The Heart of Darkness: The Great Human Disease :: Literary Analysis, Joseph Conrad

It is easy to look at others and see their faults and weaknesses, but it is hard to see the same vices in ourselves. In the novella Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, this universal human flaw can be seen in the character of Marlow. While it appears that Marlow escaped the darkness, really he remained just as lost in the wilderness as the rest of those involved. The truth is that Marlow was not the exception. He may have escaped Africa, but he did not escape the darkness. Marlow thought that he had only â€Å"peered over the edge† (pg. 119), seen into the darkness, when really he had fallen into it. He had been seduced by the snake. It should have been obvious to Marlow that there was something wrong with this company. There were countless clues right in front of him. Nothing was masked or hidden, made to appear wholesome. First of all, the way that he got the job was something that should have raised suspicion. The previous captain had died â€Å"in a scuffle with the natives† (pg. 12). That bit of information should have made Marlow reconsider taking the job or at least raised some questions concerning the circumstances of the â€Å"scuffle.† Aside from how he got the job, from when he first set foot in Brussels, Belgium, Marlow saw so many off-putting things. He describes the city as a â€Å"whited sepulcher† (pg. 14)-a symbol of death. It is a biblical allusion from the book of Mathew. In a passage Mathew describes â€Å"whited sepulchers† saying that they â€Å"appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness† (Matthew 23:27). The fact that Marlow recognizes this shows that he is not completely ignorant to the truth about the company. Then he walks into the company’s office positioned on â€Å"a narrow and deserted street in deep shadow† (pg. 14), and he sees these two women knitting black wool, looking as though they were â€Å"guarding the door of darkness† (pg. 16). Basically everything was telling him not to go behind those doors-not to take the interview-and Marlow chose to do it anyway. At one point Marlow even says it was as if he â€Å"had been let into some conspiracy,† into â€Å"something not quite right† (pg. 15). Clearly, Marlow knew that there was something nefarious about the whole business, and yet he took the job just the same, thus disproving his innocence in