Conrad’s novella is sometimes described as being written with the structure of a Russian Doll. Marlow’s tale is told inside of the unnamed narrator’s time on the Thames. Further, as Marlow journeys deeper into the heart of Africa and towards the twisted Kurtz, so too does the reader travel farther into the story’s plot and theme. However, the nameless narrator’s early declaration that to Marlow “the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze” suggests that some of Conrad’s meaning is derived from outer layers and peripheral events rather than only from the direct journey into the literal and figurative heart of darkness (Conrad 9).
The most notable example(s) of this structural element are Marlow’s experiences in Brussels, both before and after his time in Africa. His comparison of the city to a whited sepulchre implies light and civilization that most Europeans believed they possessed. When Marlow returns to this city after his encounter with Kurtz, he is appalled by the machinelike capitalistic workings of the society in which he had previously placed the utmost confidence. Africa clearly changed him, and the results are most clear when he is in Europe. Other notable events in Brussels are Marlow’s meeting with the doctor, who measures his head even though he admits that “the changes [caused in Africa] take place inside” (Conrad 15). Here, Europeans’ lack of knowledge and blind adherence to their powerless methods are satirized. Later, Marlow’s meetings with various acquaintances of the late Kurtz will reveal just how little was known about the man. Each person seems to have a different conception of Kurtz and his talents, which range from journalist to politician to humanitarian to musician. The man is a legend to many, yet none can seem to agree on why this is so.
In spite of the importance of these exterior events, the structure of the story as a journey into the center still plays an essential role, specifically in Conrad’s development of theme. The madness wrought by imperialism is embodied by Kurtz, who Marlow can only reach by pushing forward into the interior of both Africa and the human psyche. Without his journey, Marlow would have never interacted with his crew of cannibals who make him think so much about the connections inherent in the human race. The thin veneer of self-restraint which governs Europeans at home would not be put on display if Marlow had stayed at the Central Station and been content to listen to endless tales of Kurtz’s exploits and “unsound methods.”
In spite of the importance of these exterior events, the structure of the story as a journey into the center still plays an essential role, specifically in Conrad’s development of theme. The madness wrought by imperialism is embodied by Kurtz, who Marlow can only reach by pushing forward into the interior of both Africa and the human psyche. Without his journey, Marlow would have never interacted with his crew of cannibals who make him think so much about the connections inherent in the human race. The thin veneer of self-restraint which governs Europeans at home would not be put on display if Marlow had stayed at the Central Station and been content to listen to endless tales of Kurtz’s exploits and “unsound methods.”
