Marlow is not very sensitive to the harm being inflicted on the native population. He is not as bad as the other people in the company, but he is far away from viewing the natives as equals. Marlow doesn’t seem like a racist, just like a normal member of society during that period. By today’s standards he would be racist but in his time period he was one of the more sympathetic characters. The pilgrims’ actions on the ship made Marlow’s views look meek in comparison. However, he seemed to show little remorse when the Native Helmsman died at his feet. He was more concerned with wiping the blood away and getting rid of the soiled shoes. Marlow thoroughly believes in imperialism; he thinks that the company is a legitimate business. He did notice the stark contrast between the rough pilgrims and well behaved natives, but not much else. Marlow is just a typical profiteer trying to make money at the expense of the native inhabitants.
Jack N.
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reading you post reminded me of our discussions on Huck Finn. Though by our standards Huck was a racist by the standards of the time he was just the opposite. it all depends on the circumstances.
ReplyDelete-Matt S.