Summary & Themes of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Summary 

In a nutshell, Heart of Darkness is a colonial tale narrated by Charles Marlow who talks about his own experience in Africa.

As Marlow works for the Belgian Ivory trading company. Marlow tells his story to fellows which portrays Marlow as a witness to Violence, brutality, and barbarian treatment of greedy colonizers who suppose to "Civilize people and considered others as uncivilized likewise we see in the Novella Europeans considered themselves as Civilized and Africans as uncivilized.

Perhaps, Marlow is Conrad's mouthpiece who depicts the entire heartbreaking scene during his voyage before reaching on his destination.

Despite this fact, Europeans exploited their wealth, rubbering ivory from the African jungle, trading them as commodities, whipping, and torturing them. 

Marlow gets disappointed from seeing the European murderers who committed numerous murders that were unlawful and illegal acts.

Furthermore, Marlow analyzed the behaviours of Europeans in between three Stations from the Outer to the Inner Station that how they considered Africans as (savage, primitive, and uncivilized).

After all that, Marlow finally meets with Kurtz; the successful Ivory treader, a European native and the representative of their culture whom from the very beginning every reader considers a hero or we can say a protagonist of this novel but slowly and gradually when the pages change phases, therefore, we catch his real existence (personality). Kurtz is the best mirror of Imperialist power who develop the fear inside African natives thereby committing several murders and also hanging their head on his home wall.

In fact, Kurtz forces natives of Africa to worship him as he is their God. 

Kurtz, the Ideal personality for every European Soilders but when Marlow sees attributes of Kurtz nevertheless his appreciation turns into degradations. 

At last, Kurtz dies by uttering the last words;

"Horror The Horror The Horror" 

Eventually, Marlow returns to Europe and meets with Kurtz's Fiance, she is in mourning because of Kurtz's death yet, she praises him as a "Paragon of virtue" the one who has no faults or imperfection. 
In the end of the story, she asks from Marlow that what were the last words of Kurtz, Marlow replied that was your name in his last words.

Themes

The Novella sheds the light on discrimination, racism, superiority, imperialism, and dehumanization. Throughout, the trip from the outer station to the central station in the end Inner stations, Marlow encountered the scenario of torture, murder, cruelty, and slavery.
Perhaps, he also talks about the "Devil of Greed", and "Devil of hot desires".
The imposement over African affects them physically, psychologically, and emotionally.

Kurtz Representation

Kurtz, the main character of the novella went to Africa in order to become the best example of white civilization but become the example of white credulity, greed is shown as the ultimate proof of this "kinship" between civilized European and uncivilized Africans.

If we uncover Kurtz's personality,  though he is multi-talented including, Artist, musician, and journalist, and also has a grip on politics, however, he can dominate the illiterate colonized of Africans instead of being an offender who lacks humanity.

Greediness is a common feature of colonizers which shows their great lust for power authority and wealth.

Kurtz rules the place brutally and he even refused to leave that place unless he passes away moreover, Kurtz is so obsessed with gaining money and power. 

Obviously, the greed and power have corrupted the white colonizers or imperialists. 

At the end of the novella, Conrad depicts the horrific end of colonizers and imperialists through his characters like Kurtz his last words "Horror, the horror" symbolizes the fear of death that he never thinks about and considered himself as he is the universal God. Secondly, his last words also symbolize that how he is receiving the divine punishment due to his sins; crime, brutality, and cruelty. 

Imperialism 

"Imperialism is the key that opens the gates of the devils of greed"

imperialism refers to the forceful occurrence of power in any country moreover, it is the policy of Europe in order to expand geographically thus extending the power through using the supremacy card over the inferior. 

The theme of Imperialism lies at the center of the novel. Perhaps, it was the time of king Leopard II who was bankrupt and in serious need of money. In fact, Congo is like his own property instead of a Belgian colony. His policy was never to improve the Congo colony however, he merely urge to get money. 

Constantly, the Europeans are supposed to bring light and knowledge to Africa but Africans became blind thereby manipulating their interesting- commercial benefits eventually they can not recognize the dark side of imperialism.

Despite the fact, white men failed to fulfill their duties and did not accomplish the promise of bringing civilization to Africa. The actual purpose of Europeans was to exploit the Congo place and their people under the government of King Leopard II for the sake of their trade nevertheless Belgian companies sent agents into Congo for trading purposes. The relatable illustration of evilness and selfishness can be seen in Kurtz's character.

Racism 

Racism gained strength throughout the 18th century when the statement claimed about the inequality in every aspect including; (physical, color, status, and psychological).

Perhaps, the racist approach is best known for color discrimination like (White and Black)

Rom makes clear that how Europeans see black;

"The black men are senseless, immoral, unethical, and meaningless who do not have any purpose to live". 

In the United States and in Europeans countries, white people considered themselves superior to black/darker people. 

In the 19th century, Europeans were interested in gaining resources and wealth without giving importance to others yet the best illustration is Africa's exploitation by the hands of Europeans. They treated them as animals because Europeans had a solid reason for Africans was that; they were neither civilized nor literal people.

Many Writers depict the issues of racism, colonialism, and imperialism. such as 

Bapsi Sidwa in "Cracking India" 

Mumtaz Shahnawaz (Heart Divided)