Evil

In Heart of Darkness, the characters seem to have an inner nature of evil. In the moments when they have nothing to lose, their true natures surface. I first noticed this when Marlow talks about the way people respond to hunger. Marlow says, "No fear can stand up to hunger, no patience can wait it out" (76). Marlow does not see how anyone can withstand the "devilry of lingering starvation" (76). Marlow is actually surprised that the black men on the boat have not turned to cannibalism in an effort to defeat their hunger. Heart of Darkness expresses the idea that black is good and white is bad, contrary to what just about every white man believes during the time Marlow's story takes palce. While Marlow believes any man would eat other humans rather than starve, the black men were able to excercise restraint in this situation, restraint that surprises Marlow. When Marlow threw the dead helmsman overboard it "scandalised" the starving black men, but he only presented a "first-rate temptation" when dead (94-95). The black men are starving, and they would happily eat a dead human, but they are not willing to kill someone to satisfy their hunger. Marlow, who is white, expects them to revolt and eat the rest of the white men.

The evil of human nature also shows itself in the battle between the men on the steamboat and the indigenous people. When the "savages" see the steamboat, they shoot at it. They do not try to make contact with the men on the steamboat and see if they are friendly. They immediately shoot arrows and throw spears. The men on the steamboat of course shoot at the savages in response to the hostile actions. When Marlow asks the harlequin why "they attacked," the harlequin replies "shamefacedly, 'They don't want him to go'" (100). I think the reason they attacked is because of the way Kurtz treats them. He treats them terribly because the nature of man is evil.