In fact, by seeming to legitimize activities like imperialism for their experiential value for white men—in other words, by making it appear that Africa is the key to philosophical truth—the ending of Heart of Darkness introduces a much greater horror than any Marlow has encountered in the Congo. Marlow recounts his experiences to his friends because doing so establishes an implicit comparison.
The other men aboard the Nellie are the kind of men who benefit economically from imperialism, while Marlow has benefited mainly experientially. Ace your assignments with our guide to Heart of Darkness! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. What is Kurtz doing in the Congo? Why does Kurtz go crazy? What does Kurtz talk to Marlow about on the boat? Important Quotes Explained. Summary Part 3, Section 4. The horror! Marlow only spends a few days with Kurtz, but he still says that he "knew [Kurtz] as well as it's possible for one man to know another" 3.
Talk about a whirlwind romance. So, by the end of the story, does Marlow respect Kurtz? Admire him? Fear him? You tell us. He sure doesn't. This whole love me-love me not melodrama should be simple: Marlow admired Kurtz right up until he found out that the man put heads on sticks, at which point he stopped admiring him.
Let's all pack up and go home. Er, not so fast. If you go home now, you'll you'll miss out on what makes Heart of Darkness just so darn awesome and powerful: Marlow is just like Kurtz. Yep: our protagonist, our loveable, sympathetic Marlow, is just like the crazed, cult-inspiring, heads-on-sticks-owning devil-man. Oh, the horror!
So, here's another million-dollar question for you: is Marlow ultimately able to differentiate himself from Kurtz? For the most part, Marlow comes across as a nice guy, if not a particularly ethical one. He's no saint, or he's a helpless one, as he does nothing about the horrible scenarios of black slavery he encounters. But he does do little things that show compassion. He attempts to give a biscuit to a starving slave.
He treats his own cannibals decently. When the helmsman dies, he makes sure he won't be ignobly eaten by the native Africans on board. So, on the surface level, Marlow is a decent guy who, as a product of his times, isn't about to start a civil rights movement in the late nineteenth century.
But, like most things in Heart of Darkness , it's really not that simple. What causes Marlow to feel such compassion for the native Africans? How does he see them in relation to himself?
How does his foray down the Congo change the way he thinks? Well, let's start by looking at his first word. We found these words so compelling that we underlined, highlighted, and circled them, as well as dog-earing the page and putting three sticky notes on the top. In case you weren't quite so over-zealous, we'll tell you straight-up that his first words are: "And this also has been one of the dark places of the earth" 1. This is the part where we all say, "Oooh.
Marlow is about to tell the story of a dark and primitive Africa which the Europeans are so kindly "civilizing. From the start, Marlow takes this whole noble imperialism bit with a boulder of salt, telling his listeners that "strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others" 1. He also notes that "This conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion […] than ourselves, is not a pretty thing" 1.
He also questions everyone's use of words like "criminal," "enemy," and "rebel" in talking about the native Africans 3. We know that Marlow isn't quite so comfortable with viewing the world in black and white.
Things get even more complicated when he starts becoming like a "savage" himself. When he's talking to the manager at the outer station, Marlow is treated like a native African man—not offered a seat or any food. His response? Rather than civilizing the "savages," it seems, Marlow is becoming like them. Whereas the other employees of the Company only want to make a profit or to advance to a better position within the Company, Kurtz embodies the ideals and fine sentiments with which Europeans justified imperialism—particularly the idea that Europeans brought light and civilization to savage peoples.
But when Marlow discovers him, Kurtz has become so ruthless and rapacious that even the other managers are shocked. He refers to the ivory as his own and sets himself up as a primitive god to the natives. By throwing the dead helmsman overboard, Marlow spares him from becoming dinner for the cannibals, but he also saves him from what the helmsman might have found even worse: the hypocrisy of a Christian burial by the pilgrims.
Force of personality is the only means by which men are judged. What the Russian trader says of Kurtz is true of Marlow too: he is a man to whom people listen, not someone with whom they converse. Thus, the darkness in Kurtz may repel Marlow mostly because it reflects his own internal darkness. Ace your assignments with our guide to Heart of Darkness! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. What is Kurtz doing in the Congo? Why does Kurtz go crazy? What does Kurtz talk to Marlow about on the boat?
Important Quotes Explained.
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