Marlow\s Journey Essays - Congo Free State, Heart Of Darkness

Marlow?s Journey Some say, an individual has to witness the evils in the world before discovering the truths. In order to find his inner self, Marlow must travel into the depths of hell. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad creates an allegory, an archetypal story of journeys: through hell, back in time, and to the core of the psyche ? the heart of darkness. Marlow?s journey through hell begins in the light of civilization where supposedly, the torch is outshining evil. Visiting for a job position in Africa, Marlow sits in ?the Company?s offices? (Joseph Conrad 73). The offices located in civilization represent limbo, the place located between heaven and hell (Brussels and the Congo). The limbo that exists in civilization is a passageway to the evils in hell but also the truth that lies within Marlow. Conrad also displayed the ?the two women knitted black wool? (Con 74). They represent the fates, who weave a person?s life span and destiny throughout one?s life. The two women mark the beginning of Marlow?s journey because Conrad described the women as ?fateful? I thought of these two, guarding the door of darkness? (Con 74). When Marlow passes these two women, Conrad suggests that he is now entering hell. Conrad also describes the jungle in Africa, while at the Outer Station, as the ?grove of death? (Con 85, 96). Marlow enters the grove o f death through the Congo River which represents the River of Styx (passageway to hell). The scene at the Outer Station is horrifying and Marlow makes the events occurring at the Station as severe as one of the levels of hell. Judging by the river the Outer Station could likely be the fifth level of hell, where the wrathful and gloomy are condemned, also the River of Styx runs through this level. The chief accountant then explains to Marlow that ?Mr. Kurtz?is a very remarkable person?in charge of a trading post?at the very bottom of there? (Con 84). Conrad explains that the Inner Station, where Mr. Kurtz is located, represents the heart of darkness. The Inner Station is the only place where Marlow must go to find his inner self. As Marlow travels through hell, he travels back in time to discover what life is like without the torch and internal checks. Traveling within the jungle, Conrad brings Marlow back in time to the ?earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted the Earth and the big trees were king? (Con 102). Marlow is beginning to understand that without civilization and internal checks nature can easily regain it?s power over humans. Since Conrad describes the jungle, or nature, as the grove of death then the jungle can overtake the weak hearted individuals who travel into hell. Since the jungle has not been touched by civilization, Marlow and his crew ?were wanderers on a prehistoric Earth, on an Earth that wore the aspect of the unknown planet? (Con 105). The untouched places of the Earth still bear the savagery of the past, before civilization was founded. When people from civilization enter these parts, they are easily consumed into the darkness of the past because they do not possess internal checks due to all of the external checks they experience in civilization. The farther Marlow and his crew traveled into hell the more they ?could not understand because we were too far and could not remember because we were traveling in the night of first ages, of these ages that are gone, leaving hardly a sign ? and no memories? (Con 105). The jungle takes them back into time where the crew can no longer understand what is going on around them. The time difference of the natives and the modern people is too great for them to find a common level of communication. The adaptation of the early ages of Earth becomes harder as Marlow and his crew travel to the core of hell. In order to find Marlow?s real identity he must travel into the core of hell and find his inner self. Debating whether Marlow should go to work or not, and he ultimately decides that he ?like[s] what is in the work ? the chance to find yourself? (Con 97). By working over in