CIVILIZATION AND SAVAGERY IN CONRAD’S HEART OF THE DARKNESS WITH SOME REFERENCES TO GOLDING’s LORD OF THE FLIES BY Enas Subhi Asst. instructor English language dept. College of education for women 2010 Civilization and Savagery in Conrad’s Heart of the Darkness With Some References to Golding’s Lord of the Flies by Enas Subhi Asst. instructor English language dept. College of education for women Abstract Joseph Conrad‟s Heart of the Darkness (henceforth HOD) implies that every man has a heart of darkness that is usually drowned out by the light of civilization and that same heart might has the tendency to revert to savagery. Man is able to throw off the restraints of civilization and may be able to de-evolve into primitive state. This research will shed light on the relationship between “civilization” and “savagery” as it is reflected on the relationship between the civilized man and the barbarity that boils beneath the surface of every human being. Marlow and Kurtz are two opposite examples of the human condition. Marlow represents the civilized soul that has not been drawn back into savagery by a dark, alienated jungle while it is Kurtz who has totally followed his own intrinsic desires with a protective, civilized environment. So this research will tackle all circumstances that lead to man‟s deterioration towards the worst condition in life. Joseph Conrad‟s HOD sets beautifully the setting and symbols that clarifies its major theme namely civilization and savagery. At the same level of success, William Golding presents another picture of civilization and savagery in his novel Lord of the Flies which will be mentioned at the last part of the research in a short comparative study. 2 الحضارج والهوجيح في روايح كىنزاد (قلة الظالم) هع تعض االشاراخ الى روايح كىلدنك (هلك الذتاب) ايناس صثحي هدرس هساعد قسن اللغح االنكليزيح -كليح التزتيح للثناخ انًستخهص تتضًٍ سٔاٚخ (قهت انظالو) نهكبتت جٕصٚف كَٕشاد فكشح اٌ ف ٙقهت كم اَسبٌ عتًخ أ ظهًخ ٔعبدح يب تتجذد ْزِ انعتًخ أ انظهًخ ثضٛبء انذضبسح عهٗ انشغى يٍ اٌ ثعض انقهٕة قذ تًٛم أ تستسهى نٓزِ انظهًخ ٔتتذٕل انٗ انًٓجٛخ أ (انششاسخ ٔانعُف) فبالَسبٌ قبدس عهٗ اٌ ٚشي ٙثكم انتضايبتّ انذضبسٚخ أ االيٕس انت ٙتذذد دضبسٚتّ ٔٚشجع نذبنتّ انجذائٛخ (دبنخ يب قجم انتذضش) .سٕف ٚهقْ ٙزا انجذث ضٕءاً عهٗ انعالقخ ث ٍٛانذضبسح أ انتذضش ٔانًٓجٛخ أ انٕدشٛخ ٔانششاسخ انت ٙتظٓش ثذٔسْب عهٗ االَسبٌ انًتذضش أ انٕدشٔ ٙانز٘ تسش٘ ف ٙعشٔقّ كال انذبنت ٍٛعهٗ د ٍذ سٕاء (انتذضش ٔانًٓجٛخ) .يبسنٕا ٔكٕستض ًْب ايثهخ يتُبقضخ نذبالد االَسبٌ فجًُٛب ٚعكس يبسنٕ انشٔح انًتذضشح انت ٙنى تستسهى نهٕدشٛخ انتْٛ ٙأتٓب انغبثخ انًظهًخ انًُعضنخ ٚعكس ثذٔسِ كٕستض االستسالو انًطهق نهشغجبد غٛش انعقالَٛخ ضًٍ ثٛئخ غٛش يتذضشح أ يذًٛخ نزا فبٌ ْزا انجذث ٚتُبٔل كم انظشٔف انت ٙقذ تؤد٘ انٗ اٌ ٚتقٓقش االَسبٌ انٗ اسٕء دبالتّ ف ٙانذٛبح .تقذو سٔاٚخ (قهت انظالو) نجٕصٚف كَٕشاد يكبٌ ٔصيبٌ سائع جذاً ٔتضٛف انشيٕص ٔانصٕس انًستخذيخ فٓٛب تعضٚض َبجخ ٔدعى نٓذف انشٔاٚخ انًسًٗ انذضبسح ٔانًٓجٛخ كًب ٔٚقذو ٔٚهٛبو كٕنذَك صٕس اخشٖ سائعخ نهذضبسح ٔانًٓجٛخ ف ٙسٔاٚتّ انًسًبح (يهك انزثبة) ال تقم عٍ تهك انتٚ ٙقذيٓب كَٕشاد سٕف ٚأت ٙركشْب ف ٙآخش يجذث فْ ٙزا انجذث ف ٙدساسخ يقبسَخ يقتضجخ. 3 1.1 Forward Joseph Conrad‟s HOD shows the disparity between the European ideal of civilization and the reality of it. It displays the domination, torture, exploitation and dehumanization of the African people. Although the European believes that they have had reached the height of civilization, yet the reader of this novel can picture how savage the European seem. They are cruel and devious towards the very people they are supposed to be helping. Joseph Conrad will portray the theme of civilization and savagery smartly through using certain setting that would exhibit his theme clearly. Moreover, he has depicted certain settings and symbols to represent his abstract ideas and concepts about civilization and savagery. 1.2 The Setting In HOD, each device used by the author adds to the theme of the novel. The setting, for example, is a vessel where the author pours his ideas concerning the theme of civilization and savagery beautifully. Robert S. Ryf comments that: One of the principle things one “sees” in Conrad‟s fiction is the relationship between man and his environment. Put visually, this is the linkage, by image and symbol between inner and outer landscapes. External landscape is itself, in most cases, symbolic. Whether river or sea, jungle or sprawling city, it serves as representation of the inscrutable and labyrinthine complexity of human experience and the power of the irrational in Conrad‟s universe. 1 Conrad places the novel‟s setting on a steamboat on a river near London, on the Thames River, the Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest2. Events of the story also take place in Brussels at the Company‟s offices and the Congo, then a Belgian territory. To get a full grasp of the novella, one must first undertake the history behind the Congo and its colonization by the Belgians. Ian Watts puts it clearly saying that: 4 As a result of ruthless colonial exploitation, involuntary servitude, and direct violence, the native people live in an impoverished state. As many as six million Africans died during the brutal rubber trade, overseen by the Belgians. Many are forced to be “carriers”, for people on jungle expeditions that need to move cargo from one place to another. These packages they carry on their backs, on rough foot paths through the jungle, weigh between 40 and 70 pounds. There are few, if any, breaks to stop and rest. It is a hard life, but, as far as helping to smuggle ivory out, or carry supplies into the jungle nation. The recurring theme of darkness (a symbol for the reality of the society and fear) perpetuate the action, and ultimately envelops the characters that struggle with this dilemma such as Kurtz. The message is the same however: colonization destroys at the native people‟s expense; close-minded European views perpetuate racism in these nations, and evil is a driving and yet sometimes unnoticed force3. The Thames River is called – a gateway to civilizationbecause it leads to the civilization of London. It is important to note that the city is always described in stark contrast with its dark surroundings, which are so amorphous as to be either water or land. Darkness is always associated with getting deeper in that jungle or talking about uncivilized beings. Getting there (in the jungle) reminds Marlow that London itself was “one of the darker places of the earth”4 before the Romans forced civilization upon them. Marlow adds that “darkness was here yesterday” 5. In HOD, Conrad makes it clear that though the setting is the Congo and more generally Africa, but then we remember that Marlow is telling or recalling the story of his own travel once on the Thames in England which, much like the Congo, is also a river. It is almost as if the Thames River is made parallel to the Congo River. In part one, Conrad mentions that England was a place of “primitive darkness”6. Then he declares it clearly at the last part when he says that the Thames River leads into the heart of an immense darkness. Conrad‟s HOD is imbued or burdened with deeper and more profound meaning. It is not about the physical darkness of the Africans moreover, it is about the moral darkness of the Europeans. Rolf A. F. Witzsche states it beautifully suggesting that: 5 Nature of the black of the “Heart of Darkness” is like a black hole in space sucks surrounding planets into its pit of gravity sucks all that is human out of society by which civilization becomes devoid of life and disintegrates into nothing7. Conrad despises the Europeans‟ arising strength from the weakness of others though he believes that the Europeans have right to conquer the earth and take “it away from those who have different complexion”8. Ian Stronach stresses the idea of imperialisation as a central need for those European and/or white and insists that HOD is visually performed as a kind of neoimperial subconscious even as it is simultaneously denied in words”9. Successfully, the narrator portrays the river sand banks, marshes and forests. He invites the reader all the time to feel like he is there also through vivid description and vital images. Marlow states “it fascinated me as a snake would a bird.. a silly little bird”10 and he adds that the river is “dead in the center…fascinating…deadly…like a snake”11. Conrad portrayal of his setting is overwhelming. The setting is a mixture of contradictory pictures. There the earth seemed unearthly…there you could look at anything monstrous and free”12. He personifies the river so many times arguing that he has a treacherous appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart13. This place and such atmosphere shed its harmful effect on the human psyche as there is harmony between humanity and nature. Getting deeper into that river would bring feeling of uncomfortable and uneasiness inside the characters. Marlow declares that “Going up the river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world…the air was warm, thick, heavy, and sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of sun shine”14. The setting here foreshadows the coming events and actions. Marlow ensures that “there was something ominous in the atmosphere…some conspiracy…something not quite right”15. 6 It is clear that this place does not welcome the new intruders though it seems “smiling”16 sometimes but it is “frowning”17 at the same time it is inviting the beholder whispering “Come and find out”18 for it is the true ivory-country19. What matters in that place is money only. People go there only “to turn an oversea empire, and make no end of coin by trade”20. There people turn to be devils of violence, of greed and of hot desires. Thus turn to exploit the natives “like ants”21 who are unfortunately drawn in moral darkness. John Storey explains that: This moral darkness of Africa, we learn later is not the simple darkness of the ignorance of the natives, but of the white men who blinded themselves and corrupted the natives by their claim to be the light bearers. On this return to Europe, Marlow finds it shrouded in the darkness symbolized by Africa and the mean and greedy phantoms sauntering on it”22. In spite of Conrad‟s sever attacks and blames on Europeans greediness and selfishness, he as a noble white man who defends and justifies some of the British behaviours in the Congo: Conrad makes an extraordinary suggestion that England, for no other reason did that than to protect its own commercial interests, should intervene against Belgian activities in the Congo…sometimes Conrad‟s response to Belgium imperialism is a curious mixture of moral outrage and commercial concern23. Obviously, darkness in HOD is associated with savagery, while light is associated with civilization, but it is not what we find truly after close reading to the underline meanings of words. Civilization is superficial as is seen with the General Manager who has a stealthy smile. He does not inspire love or fear. He only inspires uneasiness. The revealing of these men‟s predatory nature points to the theme of inchoate savagery. Conrad suggests that there are integral connections among mind, body, and nature, which underlines the issue here; the lines between the civilized and the savage are blurred. The two men propose a very savage 7 solution to a seemingly civilized problem of economic competition. The Congo has a metamorphic effect on the Europeans at least in mind and perhaps also in body. Marlow sees the evil uncle: “extend his short flipper of an arm for a gesture… that seemed to beckon with a dishonouring flourish before the sunlight face of the land a treacherous appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart”24. This is one of the few instances in which a white man is animalized in this novella: The land is a living entity, one which has the potential to create evil, or to merge man back in nature. The properties observed by the manager are all completely faked. Marlow takes this as an illustration of his hollowness. One of Marlow‟s more personally distressing thoughts is his realization that the “monstrous” tendencies of the black “cannibals” are not inhuman tendencies, after all; the white men possess them in different form. The African land serves to equalize persons in that what often matters most are wit and determination. Thus, the Europeans are far more savage than those whom they label as such. 1.3 The Character Civilization and savagery are embodied in HOD characters. It is clear that to the Europeans the native inhabitants of the Congo are subhuman; they are savages in the basest sense of the word. Marlow‟s aunt, who uses her influence to help him gaining employment with the company, speaks of “those ignorant millions”25 who need to be saved “from their horrid ways” 26. During Marlow‟s stay at the central station a native is beaten for supposedly setting fire to one of the company hats. His cries elicit no pity from one of the company workers, who remarks: “what a row the brute makes! […] Serve him right. Transgressionpunishment-bang! Pitiless, pitiless. That‟s the only way.”27 The 8 man‟s remarks suggest that the station‟s agent agents see the natives as no better than animals. Even Marlow buys into to this line of thinking, for he likens the native in charge of running the steamboat‟s boiler to “a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat walking on his hind legs.”28 Marlow‟s the main character in HOD, often recognizes the European dehumanization of the Africans. As Marlow approaches the company offices of the outer station he sees “a scene of inhabited devastation.”29 He catches sight of a chain gang of half starved, animal-like Africans. Trying to rationalize the situation, Marlow tells himself that these Africans are criminals, and somehow deserve their late. As he descends further down the hill, he comes to a gloomy place-what he calls the “Grove of Death”30. Many Africans lie dying, their bodies frail and starved. He then turns and quickly removes himself from this horrible place. When Marlow reaches the main building he encounters the accountant dressed in nicely starched ironed cloths, a complete contrast from the dying Africans outside. While Marlow is talking to the accountant, a sick man groans in the background. The accountant is so agitated by the interruptions that he says, “when one has got to make correct entries, one comes to hate those savages…hate them to death.”31 That leads to the following question “who are the real savages here?” Although the clothing, money, and overall appearance of the Europeans may look civilizing, their hearts are dark with deception. Yet the novel depicts these “savages” in a far more sympathetic light. For example, Marlow hires a group of “cannibals” to help run the boat. Some of them cut wood, one tends the boilers, and one steers the boat. Early in the journey upriver, the cannibals‟ main source of food, a hunk of rotting hippopotamus meat, is thrown over board because of its offensive smell. Thus, the cannibals are very hungry. It is true that when the boat is fog-bound and the cannibals hear the loud cries from the forest, they want to capture these other natives so they can eat them. However, Marlow marvels over the cannibals‟ tremendous restraint. He notes that the cannibals outnumber the company men 9 “thirty to five” and he admits that they are strong, powerful men who could easily overwhelm them, yet they don‟t attempt to harm the company men. Such restraint is the mark of a civilized man, not an animal. In addition, the natives demonstrate far more concern for the welfare of Kurtz than do most of his country men. True, they worship him, an act that would be seen as evidence of their uncivilized or backward nature, yet they actively work to ensure his safety. Consequently, civilization and savagery is found in both Europeans and the Africans as well. A powerful meditation on the relationship between “civilization” and “savagery” Joseph Conrad‟s HOD reflects on the relationship between the civilized man and the barbarity that boils, beneath the surface of every human being. Seduced up the Congo River by spellbinding English prose, the reader is immersed in a world stripped of all order where chaos ensues and all civilized intentions are crushed before the vengeful aspect of the heart of the land itself. It is a world of beauty and terror, frightening and fascinating, every second plunging the reader into a “strange world of plants, water, and silence.”32 There one might wrestle with death. Marlow states that he “contest „one‟ can imagine.”33 Then, he adds that: It takes place in an impalpable grayness, with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without glamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat in a sickly atmosphere of tepid skepticism, without much belief in your over right, and still less in that of your adversary.34 Marlow believes that Kurtz‟s immersion in the wilderness has fundamentally changed him. Living deep in the Congo, among the “savages” and far from the structured life of society, Kurtz has learned some deep, dark secret about the nature of life. It is a secret that most people either cannot or will not hear. We know that, initially at least, Kurtz is neither a bitter man nor a misanthrope. His report to the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs begins on a very humanitarian note. He has 10 altruistic motives and great hopes for the company‟s work; he believes that “Each station should be like a beacon on the road toward better things, a center for trade of course but also humanizing, improving, instructing.” In essence, Europeans coming to the Congo can have a positive impact on the region and its inhabitants. We also learn that Kurtz is a cultured man: he writes and recites poetry. The Russian tells Marlow about Kurtz “own”35 poetry which “enlarged (his) mind”36. Not only that but he paints, and he is a musician also. In this way, Kurtz is an emissary of western culture. He buys into the notion that Europe can help to civilize the Congo. Yet, by the end of the report, after considerable time spent in the wild, Kurtz concludes that Europeans must “Exterminate all the brutes!”37 In spite of Kurtz‟s moral darkness which is “an impenetratable”38 one, but he was victorious as well. Marlow in the third part of the novel declared that Kurtz has achieved a moral victory.”39 Kurtz has succeeded with the Africans “they adored him.”40 He himself has ordered the attack to be made on the steamer because he “hated sometimes the idea of being taken away.”41 Kurtz impact on the white people is great also. The manager considers him to be “an exceptional man of the greatest importance to the company.”42 The Africans obedience to Kurtz frightens the company, they are afraid of his mental changes. Mental changes are an important issue in HOD. Throughout his journey, Marlow is afraid of these changes. He always recalls the doctor‟s note about that when the later states that “it would be interesting for science to watch the mental changes of individuals on the spot43. Kurtz‟s mental changes have led the manager to believe that “Mr. Kurtz has done more harm than good to the company.”44 Another white character with whom Marlow proves his victory is the Russian who ensures that the savages are “simple people.”45 For Kurtz, the Russian and Marlow also, the Africans or the “black shapes”46, as they all then, are not criminals, not 11 enemies “they were nothing earthly now…nothing but black of disease and starvation, laying confusedly in the greenish gloom.” 47 In HOD, Conrad uses light and darkness as a principle element. Kurtz‟s “impenetratable darkness” is discovered by Marlow who is an agent of light as Robert S. Ray beautifully puts it: Aware of the darkness in himself and fellow man, he recognizes the power of the irrational and the presence of the ineffable. He sees at first-hand man‟s potential for reversion into total darkness, but he sees as well the flicker of light which is the moral vision and which, if only briefly, can arrest the darkness.48 1.4 Civilization and Savagry as a linkage between Conrad‟s Hear of the Darkness and Golding‟s Lord of the Flies (henceforth LOF). As in Conrad‟s HOD, the central concern of LOF is the conflict between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings: the instinct to live by values, act peacefully, follow moral command, and value the good of the group against the instinct to gratify one‟s immediate desire, act violently to obtain supremacy over others, and enforce one‟s will. This conflict might be expressed in a number of ways: civilization vs. savagery, order vs. chaos, law vs. anarchy, or in broader terms, good vs. evil. Throughout both novels, Conrad and Golding associate the instinct of civilization with good and the instinct of savagery with evil. In Golding‟s LOF, the conflict between the two instincts is the driving force of the novel, explored through the dissolution of the young English boy‟s civilized, moral, disciplined behaviour as they accustom themselves to a wild, brutal, barbaric life in the jungle. LOF is an allegorical novel, which means that Golding conveys many of his main ideas and themes through symbolic characters and objects. He represents the conflict between civilization and savagery in the conflict between the novel‟s two main characters: Ralph, the protagonist, who represents order and leadership; and Jack, the antagonist, who represents savagery and desire for power. As the novel progresses, Golding shows how 12 different people feel the influences of the instincts of civilization and savagery to different degrees. Piggy, for instance, has no savage feelings, while Roger seems barely capable of comprehending the rules of civilization. Generally, however, Golding implies that the instinct of savagery is far more primal and fundamental to the human psyche that the instinct of civilization. Golding sees moral behaviour many cases, as something that civilization forces upon the individual rather than a natural expression of human individuality. When let to their own devices, Golding implies, people naturally revert to cruelty, savagery, and barbarism. When people lack the aspect of civility in their lives, they too will lack the restraints and barriers it has on one‟s inner evil. Civility, in essence, provides the basic structure for Good. Through laws, structure, and general order, goodness then, for the most part will be the end product. Therefore, a lack of civility would result in a lack of order, morals, and laws, leaving chaos to over power. The desolate island in JOF represents a lack of civility. Without parents, law makers, and guardians the darkness which surfaces is inevitable. Piggy said in a feared state upon this realization: This is an island? Well I think is an island! That‟s a reef out in the sea. That means we are all alone! Perhaps there aren‟t any grown ups anywhere.”49 It is clear that the civilization of the modern world is unavailable on the island. Although Ralph, who represents the aspect of order, attempt to reach a point of civility, unfortunately is unsuccessful. He said in his struggle: “we‟ve got to have rules and obey them. After all we‟re not savages. We‟re English, and the English are the best at everything.”50 Ironically, the very group he was taking to broke order and formed the savage group known as the “hunters”. Similarly, Piggy too represents civility. He is very fearful of the lack of civility and scared by the hunters. He feels that civility and order, although the ideal route, was going to be crushed: “we can‟t do this, the savages, they would crush us.” 51 It 13 is quite obvious how the potential evil in group of young boys unavoidably arises due to the lack of restraint and order when the darkness surfaces Jack and his group of hunters gains no selfknowledge and therefore, can not stop their sufferings nor the evil which takes over. A strong parallel can be drawn between the island in LOF and the Congo in HOD. The Congo in is similarly used to represent the absence of restraint and order. The effect which is used exemplifies a lack of civility which in turn provides the opportunity for the emergence of darkness. At the beginning of the novel, Marlow begins his descent into the Congo, which presents a dark image of death and suffering: It was a thing which looked as dead as the carcass of some strange animal. I came upon more pieces of decaying machinery, and a stack of rusty rails. To the left a clump of trees in a twisted shady spot, the ground shook. 52 The capacity for evil the jungle is endless. This is illustrated through the natives who go mad and begin killing. Marlow struggles but realizing his potential for good, manages to contain his evil. Unfortunately, the result was not the same for many others: “I don‟t know how this would have struck the others but to me the evil was unspeakable, but not undefeatable.”53 The Congo and the lack of restraints it represents causes one to lose common senses. Without common senses the mind is deteriorated. It is also left twisted and functionally useless in regards to civilized thought or action. The power of mind in most cases is no match for the lack of order and the lack of reason for most of the Congo‟s inhabitants. Kurtz fells victim to this and his mind became extremely deteriorated due to the lack of order. He eventually finds his inner darkness come forth and essentially controls his thoughts and actions. By comparing the two novels, it is clear how one‟s inner darkness will surface without the restraints of civilization. In the case of Jack and hunters, the children are accustomed to civility, laws and order. The fact that parents and teachers were always 14 placing unwanted rules on them, probably caused an initial enjoyment of the lack of civility so much that the growing savageness within grew blindly. The darkness was being to rise. This is shown through Jack when asked about the war paint he was wearing replied. “for hunting! Like in the wars, you know, dazzle paint! We look more savage!” 54 This can be compared to the darkness which surfaced in Kurtz and the natives of the Congo; however, their darkness was the result of greed rather than ignorance. Unlike Jack and the hunters, the greed for money and power by Kurtz allowed his darkness which controlled him at the end to surface. The ongoing evil growing in Kurtz was not only a result of the jungle, but it was shown through it as well. As he gained more darkness the jungle thickened and became increasingly dangerous: “… as we crept on closer towards Kurtz the snags were thickening and the water becoming treacherous…”55 If civilized limits are placed upon society as a whole, the majority of people have the opportunity to contain the darkness within. If and when it occasionally surface then the knowledge which is gained through a civilized life style will contain, and defeat the individual‟s darkness. It is true that every person must undergo the ultimate test at some point of his or her life time, the test between good and evil. This test can be as simple as small, daily difficulties, or as large as the general principle in which one bases his or her life upon. Although many people will fail the test which is given to them, it is better to attempt the test and fail, than it is never to have taken it at all. Ralph and Piggy, who also as well as representing civility, now also represent the goodness, or the “passers” of this test of life. Through the many alterations with the hunters, those who have failed the test, we can observe the darkness beginning to rise. The ultimate dark figures Jack, who hasn‟t even attempted the test, that is to be satisfied with one‟s dark life style, shows how the journey of life presents us with the tasks and trials which were tested upon. Piggy perhaps is the character who is presented with 15 the most tests. Many times he almost lost his sense and civility, but he always prevailed. Piggy, at the verge of losing his sense murmured “Nobody knows where we are! Perhaps they knew before but they don‟t know now „cos we‟ll never get there!” 56 Not soon after, however, Piggy regained his sensible approach to the situation. It is impossible for one person to pass every test that life gives them, but the important thing is that you learn from every test, pass or fail, one must gain self-knowledge from each altercation. When Marlow‟s time came to take his test, it was not necessarily that he passed it, but more importantly he gains the self-knowledge needed in order to defeat the darkness within him. By containing his darkness and preventing the release of his evil, he allows a certain degree of goodness to surface. The result of one‟s ability to contain his or her darkness does not always equal goodness, but instead, it represents the awareness gained from each test. The natives show through their savagery and murderous ways that they have subsequently failed to gain the desired selfknowledge to maintain their goodness. Kurtz can be viewed as the character in the novel who doesn‟t attempt to take life‟s challenges and at length seals his dark fate. Marlow‟s first view of Kurtz shows how the goodness and evil fail to co-exist together. Seeing Kurtz for the first time, it was a distant glimpse: The dugout, four padding savages, and the lone white man turning his back suddenly on the head-quarters, on relief, on thoughts of homeperhaps; setting his face towards the depths of the wilderness, towards his empty and desolate station.57 Had Kurtz ever attempted the journey or test he was faced with perhaps he may have seen things in a different light. The natives on the other hand appear ignorant, but at the same time they appear content with their life styles. The two novels can be compared in many ways according to the characters, and the tests they take along the journey of their lives. Piggy and Ralph can be compared to Marlow in the fact that 16 they had either passed the test or clearly gained the self-knowledge to prevent the potential darkness within themselves from escaping. The two groups, the „hunter‟ and the „natives‟ can be similarly compared in terms regarding the characters who attempted to take the test but failed, an action which can, but not in these two cases, result in self-knowledge. Finally, the two symbols of true darkness, Kurtz and Jack. The darkness within them surfaced due to that fact that not only did they fail to take the test of life, but they appeared to be content with the situation that this left them in. The evil which lies within all of us has a third and final way of showing itself. This is exemplified through acts of commission and through acts of omission. The actions which one commits, or fails to commit, can act as a channel in which evil or darkness will begin to show. The dark forces which lay in Jack and his group were confirmed by their final direct actions. The actions which reiterated the darkness in Jack was the murder of Piggy. The murder was very brutal, and unnecessary. “The rock that had killed Piggy had bounded into the thicket and bounced there, landing in the middle for all to see.”58 Not only had they committed the murder but they indirectly reinforced their desire to deny civilization, as Piggy represented this. Earlier in the novel when Jack, and the hunters, directly disregarded civilization, they performed their first act of omission. This coupled with the savagery they possessed, showed a distinct lack of reason and reality, two of the key components to maintaining one‟s inner goodness. Finally, the murder of Simon, who represented the Christ figure in the book, was the element which finalized Jack‟s descent into irretrievable darkness. Through the acts of commission and omission in HOD,it is clear how the same actions, by separate people, can result in different consequences. Marlow and Kurtz both live within the treacherous Congo and are involved in the sales of ivory to gain power and wealth. The greed and stubbornness shown by the two men is very similar, but the result divers. Due to Kurtz‟s inner darkness which had raised his down fall was evident, but through 17 Marlow‟s ability to gain the self-knowledge required he was able to prevent his evil from emerging, which in turn would lead to his eventual demise. The natives on the other hand represent an indirect act of omission in which they were unable to obtain any knowledge when the evil within them begins to surface they begin to break down mentally and physically. They become fierce, then eventually cataclysmic. They allow their inner evil to take over, and they lose all capacity to gain any self-knowledge, which may have averted this catastrophe. The characters in both novels again are comparative with respect to direct and indirect actions. Marlow and Ralph, through all the hardships and lack of civility, overcome the test of life, and finally prevent their own actions from surfacing their inner darkness. They are alike as they gain the essential knowledge to prevent this potential evil from taking its course. The natives and hunters find themselves in a situation in which, although they have committed few actions, have by-passed the opportunity to gain the smallest amount of knowledge, let alone the amount for to prevent future evil occurrences. Finally, Kurtz and Jack through their direct and deliberate actions place themselves in a position where it is obvious that self-knowledge and controls them to surface. Conclusion: In his novel Heart of the Darkness, Joseph Conrad asserts the fact that every man has a heart of darkness covered by the light of civilization, but this darkness will not surface unless given the correct environment. Darkness signifies many concepts in Heart of the Darkness and also in Lord of the Flies. It is always associated with mystery, savagery and civilized beings and setting, while light is associated with knowledge and civilization. Self-knowledge of one‟s inner darkness prevents him from getting worst consequences. This very self-knowledge with a suitable environment set a healthy atmosphere for civilization. Marlow, Ralph and Simon are given the opportunity by their authors to 18 reach a point of personal growth by overcoming their inner darkness. Kurtz and Roger are defeated by their own inner darkness associated by their wrong environment. In fact, everybody has the potential for true goodness and evilness. The journey in both novels can symbolize a human life time. One can prevent inner darkness from surfacing if controlled by reason and suitable environment. 19 Notes 1 Robert S. Ryf, Joseph Conrad (New York &London: Columbia University Press, 1970) pp. 35-36. Joseph Conrad, Heart of the Darkness. (URL:http://suns.te.berkerly.edu/literature/conrad/Heart of Darkness/by the sunsite Manager) Retreived on June 30, 2010. 3 Ian Watt‟s, “Conrad in the Nineteenth Century (www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/heart of darkness.html) 4 Joseph Conrad, Heart of the Darkness. Part I, p.2. 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Rolf A. F. Witzsche, Discovering Infinity light. Piercing the heart of Darkness the Demands of Truth and Justice. Volume 4 (Canada: Cygni communication ltd., 2003) p.5. 8 Joseph Conrad, Heart of the Darkness, part I, p. 3 9 Ian Stronach, Englightenment and „heart of darkness: neolimperialism in the Congo, and elsewhere (www. Esri.mmu.ac.uk/respapers/papers.pdf/Congo-pdf) p.11. 10 Joseph Conrad, Heart of the Darkness. Part I 11 Ibid. part I. 12 Ibid. part II. 13 Ibid. 14 Ibid. 15 Ibid. part I. 16 Ibid. 17 Ibid. 18 Ibid. 19 Ibid. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid. 22 Mohit Kumar, Joseph Conrad‟s Heart of Darkness (India. Nice Printing Press, 2006)p. 120. 23 John Storely, Culture and Power in cultural studies: The Politics of Signification) Great Britain, Edinburgh University Press Ltd., 2010) pp. 154-5. 24 Conrad, part I. 25 Ibid. part II. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid. 28 Ibid. 29 Ibid. part I. 30 Ibid. 31 Ibid. part II. 32 Ibid. 33 Ibid. 34 Ibid. 35 Ibid. part III. 36 Ibid. 37 Ibid. 38 Ibid. 39 Ibid. 40 Ibid. 41 Ibid. part II. 42 Ibid. 43 Ibid. part I. 44 Ibid. part III. 45 Ibid. 46 Ibid. 47 Ibid. part I. 48 Robert S. Ryf. P.19. 2 20 49 William Golding, Lord of the Flies (URL: http://sunsite. Berkeley.edu/literature/Golding/lord of the flies/by Sunsit Manager). Retrieved on July 16, 2010. 50 Golding. P.4. 51 Ibid. 52 Conrad, part I. 53 Golding, p. 85. 54 Ibid., p. 71. 55 Conrad, part II. 56 Golding, p. 36. 57 Conrad, part III. 58 Golding, p. 230. 21