The Ending

I was satisfied with the book’s ending but it ended with a hopeless feeling. The mood in the end of the book is the antithesis of its beginning. I was doing some extra reading online and found out there are small details and connections that I had previously missed. While reading http://amis_lee.tripod.com/fallingtree/hod.html (I must confess that my reading of Conrad's story is quite an idealized one. The ending to HoD, in fact, may be seen as quite, quite hopeless by someone with a more pessimistic view than mine. Also, a point of interest - the Intended has actually been interpreted as someone quite terrifying, and not the faithful, grieving lover as she appears to be. I'm actually in agreement with this interpretation of the Intended as a powerfully dominating presence - seen in the way she totally directs Marlow's conversation and controls what he says in a wonderfully subtle way. She is also the controlling presence in Kurtz's life, the "idol" upon which he bases his ideals. A beautifully eerie moment in the novel is when you establish the connection between the Intended and Kurtz's last words, and realize that Marlow's lie to her at the end is not really a lie after all). I found out that Marlow may have not been lying when he told her fiancé Kurtz’s last words. I now agree with this new interpretation and think Joseph Conrad was trying to make a subtle point. There is a lot of hidden content that goes into books that can only be uncovered by multiple readings or by reading interpretations. I was left with many questions after completing the book. I wondered what was to become of the Russian trader and Marlow himself. Would the company be able to maintain business without Kurtz’s leadership?
Jack N.