Episode 179: Heart of Darkness Part III - Belief and Reality

As Marlow travels deeper into the heart of darkness, we get our first look at the enigmatic Kurtz. At first just a peripheral figure who is important to the ivory collection operation of the nameless "Company," Kurtz comes to occupy more of Marlow's thoughts the further into the Congo he goes. Marlow also meets the characters of the Manager and the Brickmaker, who put different theories of authoritarianism and imperialism to the test. How complicit was the average grunt in the imperial operation?

This episode is part 3 in a larger series on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It covers the end of chapter one and the beginnings of Marlow's crisis at the intersection of belief and reality. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (1899) is both a scathing critique of European imperialism and a reminder that all humans have the capacity to succumb to the heart of darkness. It also is not without controversy, as people have been debating it's meaning and essence for over a century now.

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