The Inferno of The Congo

    It is not uncommon to witness authors taking inspiration from other literary works. Joseph Conrad is a great example of this quality. It is obvious to well educated readers that his novella, The Heart of Darkness, is almost completely inspired by Dante Alighieri's work of The Divine Comedy, specifically the poem from his commedia: Inferno. Throughout Conrad's novella there are great accomplishments of: allusions, bibliomancy, and allegories. These literary devices all can be connected to Alighieri. It is Conrad's connection with Alighieri, as well as other famous literary works, that makes these two impressive works such a vitality for one another. Both Alighieri's and Conrad's works can be viewed as an interchangeable concept. Conrad's novella is essentially the Inferno from Alighieri's commedia. These stark comparisons of these two literary works is what makes Conrad's novella such an extraordinary work.

     While Alighieri's influence is not unknown, other significant poetry is also a cause for an inspirational view of Conrad. For T. S. Eliot this strong allusion to Conrad is what also sets a driving force to the parallels to Alighieri as well. In T.S. Eliot's poem, The Hollow Men, the definition of the 'hollow men' is described as being an absence of worth, so much so, they exist sedulously between that of a "whimper [and a] bang"(5.32). Their existence is completely meaningless; neither, the act of living nor dying seems to phase them, they are simply hollow.            

     This denotation of what is a 'hollow man', is also a motivation factor for both Conrad and Alighieri. Both authors use the imagery of this 'hollow men' throughout their works. T.S. Eliot describes the hollow men as being a  "Shape without form, shade without colour, Paralysed force, gesture without motion"(1.12). Coincidentally, both Conrad and Alighieri uses these same characteristics. As Dante travels into hell the sinners he faces are often referred to as 'shades', "...down there among the mournful, mutilated shades"(Alighieri XXIX. Line 5). Even, a character who can be interpreted to as Pontius Pilate, is referred to as being a 'shade',  "and I beheld the shade of him who made through cowardice the great refusal"(Alighieri III. line 59). Though, many will argue that this representation of 'shade' is a historical dialogue. Yes, this is correct. In classic literatures shades are thought of as a deceased person representing that of a apparition. However, this is not the case with Alighieri. Shades do have that underlying diction, but it is the connotation that differs from tradition. The reason being, Dante does not see these 'shades' as phantoms passing silently in the night, these 'shades' he interacts with personally and  physically sees. While Dante keeps the sinners dehumanized with the classification of 'shade', never using their name or title, he is showing a disconnect from the living, as well as those who are holy and righteous. In The Heart of Darkness, the same diction of 'shades' that Alighieri used, Conrad dose also. The most famous representation of this allusion is when Marlow first arrives at the outpost station on the Congo and sees the slaves underneath the trees, "nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom"(Conrad 1). The use of 'shadow' alludes to Alighieri's 'shades', both in the historical diction by adding the depiction of a 'greenish gloom', green often referring to the dead in body coloration. This connotation alludes to Alighieri as the suffering of the sinners; often being described as 'diseased', 'starving', and being 'confused'. Conrad also connects Marlow to this identity of a 'shade', " My purpose was to stroll into the shade for a moment; but no sooner within than it seemed to me I had stepped into the gloomy circle of some Inferno"(1). By sympathising with the 'shade' Marlow is ultimately experiencing what Dante experienced; the sight of the sinners/slaves disconnects the setting as being that of the outpost station to that of Alighieri's Inferno.

     Through the use of 'shades'/'shadows' T.S. Eliot's 'hollow men' is represented. The shades and shadow expressed throughout both Alighieri's and Conrad's works are overall meaningless characters, though some have strong titles, they are represented as being apart of the scenery, blending into the horrors of both infernos, showing little to no true importance. As Katherine Ebury cites McCarthy on his interpretation of a letter written by Conrad, in which he describes the "relationship between human entropy and human decay"(Ebury 143), "The fate of a humanity condemned ultimately to perish from cold is not worth troubling about. If you take it to heart it becomes an unendurable tragedy. If you believe in improvement you must weep, for the attained perfection must end in cold, darkness and silence"(McCarthy 56). The 'humanity' that conrad describes is the same as 'the hollow men' described by T.S. Eliot, both being of greater burdens when looked upon, they are better off just being left to die. This 'humanity' is lost, and only causes more pain than good, just as Conrad's natives/slaves and Alighieri's sinners. Regardless of the fact, that T.S. Eliot was inspired to write his poem because of Conrad and Alighieri, it does not change the representation of this character type of the 'hollow men' through both literary works.