moralhod Relative Morality in Joseph Conrads Heart of...

Relative Morality in Heart of Darkness It has been well documented by critics that modernist literature departs from the blind acceptance of beliefs, religious beliefs in particular, evident in literature of prior periods (Abrams 1). As Jump notes [...] the modern western world is less sure of its values than most previous cultures with which we are familiar; relativism and subjectivity are facts of everyday experience (15). Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness is no exception. The novel does explore the place of the individual in an increasingly complex society, but Conrads presentation specifically focuses on the moral dilemma of man in a godless world. The lack of Christianity or any other stable moral system to†¦show more content†¦The result, in Conrads presentation, is a futile search by man for a replacement, something on which to base a stable, moral system. Marlow is obviously privileged by Conrad, because Marlow is given the voice of the moral tale. He is not, however, the only preacher in Heart of Darkness. Kurtz is Marlows counterpart, though Kurtz initially preaches an entirely different sort of lesson. Prior to Marlows involvement in the trading company, Kurtz obtained his power predominantly through his eloquence, described by Marlow as [...] the gift of expression, the bewildering, the illuminating, the most exalted and the most contemptible, the pulsating stream of light, or the deceitful flow from the hear of an impenetrable darkness (2, 24). He too had a voice, and for those who believed in him, Kurtzs word was law. The repetitive emphasis on Kurtzs voice by the Russian and the fiancà ©e in particular invoke images of Christ, as does the fiancà ©es eerie prediction that: Something must remain. His words, at least, have not died (3, 68). Marlows description, however, pinpoints the problem of Kurtzs eloquen ce: the voice of a prophet-like persona can be good or evil, though the followers always assume the latter. Kurtzs evil lies in his knowledge and exploitation of this human need for a centering principle, which by