Heart of Darkness | Overview

In 1890 Conrad sailed to the Belgian Congo. More than a decade later, he reworked his memories of this trip into his novella Heart of Darkness, a highly symbolic work that explores social and psychological disorder through the central metaphor of a journey to the heart of the African continent. At the end of the journey and center of the mystery lies Mr. Kurtz, who has allegedly "civilized" the natives and brought them education. But Marlow—who is charged with finding Kurtz and learning the secret of his success in exporting ivory— recognizes the decay and corruption of colonial...

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