Civilization in The Heart Of Darkness.
In the critically acclaimed novel, The Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad asks the question what is civilization. According to the Webster Dictionary, a civilization is an advanced state of intellectual, cultural, and material development in human society. This civilization is marked by progress in the arts and sciences, and includes the extensive use of record keeping, including writing, and the appearance of complex political and social institutions. However throughout the novel, those who were considered the most civilized citizens in society ended up being the most animalistic and power-thriving individuals.
One of the many underlying themes in the novel is that civilization is superficial. Mr. Kurtz journeys to Africa for enlightenment and to further his highly achieved knowledge, once there he finds his true self and his superficial shell are unveiled. Left behind is the ugly beast, which is within each civilized individual. Marlow speaks about the inner evil of mankind when he says "even apart from the very natural aversion I had to beat that shadow." In The Heart of Darkness, Conrad deals with the innermost darkness of mankind. That man in inherently evil and his evils is only masked by civilization.
To me, civilization is a mask used to hide the truth. Americans love to compare themselves to other nations across the world. The love to look at other civilizations, and discuss them as how less civilized they are, and praise themselves as the more civilized people. However, what does civilization have to do with the nature of mankind? Man has always been greedy by nature. Civilization just helps constrain that greed, but once no one is looking, that beast in unleashed. Civilization forces individuals to conform to its restraints and beliefs. In a way society acts as parent, teaching you what is right and what is wrong.
In the novel, The Heart of Darkness, Kurtz hides behind a mask of civilization.
