Albert Guerard The Journey Within 1958, Harvard The autobiographical ba i o!

the narrative i "ell #no"n, and it intro pective bia obviou $ thi i %onrad& longe t 'ourney into el!( )ut it i "ell to re*e*ber that "Heart of Darkness" i al o other i! *ore uper!icial thing + a en itive and vivid travelogue, and a co**ent on ,the vile t cra*ble !or loot that ever di !igured the hi tory o! hu*an con cience and geographical e-ploration(, . The %ongo "a *uch in the public *ind in 1889, "hen Henry /tanley& relie! e-pedition !ound 0*in 1a ha 2"ho li#e 3urt4 did not "ant to be re cued5, and it i intere ting to note that %onrad "a in )ru el during or i**ediately a!ter /tanley& triu*phant "elco*e there in April 1896( 76 Thi "a 'u t be!ore he et out on hi o"n %ongo 'ourney( We do not #no" ho" *uch the George Antoine 3lein "ho died on board the Roi des Belges re e*bled the !ictional 3urt4, but /tanley hi* el! provided no *ean e-a*ple o! a *an "ho could glo over the e-ter*ination o! avage "ith piou *orali * "hich "ere very po ibly , incere(, "Heart of Darkness" thu ha it i*portant public ide, a an angry docu*ent on ab urd and brutal e-ploitation( 8arlo" i treated to the pectacle o! a 9rench *an:o!:"ar helling an un een ,ene*y, village in the bu h, and pre ently he "ill "ander into the grove at the !ir t co*pany tation "here the tarving and ic# ;egroe "ithdra" to die( <t i one o! the greate t o! %onrad& *any *o*ent o! co*pa ionate rendering( The co*pa ion e-tend even to the cannibal cre" o! the Roi des Belges( =eprived o! the rotten hippo *eat they had brought along !or !ood, and paid three nine:inch piece o! bra "ire a "ee#, they appear to ub i t on ,lu*p o! o*e tu!! li#e hal!:coo#ed dough, o! a dirty lavender color, "hich they #eep "rapped in leave ( %onrad here operate through a*biguou ugge tion 2are the lu*p hu*an !le h>5 but el e"here he "ant , li#e Gide a!ter hi*, to *a#e hi co*placent 0uropean reader ee+ ee, !or in tance, the drun#en un#e*pt o!!icial *et on the road and three *ile !arther on the body o! the ;egro "ith a bullet hole in hi !orehead( . "Heart of Darkness" i a record o! thing een and done( )ut al o %onrad "a reacting to the hu*anitarian preten e o! o*e o! the looter preci ely a the noveli t today react to the *orali * o! cold:"ar propaganda( Then it "a ivory that poured !ro* the heart o! dar#ne $ no" it i uraniu*( %onrad hre"dly recogni4ed :: an intuition a*ply developed in Nostromo :: that deception i *o t ini ter "hen it beco*e el!deception, and the propagandi t ta#e eriou ly hi o"n &!iction ( 3urt4 ,could get hi* el! to believe anything :: anything(, The benevolent rhetoric o! hi eventeen:page report !or the <nternational /ociety !or the /uppre ion o! /avage %u to* "a *eant incerely enough( )ut a deeper incerity po#e through hi cra"led po t cript+ ,0-ter*inate all the brute ?, The con ervative %onrad 2"ho !ound =on#in !it to be a labor leader5 pea# through the 'ournali t "ho ay that ,3urt4& proper phere ought to have been politic &on the popular ide(&, %onrad, again li#e *any noveli t today, "a both dra"n to ideali * and repelled by it hypocritical abu e( ,The con@ue t o! the earth, "hich *o tly *ean the ta#ing it a"ay !ro* tho e "ho have a di!!erent co*ple-ion or lightly !latter no e than our elve , i not a pretty thing "hen you loo# into it too *uch( What redee* it i the idea only( An idea at the bac# o! it$ not a enti*ental pretence but an idea$ and an un el!i h belie! in the idea ( ( (, 8arlo" co**it hi* el! to the yet un een agent partly becau e 3urt4 ,had co*e out e@uipped "ith *oral idea o! o*e ort(, Anything "ould ee* pre!erable to the de*orali4ed greed and total cynici *o! the other , ,the !labby devil, o! the %entral /tation( Aater, "hen he di cover "hat ha happened to 3urt4& *oral idea , he re*ain !aith!ul to the ,night*are o! *y choice(, <n Under Western Eyes /ophia Antonovna *a#e a di tinction bet"een tho e "ho burn and tho e "ho rot, and re*ar# that it i o*eti*e pre!erable to burn( The 3urt4 "ho had *ade hi* el! literally one o! the devil o! the land, and "ho in olitude had #ic#ed hi* el! loo e o! the earth, burn "hile the other rot( Through violent not !labby evil he e-i t in the *oral univer e even be!ore pronouncing 'udg*ent on hi* el! "ith hi dying breath( A little too *uch ha been *ade, < thin#, o! the rede*ptive value o! tho e t"o "ord : "The horror!" )ut none o! the co*pany ,pilgri* , could have uttered the*( <n any event, it i ti*e to recogni4e that the tory i not pri*arily about 3urt4 or about the brutality o! )elgian o!!icial but about 8arlo" it narrator( To "hat e-tent it al o e-pre e ( The Jo eph %onrad a biographer *ight conceivably recover, "ho in 1898 till !elt a debt *u t be paid !or hi %ongo 'ourney and "ho paid it by the "riting o! thi tory, i doubtle an in oluble @ue tion( < u pect t"o !act 2o! a po ible everal hundred5 are i*portant( 9ir t, that going to the %ongo "a the enact*ent o! a childhood "i h a ociated "ith the di approved childhood a*bition to go to ea, and that thi belated enact*ent "a it el! pro!oundly di approved, in 1896, by the uncle and guardian( 71 <t "a another ge ture o! a *an bent on thro"ing hi li!e a"ay( )ut even *ore i*portant *ay be the guilt o! co*plicity, 'u t uch a guilt a *any noveli t o! the /econd World War have been obliged to "or# o!!( What %onrad thought o! the e-pedition o! the 3atanga %o*pany o! 1896:189B i accurately re!lected in hi re*ar# on the "Eldorado Exploring Expedition" o! "Heart of Darkness"+ ,<t "a rec#le "ithout hardihood, greedy "ithout audacity, and cruel "ithout courage ( ( ( "ith no *ore *oral purpo e at the bac# o! it than there i in burglar brea#ing into a a!e(, Cet %onrad hoped to obtain co**and o! the e-pedition& hip even a!ter he had returned !ro* the initiatory voyage dra*ati4ed in hi novel( Thu the adventurou %onrad and %onrad the *orali t *ay have e-perienced colli ion( )ut the colli ion, again a "ith o *any noveli t o! the econd "ar, could "ell have been de!erred and retro pective, not !elt inten ely at the ti*e( /o *uch !or the elu ive %onrad o! the biographer and o! the "Congo Diary " /ub tantially and in it central e*pha i "Heart of Darkness" concern 8arlo" 2pro'ection to "hatever great or *all degree o! a *ore irrecoverable %onrad5 and hi 'ourney to"ard and through certain !acet or potentialitie o! el!( 9( D( Aeavi ee* to regard hi* a a narrator only, providing a , peci!ic and concretely reali4ed point o! vie"(, 7B )ut 8arlo" reiterate o!ten enough that he i recounting a piritual voyage o! el!:di covery( He re*ar# ca ually but crucially that he did not #no" hi* el! be!ore etting out, and that he li#e "or# !or the chance it provide to ,!ind your el! ( ( ( "hat no other *an can ever #no"(, The <nner /tation ,"a the !arthe t point o! navigation and the cul*inating point o! *y

e-perience(, At a *aterial and rather uper!icial level, the 'ourney i through the te*ptation o! atavi *( <t i a record o! ,re*ote #in hip, "ith the ,"ild and pa ionate uproar,, o! a ,trace o! a re pon e, to it, o! a !inal re'ection o! the ,!a cination o! the abo*ination(, And "hy hould there not be the trace o! a re pon e> ,The *ind o! *an i capable o! anything :: becau e everything i in it, all the pa t a "ell a all the !uture(, 8arlo"& te*ptation i *ade concrete through hi e-po ure to 3urt4, a "hite *an and o*eti*e ideali t "ho had !ully re ponded to the "ilderne + a potential and !allen el!( ,< had turned to the "ilderne really, not to 8r( 3urt4(, At the cli*a- 8arlo" !ollo" 3urt4 a hore, con!ound the beat o! the dru* "ith the beating o! hi heart, goe through the ordeal o! loo#ing into 3urt4& ,*ad oul,, and bring hi* bac# to the hip( He return to 0urope a changed and *ore #no"ing *an( Erdi:nary people are no" ,intruder "ho e #no"ledge o! li!e "a to *e an irritating pretence, becau e < !elt o ure they could not po ibly #no" the thing < #ne"(, En thi literal plane, and "hen the event are o ab tracted !ro* the drea*: en ation conveying the*, it i hard to ta#e 8arlo"& plight very eriou ly( Will he, the bu y captain and *orali4ing narrator, al o revert to avagery, go a hore !or a ho"l and a dance, indulge un pea#able lu t > The late Fictorian reader 2and po ibly %onrad hi* el! could ta#e thi *ore eriou ly than "e$ could literally believe not *erely in a 3urt4& deterioration through *onth o! olitude but al o in the udden rever ion to the ,bea t, o! naturali tic !iction( <n o!ar a %onrad doe "ant u to ta#e it eriou ly and literally, "e *u t ad*it the no*inal triu*ph o! a currently accepted but !al e p ychology over hi o"n truer intuition ( )ut the triu*ph i only no*inal( 9or the per onal narrative i un*i ta#ably authentic, "hich *ean that it e-plore o*ething truer, *ore !unda*ental, and di tinctly le *aterial+ the night 'ourney into the uncon ciou , and con!rontation o! an entity "ithin the el!( ,< !lung one hoe overboard, and beca*e a"are that that "a e-actly "hat < had been loo#ing !or"ard to :: a tal# "ith 3urt4(, <t little *atter "hat, in ter* o! p ychological y*boli *, "e call thi double or ay he repre ent + "hether the 9reudian id or the Jungian hado" or *ore vaguely the outla"( And < a* a!raid it i i*po ible to ay "here %onrad& con ciou under tanding o! hi tory began and ended( The i*portant thing i that the intro pective plunge and po"er!ul drea* ee* true$ and are there!ore inevitably *oving( %ertain circu* tance o! 8arlo"& voyage, loo#ed at in the e ter* , ta#e on a ne" i*portance( The true night 'ourney can occur 2e-cept during analy i 5 only in leep or in the "a#ing drea* o! a pro!oundly intuitive *ind( 8arlo" in i t *ore than i nece ary on the drea*li#e @uality o! i narrative( ,<t ee* to *e < a* trying to tell you a drea* *a#ing a vain atte*pt, becau e no relation o! a drea* can convey the drea*: en ation, that co**ingling o! ab urdity, urpri e, and be"ilder*ent in a tre*or o! truggling re: alo*ania and a u*ption o! hi place a*ong the devil o! the land$ report on the eventeen:page pa*phlet$ relate hi *eeting and conver ation "ith 3urt4& harle@uin di ciple :and only then tell o! eeing through hi binocular the head on the ta#e urrounding 3urt4& hou e( Thi i the ,eva ive, %onrad in !ull play, de!erring "hat "e *o t "ant to #no" and ee$ perhap co*pelled to de!er cli*a- in thi "ay( The tactic i dra*atically e!!ective, though po ibly carried to e-ce + "e are told on the authority o! co*pleted #no"ledge certain thing "e "ould have !ound hard to believe had they been pre ented through a lo" con ecutive reali tic di covery( )ut al o it can be argued that it "a p ychologically i*po ible !or 8arlo" to go at once to 3urt4& hou e "ith the other ( The double *u t be brought on board the hip, and the !ir t con!rontation *u t occur there( We are re*inded o! Aeggatt in the narrator& cabin, o! the trapped Wait on the ;arci u ( The incorporation and alliance bet"een the t"o beco*e *aterial, and the identi!ication o! , elve (, Hence the hoc# 8arlo" e-perience "hen he di cover that 3urt4& cabin i e*pty and hi ecret harer gone$ a part o! hi* el! ha vani hed( ,What *ade thi e*otion o overpo"ering "a :: ho" hall < de!ine it> :: the *oral hoc# < received, a i! o*ething altogether *on trou , intolerable to thought and odiou to the oul, had been thru t upon *e une-pectedly(, And no" he *u t ri # the ulti*ate con!rontation in a true olitude and *u t do o on hore( ,< "a an-iou to deal "ith thi hado" by *y el! alone :: and to thi day < don&t #no" "hy < "a o 'ealou o! haring "ith anyone the peculiar blac#ne o! that e-perience(, He !ollo" the cra"ling 3urt4 through the gra $ co*e upon hi* ,long, pale, indi tinct, li#e a vapor e-haled by the earth(, 2,< had cut hi* o!! cleverly ( ( (,5 We are told very little o! "hat 3urt4 aid in the *o*ent that !ollo"$ and little o! hi incoherent di cour e a!ter he i brought bac# to the hip( ,Hi "a an i*penetrable dar#ne ( < loo#ed at hi* a you peer do"n at a *an "ho i lying at the botto* o! a precipice "here the un never hine , :: a co**ent le vague and rhetorical, in ter* o! p ychic geography, than it *ay ee* at a !ir t reading( And then 3urt4 i dead, ta#en o!! the hip, hi body buried in a ,*uddy hole(, With the con!rontation over, 8arlo" *u t till e*erge !ro* environing dar#ne , and doe o through that other deep !og o! ic#ne ( The identi!ication i not yet co*pletely bro#en( ,And it i not *y o"n e-tre*ity < re*e*ber be t :: a vi ion o! grayne "ithout !or* !illed "ith phy ical pain, and a carele conte*pt !or the evane cence o! all thing :: even o! thi pain it el!( ;o? <t i hi e-tre*ity that < ee* to have lived through(, Enly in the atone*ent o! hi lie to 3urt4 "!ntended"" bac# in the epulchral city, doe the e-perience co*e truly to an end( ,< laid the gho t o! hi gi!t at la t "ith a lie ( ( (,

/uch ee* to be the content o! the drea*( <! *y u**ary ha even a partial validity it hould e-plain and to an e-tent 'u ti!y o*e o! the ,ad'ectival and "or e than upererogatory in i tence, to "hich 9( D( Aeavi 2"ho ee only the travelogue and the portrait o! 3urt45 ob'ect ( < a* "illing to grant that the un pea#able rite and un pea#able ecret beco*e "eari o*e, but the !act :: at once literary and p ychological :: i that they *u t re*ain #nspoken( A con!rontation "ith uch a double and !acet o! the uncon ciou cannot be reported through reali tic dialogue$ the conver ation *u t re*ain a hado"y a the narrator& conver ation "ith Aeggatt( /o too "hen 8arlo" !ind it hard to de!ine the *oral hoc# he received on eeing the e*pty cabin, or "hen he ay he doe n&t #no" "hy he "a 'ealou o! haring hi e-perience, < thin# "e can ta#e hi* literally ( ( ( and in a en e even be than#!ul !or hi uncertainty( The greater tautne and econo*y o! "The $e%ret $harer" co*e !ro* it larger con ciou a"arene o! the p ychological proce it de cribe $ !ro* it *ore deliberate u e o! the double a y*bol( And o! the t"o torie < happen to pre!er it( )ut it *ay be the groping, !u*bling "Heart of Darkness" ta#e u into a deeper region o! the *ind( <! the tory i not about thi deeper region, and not about 8arlo" hi* el!, it length i @uite inde!en ible( )ut even i! one "ere to allo" that the !inal ection i about 3urt4 2"hich < thin# i*ply ab urd5, a vivid pictorial record o! hi un pea#able lu t and grati!ication "ould urely have been ludicrou ( < hare 8r( Aeavi & ad*iration !or the head on the ta#e ( )ut not even 3urt4 could have upported *any uch particular ( . ,< li tened on the "atch !or the entence, !or the "ord, that "ould give *e the clue to the !aint unea ine in pired by thi narrative that ee*ed to hape it el! "ithout hu*an lip in the heavy night air o! the river(, Thu one o! 8arlo"& li tener , the original ,<, "ho !ra*e the tory, co**ent on it initial e!!ect( He ha di covered ho" alert one *u t be to the ebb and !lo" o! 8arlo"& narrative, and here "arn the reader( )ut there i no ingle "ord$ not even the "ord tran%e "ill do( 9or the hi!ting play o! thought and !eeling and i*age and event i very intricate( <t i not vivid detail alone, the head on ta#e or the bloody hoe $ nor only the dar# *a o! *orali4ing ab traction$ nor the dra*ati4ed p ychological intuition apart !ro* their conte-t that give ,Heart o! =ar#: ne , it brooding "eight( The i*pre ioni t *ethod :: one cannot leave thi tory "ithout ub cribing to the obviou :!ind here one o! it great triu*ph o! tone( The rando* *ove*ent o! the night*are i al o the controlled *ove*ent o! a poe*, in "hich a @uality o! !eeling *ay be tated or ugge ted and only *uch later 'u ti!ied( )ut it i 'u ti!ied at la t( The *ethod i in i*portant "ay di!!erent !ro* that o! &ord 'im, though the hort novel "a "ritten during an interval in the long one, and though 8arlo" pea# to u in both( 9or "e do not have here the radical ob!u cation and udden "renching and violent chronological a*biguitie o! &ord 'im( ;or are "e, a in Nostromo, at the *ercy o! a "ay"ard !la hlight *oving rapidly in a cluttered roo*( "Heart of Darkness" i no uch true e-a*ple o! patial !or*( <n tead the narrative advance and "ithdra" a in a ucce ion o! long dar# "ave borne by an inco*ing tide( The "ave encroach !airly evenly on the hore, and pre ently a !e" *ore !eet o! and have been "on( )ut an occa ional "ave thru t up une-pectedly, *uch !arther than the other + even a !ar, ay, a 3urt4 and hi <nner /tation( Er, to ta#e the other !igure+ the !la hlight i held !ir*ly$ there are no "hi* ical 'er#ing !ro* ide to ide( )ut no" and then it i rai ed higher, and !or a brie! *o*ent in a udden clear light "e di cern enig*atic *atter to be e-plored *uch later( Thu the *ove*ent o! the tory i inuou ly progre ive, "ith *uch incre*ental repetition( The intent i not to ub'ect the reader to *ultiple train and a*biguitie , but rather to thro" over hi* a brooding gloo*, uch a "ar* pall a tho e t"o 9ate in the ho*e o!!ice *ight #nit, bac# in the epulchral city( Cet no !igure can convey "Heart of Darkness" in all it re onance and tenebrou at*o phere( The *ove*ent i not one o! penetration and "ithdra"al only$ it i al o the tracing o! a large grand circle o! a"arene ( <t begin "ith the !riend on the yacht under the dar# above Grave end and at la t return to the*, to the tran@uil "ater"ay that ,leading to the utter*o t end o! the earth !lo"ed o*bre under an overca t #y :: ee*ed to lead into the heart o! an i**en e dar#ne (, 9or thi al o ,ha been one o! the dar# place o! the earth,, and 8arlo" e*ploy !ro* the !ir t hi *ethod o! re!le-ive re!erence and ca ual !ore hado"ing( The Do*an "ere *en enough to !ace thi dar#ne o! the Tha*e running bet"een avage hore ( ,Here and there a *ilitary ca*p lo t in a "ilderne , li#e a needle in a bundle o! hay :: cold, !og, te*pe t , di ea e, e-ile, and death :: death #ul#ing in the air, in the "ater, in the bu h(, )ut the e Do*an "ere ,no coloni t ,, no *ore than the pilgri* o! the %ongo nineteen hundred year later$ ,their ad*ini tration "a *erely a @uee4e(, Thu early 8arlo" e tabli he certain political value ( The 9rench gunboat !iring into a continent anticipate the blind !iring o! the pilgri* into the 'ungle "hen the hip ha been attac#ed( And 8arlo" hear o! 3urt4& !ir t atte*pt to e*erge !ro* the "ilderne long be!ore he *eet 3urt4 in the !le h, and "re tle "ith hi reluctance to leave( 8arlo" return again and again, "ith increa ing irony, to 3urt4& benevolent pa*phlet( The travelogue a travelogue i not to be ignored$ and one o! Doger %a e*ent& con ular ucce or in the %ongo 2to "ho* < introduced "Heart of Darkness" in 195G5 re*ar#ed at once that %onrad certainly had a ,!eel !or the country(, The de*orali4ation o! the !ir t co*pany tation i rendered by a boiler ,"allo"ing in the gra ,, by a rail"ay truc# "ith it "heel in the air( 1re ently 8arlo" "ill di cover a car in the hill ide into "hich drainage

pipe !or the ettle*ent had been tu*bled$ then "ill "al# into the grove "here the ;egroe are !ree to die in a ,greeni h gloo*(, The harply vi uali4ed particular uddenly intrude on the o*ber intellectual !lo" o! 8arlo"& *editation+ *agni!ied, arre ting( The boiler*a#er "ho ,had to cra"l in the *ud under the botto* o! the tea*boat ( ( ( "ould tie up that beard o! hi in a #ind o! "hite erviette he brought !or the purpo e( <t had loop to go over hi ear (, The papier:*achH 8ephi tophele i a vivid, "ith hi delicate hoo#ed no e and glittering *ica eye ( /o too i 3urt4& harle@uin co*panion and ad*irer, hu*bly di ociating hi* el! !ro* the *a ter& lu t and grati!ication ( ,<? <? < a* a i*ple *an( < have no great thought (, And even 3urt4, hado" and y*bol though he be, the *an o! elo@uence "ho in thi tory i al*o t voicele , and nece arily o :: even 3urt4 i harply vi uali4ed, an ,ani*ated i*age o! death,, a #ull and body e*erging a !ro* a "inding heet, ,the cage o! hi rib all a tir, the bone o! hi ar* "aving(, The in i tence on dar#ne , !inally, and @uite apart !ro* ethical or *ythical overtone, ee* a right one !or thi e-tre*ely per onal tate*ent( There i a dar#ne o! pa ivity, paraly i , i**obili4ation$ it i !ro* the tate o! entranced languor rather than !ro* the *on trou de ire that the double 3urt4, thi hado", *u t be aved( <n 9reudian theory, "e are told, uch preoccupation *ay indicate !ear o! the !e*inine and pa ive( )ut *ay it not al o be connected, through one o! the pirit& *ultiple di gui e , "ith a radical !ear o! death, that other dar#ne > ,< had turned to the "ilderne really, not to 8r( 3urt4, "ho, < "a ready to ad*it, "a a good a buried( And !or a *o*ent it ee*ed to *e a i! < al o "ere buried in a va t grave !ull o! un pea#able ecret ( < !elt an intolerable "eight oppre ing *y brea t, the *ell o! the da*p earth, the un een pre ence o! victoriou corruption, the dar#ne o! an i*penetrable night(, Thi i A!rica and it !labby inhabitant $ %onrad did indeed have a ,!eel !or the country(, Cet the dar# tonalitie and !inal brooding i*pre ion derive a *uch !ro* rhyth* and rhetoric a !ro* uch vi ual detail + derive !ro* the high aloo! ironie and !ro* a pro e that it el! advance and recede in "ave ( ,Thi initiated "raith !ro* the bac# o! ;o"here honored *e "ith it a*a4ing con!idence be!ore it vani hed altogether(, Er, ,<t i trange ho" < accepted thi un!or een partner hip, thi choice o! night*are !orced upon *e in the tenebrou land invaded by the e *ean and greedy phanto* (, The e are true %onradian rhyth* , but they are al o rhyth* o! thought( The i**ediate pre ent can be rendered "ith great co*pactne and dra*a+ the hip taggering "ithin ten !eet o! the ban# at the ti*e o! the attac#, and 8arlo"& udden gli*p e o! a !ace a*ong t the leave , then o! the bu h , "ar*ing "ith hu*an li*b (, )ut till *ore i**ediate and per onal, it *ay be, are the *editative pa age evo#ing va t tract o! ti*e, and the ,!ir t o! *en ta#ing po e ion o! an accur ed inheritance(, The pro e i varied, !ar *ore o than i u ual in the early "or#, both in rhyth* and in the *ove*ent !ro* the general to the particular and bac#( )ut the haped entence collecting and !ully e-pending it breath appear to be the nor*( /o*e o! the be t pa age begin and end "ith the*+ ,Going up that river "a li#e traveling bac# to the earlie t beginning o! the "orld, "hen vegetation rioted on the earth and the big tree "ere #ing ( An e*pty trea*, a great ilence, an i*penetrable !ore t( The air "a "ar*, thic#, heavy, luggi h( There "a no 'oy in the brilliance o! un hine( The long tretche o! the "ater"ay ran on, de erted, into the gloo* o! over hado"ed di tance ( En ilvery andban# hippo and alligator unned the* elve ide by ide(, 7I <t "ould be !olly to try to li*it the *enace o! vegetation in the re tle li!e o! %onradian i*age and y*bol( )ut the pa age re*ind u again o! the tory& re!le-ive re!erence , and it i*age o! deathly i**obili4ation in gra ( 8o t tri#ing are the blac# hado" dying in the greeni h gloo* o! the grove at the !ir t tation( )ut gra prout bet"een the tone o! the 0uropean city, a ,"hited epulcher,, and on the a*e page 8arlo" anticipate co*ing upon the re*ain o! hi predece or+ ,the gra gro"ing through hi rib "a tall enough to hide hi bone (, The critical *eeting "ith 3urt4 occur on a trail through the gra ( < there not perhap an inten e horror behind the ca ualne "ith "hich 8arlo" report hi di coverie , ay o! the ;egro "ith the bullet in hi !orehead> Er+ ,;o" and then a carrier dead in harne , at re t in the long gra near the path, "ith an e*pty "ater gourd and hi long ta!! lying by hi ide(, All thi , one *u t ac#no"ledge, doe not *a#e up an ordinary light travelogue( There i no little irony in the letter o! ;ove*ber 9, 1891, %onrad received !ro* hi guardian a!ter returning !ro* the %ongo, and "hile phy ically di abled and eriou ly depre ed+ ,< a* ure that "ith your *elancholy te*pera*ent you ought to avoid all lead to pe i*i tic conclu ion ( < advi e you to lead a *ore active li!e than ever and to cultivate cheer!ul habit (, 75 Jneven in language on certain page , and lac#ing "The $e%ret $harer" & econo*y, "Heart of Darkness" neverthele re*ain one o! the great dar# *editation in literature, and one o! the pure t e-pre ion o! a *elancholy te*pera*ent( *editation "hich