March 4, 2008
Dr. Edmund Fitzwilliam Worthing
1281 Baker Street
London WC1N 3AX
My dear Jeffrey,
I know that your previous letter was on official AP Exam business only, but must you be
so forever stiff and formal? One would think that we were strangers, rather than close chums
from university. Do try to loosen up, old chap. The wife and children, all well, I hope? Well,
onto business; since the AP Exam is for secondary school students, let me preemptively say that
you must forgive me if I show some pessimism with regards to their critical ability. However,
given the wide 1 to 9 range of scores available, it should be relatively easy to differentiate
students on essays based on Heart of Darkness. I used the Dover Thrift Edition in citing specific
text from the pertinent novel; I have enclosed a copy for you. People do insist on giving me
copies of this book when they know perfectly well I have several already. Alas! At least you are
considerate enough to send me useful presents; the thick woolen socks you gave me last
Christmas are still keeping my poor toes toasty. Well, forgive my rambling, and I shall get down
to business.
Your question about the setting quite intrigues me and strikes me as a particularly good
question for Heart of Darkness. Setting is crucial to most novels to set the tone and to anchor the
narrative, and Heart of Darkness is no different in those respect. However, the setting of Heart of
Darkness is even more critical than usual; no other settings than the ones used would have
sufficed. The three settings of London, Belgium, and the Congo River must all be addressed by
any student attempting to answer the question posed about setting with Heart of Darkness. Of
course, all students must address Africa and the Congo River. The Congo River is a river that
flows northward; most rivers in Europe flow southward, and already this gives a sense of the
European presumption of the backward and uncivilized continent of Africa. The Congo River is
a river by which ships can go toward the heart of Africa without having to set foot on the land;
thus, Europeans attempt to hold themselves aloof and away. The small ships sailing up the river
appear as “little islands of white,” amidst the sprawling expanse of an uncivilized world. The
river also resists the European intrusion by flowing against ships seeking to enter, whilst carrying
them out speedily. Marlow also mentions that he feels as if he was going to “the center of the
earth, rather than the center of a continent,” making a quick homage to Jules Verne in an allusion
to his Journey to the Center of Earth (10). This subtle allusion brings to mind Verne’s world of
dinosaurs, vicious and alien monsters from the past, just as Westerners tended to think of
Africans. Marlow also compares the river to a snake with its head in the sea; the snake is poised
to strike at Europe, at civilization itself. The snake of Africa, which moderately advanced
students will recognize to represent evil and sultry temptation, fascinates Marlow, its prey. The
dichotomy is set! As Marlow, who could be portrayed as a representative white man, sets out on
his culture’s mission to conquer the darkness in Africa, Africa is the true predator that sucks him
into his madness. Africa’s immenseness compared to Europe renders those majestic claims of
ownership of the little kings seem laughable and their presumption of civilizing that vast and
myriad continent ridiculous. Conrad thus demonstrates the absurdity of colonialism, while
indicting the horror of the enslavement of those peoples in Africa. Advanced students will
recognize further that Africa represents the wilderness of an untamed and uncivilized land to the
Western world; yet that same darkness lies within London, and within the hearts of all, and this
novel challenges all the labels and categories that we hold dearest in our hearts and reveal them
to be as false, tangled, and blind a wilderness as the supposed darkness of Africa. This idea is
absolutely crucial to a full understanding of the text and may be applied in the other prompts as
well. The chosen setting of Belgium provides a clear example of this idea. The crucial
comparison Conrad uses is “whited sepulcher,” a biblical reference, as a description of a city in
Belgium. As you may know, a whited sepulcher is a person who outwardly professes to be
virtuous while is inwardly evil. This clearly is a jab at King Leopold of Belgium and his savage
administration of the Belgian Congo. Conrad’s novel firmly indicts the pretense of civilizing the
savages whilst exploiting them. Students of lesser skill may make little reference to London, not
realizing the enormous significance constrained in those small portion of time spent in that frame
setting. Conrad, in the beginning of the novel, immediately puts the reader on alert when the
narrator says that “the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside” (3). Thus,
the frame, set on the Thames outside London, is where the real focus of the novel lies. Though
the setting is mostly in Africa, Conrad’s audience are Westerners, and London is the very center
of Western civilization during Conrad’s time period. Conrad’s intention, I believe, was to expose
the hypocrisy of the very idea and mechanism of European colonization, as well as to emphasize
the futility of the attempt of civilization to conquer the darkness. Again and again throughout the
novel, man is shown to be powerless in the face of nature. The boat must always await the tide.
Man helplessly swirls into the darkness, unable to stop the madness, iniquity, and violence innate
within his soul.
The setting thus plays a crucial role in Heart of Darkness; however Conrad also utilizes
the motifs of violence and insanity to convey similar points. Students of lower and average skill
will write on the clear-cut juxtaposition of civilization versus savagery, black versus white,
sanity versus madness, the powerful man versus the submissive woman, and violence versus
peace in this novella. Students with an advanced understanding of the work will recognize that
Conrad intentionally blurs these categories that were so neatly organized and labeled by the
Victorian era British society in which Conrad lived. Let me next address the question of
violence. It is true that violence is very prevalent in Heart of Darkness; I disagree that it is of a
level higher than normal. Many classic works of literature address violence directly or employ
the frequent use of violent imagery to convey this sense. The use of thematic violence definitely
is not rare, especially in modernist or postmodernist literature. However, this shall not daunt the
successful AP student, and it is still a question well worth answering. Most students will
recognize the violence demonstrated by Conrad by whites against the blacks of Africa to be a
firm indictment against Western colonialism. The brutality with which whites treat people that
are different than they, as Marlow says, “with a different complexion or slightly flatter noses,”
belies the assertion that whites are armed with the almost holy spark of civilization and
righteousness (4). The enslavement and the suffering of the African people demonstrate a
ubiquitous cruelty that cannot be expunged by good manners and “high starched collars [and]
snowy trousers” (15). Conrad quite clearly uses violence to impact his Western readers strongly.
Nature’s savagery is present within all, though Westerners tend to like to think that they have
developed beyond the brutality of the wild. The difference then, between blacks and whites, is
not the violence, but their acceptance of it. Marlow describes the natives as being a part of nature
and their dances as being filled with a primitive wildness that contains spiritual “truth.” Thus,
more advanced students will recognize that the acceptance of the innate wildness causes the
natives to be able to harness that savage nature, while whites shamelessly use violence to pursue
their own follies. Conrad condemns the materialistic values of Western civilization as the whites
unconcernedly commit crimes against the humanity of the black Africans, all for the sake of
gaining wealth in the form of white ivory. The center of the vicious violence in Heart of
Darkness is Kurtz, the brilliantly charismatic leader that has been extremely successful in
obtaining ivory, engendering jealousy and admiration in others. Kurtz plays a central role in
Heart of Darkness, yet students often find it difficult to clearly grasp the crux of the man’s
character. He is shrouded in mystery, and various characters that Marlow meets all have different
ideas of the man Kurtz is. He gains control of the native people in the region, utilizing violence
to great effect as demonstrated by the gruesome heads outside his hut. His rise to power is also
aided by his taking to mistress a powerful African woman. Thus, to the average student, Kurtz
appears to remove himself from Western civilization, immersing himself instead within the
violence and savagery of the African natives, while still obtaining the ivory that is so valuable to
Westerners. Kurtz, however, is best left to the next topic, insanity.
Again, excellent students may elaborate on the dichotomy of insanity versus sanity,
whose meanings are addressed above, and the descent into madness of characters such as
Marlow and Kurtz. It is interesting to note that what we call psychologists, Conrad calls
“alienists” (9). The diction that Conrad employs suggests the feeling of alienation, estrangement,
or “lonely desolation” that Marlow (43). In particular, Marlow travels farther and farther away
from his native Europe, where things are as he expects and organized comfortably around his
prejudices. He travels down the Congo, seeing things occur that make less and less sense. For
instance, excellent students may write on the French boat firing its guns at an empty jungle, the
ridiculousness of the accountant, or the “absurdity” of the lack of rivets (43). The behavior of the
African natives appear to Marlow to be more and more logical and right. Coupled with Marlow’s
knowledge of the simultaneous cruelty of white treatment towards blacks and steadfast
proclamation that whites are bringing civilization to the savage Africa, the setting and actions
around Marlow inevitably lead him to question the very sanity of the idea of Western
civilization. If the hypocrisy is innate within the system, it cannot be right or logical. Indeed, as
Marlow questions his sanity as the book progresses, he is actually reaching a higher level of
understanding of the savagery of civilization and of man’s innate brutality, rather than
succumbing to the “flabby devil of rapacious and pitiless folly” (13). Give an immediate 9 to
those who address this intelligently. I would argue that this question is the most difficult, and
students tackling this in any manner that is coherent and intelligent deserves a moderate score, at
least. Students who tackle the character of Kurtz… well, they deserve points for audacity, even if
they stumble. Kurtz demonstrates a different sort of insanity. He is considered a “genius,” and
his genius was focused on the goal of obtaining as much ivory as he possibly could (67).
Ultimately, however, despite his seeming invincibility, he dies from disease from his innards.
However, his brilliance came not from his insides, but the “kernel” of the outside (3). Marlow
describes him as hollow, in fact. He was empty on the inside; he was mad on the inside. Students
of average skill may describe Kurtz as an insane and evil genius of sorts, quite like Hitler. It is
easy to claim this, as Kurtz is very charismatic and has the ability to fascinate and sway those
around him, simply by his voice and his eyes, though his words and ideas are insane and evil.
Students of higher skill may elaborate on the theme of insanity more. The fact that he is
considered to be insane reflects only the prejudices and ruthless categorization of Western
thought and civilization. For example, the manager immediately lumps Marlow with Kurtz as
“unsound” when Marlow halfheartedly attempts to defend Kurtz’s action (57). In fact, Kurtz is
acting perfectly rationally in light of his goals. And indeed, it is not his mind but his body that
fails him.
Lastly, let me consider the effective use of racism and sexism in Heart of Darkness.
Many students may consider this novel to be utterly deplorable in its blatant racism; this is,
perhaps, an effect amplified by the frequent use of Achebe’s famous critique of Heart of
Darkness by English teachers. I have a contempt for secondary sources as the right method of
analyzing a work of literature; the exploration and individual reading of the primary text always
serves best. However, given that many English teachers encourage this way of looking at the
text, I would say that it is hardly the student’s fault if he fails to recognize the subtleties of
racism and sexism in Heart of Darkness. Thus, upon a clear dissection of the racism and sexism
evident in the novel, I would give such a student a moderately score. The characters in this novel
exhibit racist and sexist attitudes; however, these attitudes are meant to elicit disgust and a sense
of wrongness in the reader. For example, note the chained African men in black rags that
“wagged to and fro like tails” (9). The imagery suggests that the men are not human but animal,
yet the misery of these men caused by the whites evokes sympathy for them, and Marlow,
speaking for Conrad, states ironically that he is a “part of these high and just proceedings” of
torture and abuse (10). These distinctly ironic statements pepper the narrative, causing the reader
to question the easy assumption that the novel is inherently racist in its message. Indeed, as the
narrative progresses, Marlow gains a great deal of respect for the natives, recognizing that they
are one in humanity and savagery; and that whites are no better than they. A comical example is
that of the brickmaker. Though whites have the technology and more advanced civilization
capable of making bricks, this is ultimately useless because the brickmaker does not have the
intelligence of make bricks without straw. Surely African grass would suffice? The seemingly
powerful and intelligent whites cannot even build a proper house or fix a boat, whereas Africans
have been doing so successfully for centuries. Thus, advanced students will recognize that
Conrad uses racism to undercut itself. In a manner that is similar, sexism could be presented as
clearly apparent within the text. Less advanced students will promote this idea. They may choose
to elaborate on the fact that none of the women characters have names, but are referred to only
with their relationship to a man. However, this reflects only the prejudices of the protagonist
Marlow, and the power and influence that the women exert over the actions of men undercuts the
assumption of sexism. Though there are certainly not as many women characters, the women in
Heart of Darkness are not weak and submissive creatures. Indeed, the women may be the most
powerful. For example, Marlow’s aunt got him his commission. Kurtz’s African mistress exerts a
great deal of influence over Kurtz and the natives; her power lies in her unearthly and enigmatic
self. While Kurtz must depend on her to control the natives, she is entirely self-reliant. Kurtz’s
Intended, like all the other men who knew Kurtz, has a distorted vision of Kurtz as a great
visionary and leader. Her unshakeable faith in him, and her lack of a grasp on the reality of Kurtz
perhaps demonstrate her inner strength. For faith can easily fade in absence, and her constancy
can be construed as a strength, though it is ultimately flawed because of the falseness of her
belief. However, she cannot be said to be comparatively weak to men, because she shares her
flaw of blindness with regards to Kurtz with men. The most interesting of all, perhaps are the
two women knitting outside the office in Belgium. One for life, one for death; they seemed
“uncanny and fateful” (8). These women exert the ultimate power as they knit the black wool of
fate.
I commend you on your essay prompts. One concern I have, however, is that few students
will be able to write intelligently on these topics in the short time given. You know best, though,
Mr. AP Exam Coordinator. May I suggest another prompt idea? The color motif is quite
intriguing in Heart of Darkness; for instance, I am sure the image of the white thread around the
black neck of a dying African man described on page 14 gave you pause. Conrad does use color
to great effect, and the motif would provide secondary school students with the opportunity to
show off their critical analysis skills while still maintaining a reasonable cap because of the short
time span given to write a well-written essay.
Do pardon my verbosity. I wish you well, and I’ll pop round for a visit during those
weeks when the essays are being marked to lend a hand. Pip pip.
The best,
Ned Worthing