For me Heart of Darkness was not very interesting. However, I became really interested in the novel in about the last ten pages. Though it is pretty late to start showing interest in a book, it was when the most important things happened.
During part III, Marlow finally meets Kurtz. Kurtz seemed very strange to me. From all that Marlow heard about him, I expected him to this strong and ambitious character that stops at nothing to get what he wants. Instead I see this broken down, strange, and moody man who seems to have lost the will to live. There are also traces of madness when Marlow described Kurtz as sometimes acting “contemptibly childish”. It seems that being in the jungle, holding all that power has made him lose his sanity and his soul. Kurtz was in such despair he said “I am lying here in the dark waiting for death.” Conrad might have put that there to foretell his eminent death.
One of the big ambiguities of the novel is how Kurtz died. It was never described; one of the Africans just came into the room and informed everyone that he has died. Marlow did not even look at the body so we have an even less idea of the cause of his death. From my interpretation, I would say that suicide is the cause. When we met Kurtz he seemed so unhappy. At one time he was even crying. Probably the degradation of his soul made him take his life.
A quote that could support my idea is his last words, “The horror! The horror!” Though it could apply to anything since we do not understand what Kurtz meant when he said this. In supporting my idea it could mean the horror at the fact of what has become of him and the hopelessness of his fate. Or it could be the horror of his methods and his cruel actions to everyone. Another meaning might be the horrors of imperialism as a whole and the evils of the subjugation of the natives.
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I agree with you when you say that you were surprised by Kurtz's appearance. I think however that we met him, rather Marlow met him, after his peak. I imagined him at one time to be a strong and powerful man and that now when we are meeting him he has turned into this small bug like creature. He hates his life so much, the odd monster that he has become, that he (I agree with you on this to) takes his own life. He can no longer stand to see himself decay anymore.
ReplyDeleteYou had nice idea about the quote " The horror! The horror!" I think like what you said, imperialism as a whole. I think this one quote can hold a lot of meaning into it. but good observacation
ReplyDeleteThis novel definitely came to life at the end of the story. I think its because we got to see the interaction between these two men. I don’t think it was suicide, I think the fact that Kurtz was talked about in such a strong manner that when we finally meet him-he was just the opposite. He is very sickly and extremely pale. His physical features were definitely not what we expected. The words “The horror! The horror!” could mean all those you mentioned- or it could mean his desire to want to do more on earth and now he is physically unable to achieve anything else. He could not control his destiny and this angered him.
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