Intro

In Conrad's novella The Heart of Darkness,  Conrad explores the subconscious and psychoanalytic thought during the 1900's.  This was the same time that Freud was coming out with his revelations about the super ego, ego, and id.  Conrad is influenced by Freuds writings and this is clearly illustrated with the Marlow's journey into the darkness.  Marlow begins his journey in Brussels with the Belgium Company and he begins his journey into the Congo.  As Marlow precedes into the darkness, we see that his rational is lost as there are three stages, superego, ego and id.  The further and further that Marlow goes on his journey, the more his mind gets taken over by the darkness and the knowledge deteriorates as his unconscious takes over on his hunt for Kurtz, someone who he admires by the end of the novella.  In the Heart of Darkness Conrad employs the super ego, ego and id with Marlow, as Conrad penetrates into Malows mind and takes the reader through these different stages as Marlow, travels from the Outer Station and into the Inner station of darkness.  This is effectively illustrated through Marlow's actions and his rational that are effected as Conrad penetrates Marlows subconscious.