Why We Should All Go Into the "Heart of Darkness" by Kate

Why We Should All Go Into the "Heart of Darkness" by Kate - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

During the previous few weeks of school, in my dimly lighted literature class, I have tirelessly examined and criticized one book. This book seemed insignificant to me at first, it was hard getting through the formal, and almost too descriptive language. However, Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” is and exemplary piece of fictional writing that is one of the most informative books I have ever read. Conrad writes about true experiences through the mind of the narrator, which allows for clever subjectivity in molding the mind of his protagonist. Students should read this book to get a sense of a more controversial type of literature that explores the human condition in uncomfortable, yet relatable ways.

There is a certain maturity needed to succeed in college. This book had a maturing effect on me, in life and in analyzing literature. I feel like everyone should understand this maturing affect before they go into their life after high school, because this book has a message that sticks with a person. A lot of people, even in college, avoid this book due to the racial undertones. However, the main character’s confrontation with something he has never been around before is very relatable to anyone experiencing new people or a new culture today. The book is a frame tale so Conrad can separate his personal ideals more from the main narrator. The main character, Marlow, heads to the Belgian Congo, where he has heard stories and myths about the men who go there. They say he will be changed by his travels, but Marlow isn’t changed by the desire to obtain the most amount of ivory. Marlow’s quest is bigger than the acquirement of the ivory, which allows him to be observant about the exploitation of the native people there. He reflects on how these people, who were forced into slavery to work for the colonists, are treated. This makes Marlow especially interesting because he is the black sheep within the other men; he thinks about what they are doing to the people and why it might be wrong. Marlow is even more interesting in this respect because his initial reaction to seeing the native people or having contact with them is not always so kind, but he always thinks about how it makes him feel in a negative way.

Even though Marlow’s description of some of his situations with the native people may be intense to us today, it is completely relatable to. The book is not racist, but it is one man’s journey of falling into speaking the stereotypical colonial misguided language towards these native people, and then taking a step back and evaluating why that is not the case. He is one out of all of those men who have even the slightest respect for those people. Today if I were to go to an unknown place, or maybe if any of my peers did, there would probably be subconscious stereotyping. People do not know how to react to new people without jumping to conclusions, even if that jump is occurring deep inside their thoughts. Just because you initially think something about someone does not define how you actually view him or her later on. I feel like this is the real theme of the book and why it is important for young people to read it. The connection that the reader can have with Marlow, and the lessons he learns when confronted with people completely different from him is what makes this book so important