Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive Dissonance: The state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, esp. as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change.

Doubtfulness prevails as the main idea of the second part in Heart of Darkness. Marlow experiences a constant cognitive dissonance, as defined above, when he understands that the Indians are human beings just like him, yet is expected to treat them as peasants. The novel has an unexpected change of heart. This dissonance will drill further on into Marlow’s moral, affecting aspects of his expedition drastically.

                Marlow was convinced before leaving London that he would be exposed to tropical atrocities. He was prepared for the worst. “It was unearthly, and the men were—No, they were not inhuman”, Marlow claims. Europeans had created a connotation between the unconquered and the savages. It was all the same to them, their only goal was to exploit ivory. When the resource was over they would simply move on.

                Only few like Marlow were able to see that: “Well, you know, that was the worst of it –this suspicion of them not being inhuman.” In the novel, Kurtz is the first one to notice this, and for that he is seen as an idol, for both Indians and his fellow expedition. Marlow comes in and notices the same pattern, he is confused. He will have to choose whether to defy what is expected of him by the Company back home. Or on the other hand stick to what he is feeling and better off seeing.

 It took a whole expedition for only one person to notice the savages were not uncivilized. Later throughout the novel, Marlow will have to solve his cognitive dissonance. Either he will have to change his ideas to suit what he is supposed to do, or change his actions to meet with the same ideals he is now experiencing.