Marlow's Developing Character

When I first began reading Heart of Darkness, I did not think that Marlow’s character was going develop in the way that it has. I thought that perhaps the other men on the boat would have some type of role, but so far, they don’t. The way in which Marlow recounts his journey has me as enthralled as much as the other men who are accompanying him. It’s as if you are sitting beside them, listening to Marlow speak.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Marlow does not seem to share the mentality of other explorers around him, and this continues to be explored in the book. Once the steamer reaches the station, we see that Marlow is not like the other men that are there. He sees a truck missing a wheel, and machinery and tools laying around. He also notices that the white men there are just blasting at a cliff, and described it as “objectless“. Later on, he goes on to say that he has “seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed” and the he would “become acquainted with a flabby pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly.” Marlow clearly disagrees with the way things are done in the station, he is a focused person who gets the job done when it needs to be, and does not dawdle with meaningless tasks. He also takes a shot at colonization with this quote. It is being described as the devil of violence and greed, that’s all it means to him. These men do not go to new lands to explore them, but rather to exploit those who live there, and make them work because they are deemed inferior. Marlow describes in the beginning of the book how important exploration is to him. He doesn’t join these expeditions in hopes of making the slaves work, or gaining riches.
At the station, Marlow gets a combination of slothfulness, greed, and exploitation in this “devil”. Marlow does not seem to share the same relationship with the Africans as the rest of the workers. The other men see them as savages, not worthy and only good for work. Meanwhile, Marlow does not treat them that way, he even offers a slave a biscuit after seeing his emaciated condition. However, Marlow does nothing to try to stop the behavior against the Africans, and he also calls them savages. Perhaps the time period adds to this behavior. After all, most white people did view Africans in this manner, and calling them savages was not seen as wrong. Personally, I disagree. So does this mean that he is just as bad as the other workers? If he were in a better working environment would be as appalled with what is going on?
As his time at the station, Marlow often hears Kurtz’s name. The more he hears it, the more he is intrigued by him. Kurtz is described as an “exceptional” man, a “universal genius“. Of course anyone would be interested in meeting someone that has made such an impact on people. Especially to Marlow, who has grown tired of the men at the station. At this point, Kurtz has become Marlow’s main motivation. He has an urge to meet Kurtz, to hear this remarkable man speak. Will it be what he expects, or will he be let down?

Posted by Wendy C.