Absurity In Kafka

This novella is filled with many things: hypocrisy, ambiguity and moral confusion, let alone absurdity. It expresses the idea of the choice between the lesser of two evils. As Marlow is faced with the choice between hypocrisy of colonial bureaucracy or the over-controlled, insane Kurtz, it becomes clear to him that how can social values be relevant in judging evil and is there such a thing as insanity in a world that is already insane? In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad tries to portray examples of absurdity that are present to us in the Company’s mission on the Congo and how is it really insanity or is it just normal work for the men.

As Marlow arrives at the first station, he is faced with the first taste of absurdity. As he arrives at Central Station, he sees a group of black prisoner walking along in chains under the guard of another black man, who is in shoddy uniform and carries a rifle. Marlow remarks that he had already known the “devil of violence, the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desireвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚Ñœ (Conrad 63), but that in Africa he became acquainted with the “flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly” (Conrad 63). This shows that the men were ruled by a man of higher status, though being the same color as them.

Marlow second encounter with absurdity was when he was on a streamer and he was talking to the captain. The captain asked Marlow if he had been living off the seat of the government and Marlow replied, yes. They were talking about how “it’s funny what some people will do for a few francs a-monthвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚Ñœ (Conrad 17). This demonstrates the need for money and the power money has over people. The captain explained that the other day a man had hung himself. Marlow was surprised and asked why and the captain said, “Who knows? The sun too much for him, or the country perhaps.”