Heart of Darkness

I just finished reading a copy of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, written in 1899.  What a great novella on the human condition set in 19th century colonial Belgian Congo.  The main character, Marlow, is a river boat captain headed to an outpost where he meets Kurtz, a trader who has become enamored with power and the desire to have others worship him.  Along the way we meet an impeccably dressed accountant in the bush whose office is overtaken with 1 sick customs officer, he says, "The noise of this sick person upsets my concentration.  Without my full attention, it is difficult to avoid mistakes in this climate." How often are we like this, set on our own needs and desires, oblivious to others and their suffering?

Or there is the moment Marlow chases after Kurtz in the dark while surrounded by 'savages' who could kill him at any moment if Kurtz just says the word.  "Do you understand what I was afraid of?  It was not the possibility of getting hit in the face or knocked on the head, although I admit I was afraid of that, too.  I was frightened because I had to deal with this man, this creature who did not now accept the rules of God or man.  He was not connected to this earth, and I, like the savages around him, had to pray to him - and to his own new, exaggerated, unimaginable inhumanity..." How many of us are like Kurtz enamored with ourselves and refusing to accept the rules of God or man? How many of are like Marlow, afraid of the world out there and the men and women who refuse to 'play by the rules'?

In the closing pages, Conrad succinctly summarizes the human condition with these words, "And what kind of soul was it [that Kurtz had]?  One that had been filled with savage emotions and had searched for fame, recognition and the appearance of success and power, while knowing that they were all false." How much to we struggle with these same searches?  And do we realize that they are all false, or have we deluded ourselves into thinking they can provide what we desire.

I would recommend this book highly.