Good And Evil In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

Everyone has potential for both good and evil, and everyone faces the battle between which one will be dominant in their life. In the Heart of Darkness, author Joseph Conrad uses Marlow’s, Kurtz’s, and other minor character’s journey through fighting or succumbing to the greedy, naturalistic evil that lies within to illustrate man’s capability for both good and evil.

During Marlow’s voyage down the Congo River he encounters different people and situations that show the goodness in him. At the Outer Station Marlow meets the Accountant of the company. The first thing noticed about the Accountant is his appearance: “I saw a high starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca jacket, snowy trousers, a clear necktie, and varnished boots.” (28).

The Accountants appearance demonstrates what is wrong with his and the Companies priorities, “but in the great demoralization of the land he kept up his appearance.” (28). The Accountant cares more about the way he looks to others than the fact that there are people dying and being abused all around. When Marlow notices the unbalanced priorities of the Accountant he shows that he has a sense of morality towards the natives and begins to understand that the Company’s “Noble Cause” is one of lies. Marlow again notices the flaws in the Company through their wastefulness of supplies. “Rivets had rolled into the grove of death. You could fill your pockets with rivets for the trouble of stooping down- and there wasn’t one rivet to be found where it was wanted.” (47). While Marlow is repairing his ship he is awaiting a shipment of rivets from the Outer station for about three weeks. He explains how unevenly distributed the supplies are throughout the Company. Marlow also exhibits goodness in himself when he feels sympathy for the cannibal helmsman. “Thus a subtle bond had been created, of which I only became aware when it was suddenly broken.” (90); Marlow connected with someone he thought he never could have anything in common with. By having this bond with the Helmsman Marlow shows humanity and understanding towards others he considers “savage’ and “uncivilized”. But Marlow brushes with the evil instincts inside of him when he thinks about killing Kurtz: “…it is true, upon himself with horrible intensity, yet clear; and therein was my only chance—barring, of course, the killing him there and then,..” (119). However, Marlow quickly shuts down this thought. Marlow doesn’t wish to end up like the maddened Colonel who fell to the darkness and evil.
Kurtz went through a journey just like Marlow; only Kurtz’s was a slippery slope towards madness and evil.

Kurtz’s love for the ivory was the match that it his fire of insanity; His one goal was to collect the ivory by whatever means, “He did not see that the time was not ripe for vigorous actions.” (110). Kurtz’s greed overcame all his other priorities and caused him to be aggressive, violent and manipulative. To gain more of the ivory he desired Kurtz manipulates the Russian in many ways. First Kurtz brain washes the Russian into believing he is genius: “Oh, he enlarged my mind.” (114). “’Shoot you!’ I cried ‘What for?’ ‘Well I had a small lot of ivory the chief of the village near my house gave me.” (100), Kurtz had gone mad with the want of ivory that even a small amount was worth a life. He even goes to more extremes like mounting severed heads onto stakes of his followers. Marlow comments on this act and calls it “a savage sight” that was “pure, uncomplicated savagery” (103). The slide into evil continues with Kurtz becoming involved with the native mistress. Being involved with the native mistress is the ultimate loss of morals because he is breaking a vow of promise he made to the Intended. Since the native mistress has such an influence on Kurtz he becomes even more savage through his involvement with her. The true intentions and thoughts of Kurtz are revealed by the written in note, “Exterminate all the brutes!” (88), in his personal pamphlet. Marlow is taken

aback by this statement because he realizes that Kurtz is truly evil. Similarly, Marlow also faces realizations that others contain the evil in them.
The Accountant, who Marlow meets at the Outer Station, contains his own sort of evil.

He forces the natives to work even when they refuse. He doesn’t want to brag about his great accomplishment of teaching a native women to work, “’I’ve been teaching one of the native women about the station. It was difficult. She had a distaste for the work.” (28). The Accountant seemed surprised that she had a distaste for the work because he believes that she should enjoy the work of civilized beings, instead of her savage

ways.