English Literature (9675) | Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness

Welcome to the Wilderness: Studying Place in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Hello! This chapter is all about how the setting—the physical and political places—in *Heart of Darkness* shapes the story, the characters, and the powerful themes of the text. Don't worry if this novel seems tricky at first; by focusing on Place, we can unlock many of its deepest meanings.

In your OxfordAQA syllabus (Unit 2: Place in literary texts), we aren't just looking at scenery; we are examining how locations create meaning, identity, and political commentary. In *Heart of Darkness*, the entire narrative is a journey defined by place—a movement from the civilized river of London to the terrifying, interior depths of the Congo.

Ready to explore the jungle? Let’s begin!

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1. Specific Geographical Locations and Their Significance

Heart of Darkness uses three main geographical locations, each serving as a contrast to the others. Conrad structures the narrative as a journey moving deeper into physical and moral space.

The Starting Point: The Thames and the "Sepulchral City" (Brussels)

Marlow begins his tale aboard a ship on the River Thames in England. This place represents established, orderly, and familiar civilization—the very idea of home and homeland that the Europeans believe they represent.

• The Thames: Though it is "light," Marlow reminds his listeners that even England was once a "dark place" colonized by the Romans. This immediately undercuts the idea that European civilization is inherently superior.
• Brussels (The Sepulchral City): This is the headquarters of the Company that hires Marlow. Conrad describes it as a beautiful, white, but ultimately dead or tomb-like city (sepulchral means relating to a tomb).

Quick Review: The Sepulchral City
Why is this place significant? It represents the hypocrisy of imperialism. The horrors taking place in the Congo are funded and managed from this beautiful, clean, distant city, which hides the moral decay beneath its surface.

The Destination: The Congo River and The Stations

The Congo is the central physical location of the narrative. It is described not just as a river, but as a path into the unknown.

• The Outer Station: This is the first stop, where everything is inefficient and broken. We see the start of the despoliation of the natural world (e.g., the rusty machinery, the pointless blasting of a cliff). This setting establishes the chaos of the colonial project.
• The Central Station: A place of waiting, laziness, and petty scheming. This location is crucial for setting up human relationships based on distrust and competition (the Manager vs. Marlow).
• The Inner Station (Kurtz’s Territory): The deepest, most isolated location. Here, the boundaries of European morality are completely erased. This is the ultimate "darkness," both geographically and metaphorically.

Key Takeaway: The journey itself maps the protagonist's moral descent. As Marlow moves deeper into the *place* (the Congo), he moves deeper into the understanding of human evil and political space.

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2. Place and the Natural World: Despoliation and Resistance

The wilderness, the natural world of the Congo, is perhaps the most powerful "character" in the novel. It is actively hostile and resists the presence of the European colonizers.

The Jungle as an Opponent

Conrad personifies the jungle, giving it human qualities like "silent knowledge" and a "monstrous scale."

• The Power of the Unknown: The jungle is a space that the Europeans cannot tame or understand. It threatens to swallow the small, flimsy steamboat. This constant danger affects Marlow's perception of reality.
• Analogy: Imagine trying to run a sophisticated office inside a relentless, overgrown garden. The natural force is too strong; the office will inevitably crumble. That's what happens to the Europeans' attempts at "civilization" in the Congo.

The Despoliation of Place

The syllabus requires us to explore the despoliation (destruction or ruin) of the natural world. Conrad shows this destruction is both physical and moral.

• Physical Despoliation: The "mass of black shapes" dying in the Outer Station's "grove of death" shows how the environment is being polluted and the indigenous people are being wasted by the colonial enterprise.
• Moral Despoliation: The Europeans (like the “pilgrims” hauling staves) are obsessed only with collecting ivory (money/power). Their presence destroys the environment and, critically, destroys their own souls by removing them from the rules of their home society.

Did you know? Conrad himself was a ship captain who traveled the Congo in 1890, witnessing the brutality firsthand. His descriptions of the scenery and the decay are based on his traumatic experiences.

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3. Place as a Social and Political Space

How a character behaves and what they believe is totally dependent on where they are. Place defines social identity, class, and political power in *Heart of Darkness*.

Social Identity and Class

European identities are quickly stripped away in the heart of Africa, revealing true character—or lack thereof.

• The Accountant: He is the only European who maintains a clean, starched appearance, even in the Outer Station's chaos. His obsession with his ledger and appearance is his last link to his European social class and identity.
• The Manager and the Brickmaker: These characters cling to their perceived class status through gossip and plotting, using their positions within the geographical stations (Central Station) to assert meaningless power.

Place as a Political Space

The Congo is a political space dominated by Imperialism, the practice of one country extending its power over others.

The contrast between the two locations—the Thames and the Congo—is a political statement:

1. Europe (The Political Facade): Represents the "noble cause" narrative—the lie that colonization is about civilization and charity.
2. Africa (The Political Reality): Represents the true motives—naked exploitation, violence, and the unchecked pursuit of wealth (ivory).

Kurtz and Isolation: Kurtz’s Inner Station is the ultimate political space. Because he is so isolated from all European oversight (the rules of "home"), he can wield absolute, terrifying power over the indigenous people, becoming a monstrous dictator. This place proves that European political morality cannot survive isolation.

Memory Aid: The 3 Ps of Place
Think of the Congo as defining: Physical challenge, Political space, and Psychological journey.

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4. The Language and Representation of Place

Conrad doesn't just describe the Congo; he *represents* it. This means he uses specific language and literary devices to make the setting feel symbolic, often mirroring the inner state of the narrator, Marlow.

The Use of Light and Dark Imagery

This is the most famous linguistic contrast:

• Darkness: Used to describe the physical jungle, the terrifying interior, the skin of the indigenous people, and the moral corruption of the Europeans. Darkness is omnipresent.
• Light/Whiteness: Used for Brussels (the Sepulchral City), the white fog on the river, and often the lies that hide the truth. The light is deceptive; the dark is brutally honest.

Place as Metaphor

The title itself, Heart of Darkness, is a geographical metaphor. The "heart" is the core, the deepest interior part of a place, symbolizing the most extreme moral breakdown.

The River as Representation:

The winding Congo River is described as a vast, coiling snake, dangerous and difficult to navigate. This is not just description; the river visually represents the complicated, twisted moral journey Marlow must undertake. It is Conrad’s way of using language and representation of place to communicate theme.

Common Mistake to Avoid: Don’t confuse the physical location (Africa) with the moral concept (Darkness). Marlow discovers that the true darkness isn't the geography of Africa, but the corruption carried *into* it by the Europeans.

Quick Review: Key Place Concepts in HoD