the brutality at raised levels, the mark of prejudices is present as a predominant sign
which reveals the worst of them.The nature surroundings can make the natives blind, the fog
have an impact on them visually and mentally, the darkness is set in their eyes and especially
deep in their hearts.Heart is deep as the Congo River; the connection with the nature is the first
one realized by humans, consequently the primitive character of black people still exists and
manage to influence civilized people.Africans do not intend to change the traders who came in
their world, but in the face of mistery, of something dark and new, magical, unforeseeable the
heart of traders surrender just like the water of river flows.
The choice of Conrad for title may be interpreted as the way he viewed the continent Africa,
we discover a new world by his eyes and by the main character, Marlow.We can remark a
subjective note in the combination of words, darkness than dark or black have a more intense
impact and reveals the strong impression of author about Africa.If you enter in the jungle you
will see dark, but even more and in fact you will encounter a great and powerful darkness which
touch your heart, it is no way out.Once you entered the darkness the brutal instincts exceed
rational thinking.Africans were in a time of Imperialism and Colonialism and they were led by
instincts.
The shape of the river is described as a big snake, this also may be a symbol for the title,
because snake in Bible was the one who tempted humans to taste the sweet and forbidden fruit of
sin.In novella the sweet and forbidden fruit is represented by the tempting secret of a magical
continent, Mr. Kurtz taste fruit of sin with sadic pleasure.
Title of this black novella reveal a game of masks.River and the jungle are the masks of a
deep darkness, Mr. Kurtz wears multiple masks, first of all, mask of a civilized man, but inside
lays such an evil and wild man.The nature and characters of the opera are represented by
masks.As same as the title which wears the main mask, the dark has the mask of a heart.I
wondered how dark can have heart, but I concluded that it has.For example, the cannibals were a
calm and tempered group, but inside there is that wild instinct, but in a twisted way they have
heart.
On the other hand, we cannot admit that Africans are just dark, darkness, sin, wildness
because they are not wild animals, they are humans with a heart which beats.If we all try to
explore ourself in a journey like Marlow and Kurtz we will be surprised to find out that we have
a heart of darkness.In my opinion, this book is not only about black people versus white people,
is also about a personal journey, because you cannot have a distant attitude above novella, you
feel like you are in Africa.

In conclusion, title has multiple meanings and is opened to more meanings.This title is an
interesting choice of words and memorable, a short combination, but catchy.Heart of darkness
is the exploration of a continent, of a mind, of a heart, of nature, of people and their duality.In
this journey the title was the main element used as a dechipher.(descifrator)