Heart of Darkness | Essays and Criticism

  • Colonial Exploitation and Human Nature

    In this essay, Roger Moore provides an overview of Heart of Darkness, exploring both Conrad's searing indictment of European Colonial exploitation and the symbolic journey into the deepest recesses of human nature. Moore discusses the themes of hypocrisy, unmitigated evil, ambiguity, doubt, and the meaningless.

  • The Intertwining of Philosophical and Colonial Themes

    In the following essay, Kevin Attell explores how Heart of Darkness has been viewed as both a commentary on the evils of colonialism and a philosophical exploration of the human psyche. Attell argues that critics who argue that the novel is either historical or philosophical ‘‘misses Conrad's insight that the two are in fact inseparable.’’

  • An Image of Africa

    In the following excerpt, Chinua Achebe argues that the racist attitudes inherent in Conrad's novel make it ‘‘totally inconceivable’’ that it could be considered ‘‘great art.’’

  • Ingress to the Heart of Darkness

    In the following excerpt, Walter F. Wright suggests that the scene in which Marlow conceals the nature of Kurtz's death ‘‘is really a study of the nature of truth.’’