Really? Really?!

Alright I probably could have told you this by the end of chapter one but, the "heart of darkness" is the disease of imperialism. The concept is an addiction that captured the heart of Kurtz and drove the actions of Marlow. Chapter three was basically a long journey home. Kurtz's health progressively gets worse the further away from the "heart" of Africa they travel. Marlow also becomes sick during this time which most likely symbolizes his touch of the imperialistic virus. Its interesting that Marlow refers to the journey home as "swift," while he always referred to his travels into the continent as "extensive." It seems that entering the darkness is more difficult than leaving; however, the return is more than natural. Marlow is not happy in Brussels as he experiences his own sense of self-importance. He is drawn back to the river, back to the dark continent which he once feared he would never be able to escape. The irony of the struggle and accomplishment, only to return, and the irony of the "voice" (Mr. Kurtz) which turned out to be very fallible as a human being, indicate a tragic system of imperialism that consumes the heart of men who naively believe the lie of their own self-righteousness. Boom! That's about it.