ty, and horror. Brussels, the Outer Station, the Central Station, and the Inner Station, each step shows the face of evil. Kurtz’s fall makes it final.

Evil in Brussels: Marlow first goes to Brussels. He calls it the “sepulchral city.” Outside, the city is white and shining. Inside, it hides death and lies. This is the first symbol of evil. Europe claims light and progress. In truth, it is only hypocrisy. The evil here is not in Africa. It begins in Europe, in the very heart of the empire.

Evil in the Outer Station: At the Outer Station, Marlow sees black men dying under trees. They are chained and starved. He says they are,

“Nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation.”

Nearby, a French warship fires into the forest. Marlow says about it, 

“Incomprehensible, firing into a continent.”

This is pure evil. It is violence without reason. It is cruelty without sense. Empire here is not in order. It is murder and waste.

Evil in the Central Station: At the Central Station, Marlow finds his boat broken. Three months pass in repair. In that time, he hears the name of Kurtz again and again. He learns that the Manager and Brickmaker care only for ivory. The Brickmaker calls Kurtz an, 

“Emissary of pity, science, and progress.”

But Marlow knows this is a lie. The truth is greed. The evil here is not open killing. It is envy, rivalry, and selfish fear. Evil wears the mask of “progress.” The Manager fears that Kurtz may replace him. The Brickmaker seeks to rise by flattery and false reports. Neither cares about Africa nor the suffering of the natives. Their main concern is position, promotion, and survival within the Company. Evil here is not only outside in violence, but inside men’s minds as jealousy and rivalry.

Evil in the Inner Station: At last, Marlow reaches the Inner Station. The Russian trader says, 

“Kurtz sends in as much ivory as all the others put together.”

Kurtz is worshipped like a god. Skulls are on stakes around his house. This is evil at its height. Kurtz began as an idealist. Now, he kills without limit. He loses all restraint.  Here, evil is power without law. It destroys both the natives and Kurtz himself.

Evil in Kurtz’s Last Words: On the return journey, Kurtz dies. His last words are, 

“The horror! The horror!”

This cry is the full truth of evil. Kurtz sees what he has done. He sees the empire. He sees himself. The horror is greed, cruelty, and the darkness of the human soul. Back in Europe, Marlow meets the Intended. She asks about Kurtz’s last words. Marlow lies. He says, 

“The last word he pronounced was—your name.”

Evil here is hidden again. Europe keeps its mask. But Marlow and the reader know the truth.

Conrad treats evil as the true heart of the empire. In Brussels, evil hides under white walls. In the Outer Station, it kills without sense. In the Central Station, it whispers lies of progress. In the Inner Station, it makes Kurtz a god of death. At the end, Kurtz names it, “The horror! The horror!” Conrad’s novel shows us that the deepest evil is not Africa. It is human greed and the empire itself.