This book is structured as a story within a story. Charles Marlow, a sailor, recounts his experiences travelling up the Congo river. He has been tasked with finding Kurtz, a highly successful and enigmatic ivory agent, who has reportedly become ill. As Marlow ventures deeper into the heart of Africa, he witnesses first hand the brutal realities of European colonisation: widespread exploitation, cruelty, and the dehumanization of the native population. The perception of the idealistic European powers bringing civilization to the savages is questioned, and he wonders whether his journey is taking him into the darkness of Africa, or the darkness in the colonizers.
Marlow becomes increasingly fascinated and disturbed by the figure of Kurtz. He learns of Kurtz’s tyrannical rule over a native tribe, fueled by greed and a complete disregard for morality. When Marlow finally reaches Kurtz, he finds a man ravaged by illness and consumed by guilt over his actions. Marlow returns to Europe after Kurtz’s death, and grapples with the weight of his experiences and the unsettling truths he has uncovered about human nature and the corrupting influence of unlimited power.
On the surface of it, this book is a deep critique of Western colonialism, and questions who the savages really are. But despite that, the natives are little more than caricatures, or stick figures, exposing the deep-rooted mentality of the author himself. The language used in the book is probably par for the course in Conrad’s era, but it is deeply offensive viewed though modern eyes. Despite being problematic, this book provides a stark look at the uglier side of colonialism, and is a eye-opening read. The celebrated movie adaptation, Apocalypse Now, changes the setting to Vietnam, and the colonial power in question is USA, but the premise remains the same.