Heart of Darkness Worksheet Question

2.) How does the city affect Marlow at the end of the story? How does what he learned in the jungle translate or fail to translate back to the modern world? Does he have more perspective than the city people? Or has he become unhinged by the jungle? Is he better adapted for living or worse? What is his psychological condition in the jungle vs. in the city? After his experiences, where is he better suited to live?

The city’s almost “righteous” ways compared to those of the Congo appear quite boring to the narrator. He has changed throughout the course of the trip mentally, thus giving him a different perception of what he thought was societal norm. The lie he tells Kurtz’s fiancée is very revealing about what he has learned in his psychological journey. While near the beginning of the book he says that he despises lies, by the end of it, he has learned to control his conscience significantly. Because of his experiences in the heart of darkness, Marlow’s perspective on life has definitely shifted in general and in regards to his moral code. Though he retains most of his morality, he realizes that not everything must be done politically but rather purely. Thus, we understand that Marlow has a better-rounded and well-informed perspective than the people in the city. He has seen chaos and darkness, which has given him a reason to either praise the city or dislike it. By seeing the worst part of life, one can understand and appreciate the best part of life. But in the narrator’s case, his fascination with the life of the “uncivilized” gives him mixed emotions and he is able to absorb many of the qualities that he previously disliked but now benefits from. Though his journey to the “id” is difficult and traumatizing, Marlow learns the importance of being raw. By unintentionally studying Kurtz, Marlow becomes more apt to conversation and behavior in the modern world. He learns that impulse is just as important as a well thought out plan. In the jungle, Marlow bounces back and forth quite a bit because of his psychological unsureness while his experiences in the city are quite different and straight-edged. The constant conflict in the narrator’s head only occurs when he is in the Congo because the area offers him such a new perspective on life and individual actions. This carries over by the end of the book into the city, however by this time, Marlow has unknowingly comprehended, accepted and clarified his thoughts and personality. The jungle is ironically what allows him to achieve this clarity of mind. Marlow is most definitely better suited to live in the city. The journey to the heart of darkness was simply for his study of what his mind really craves. After understanding this side of himself, he is able to return to the city and drop his moral guard quite a bit. Though morals are a good guidance for actions, Marlow realizes that he has been binded by them and the jungle offers him the opportunity to release himself from that bondage while still allows him keep the strength to not become completely “barbaric.”