I must admit that Part I of Heart of Darkness was a struggle. After studying its literary elements, the story appears to make more sense, however I’m still not connecting with the characters as much as I would like to. Historical facts are important in order to understand this tale. Part II is based on Marlow’s story of the journey in the Congo, and therefore there are interesting elements that the reader is faced with. Now that we understand the narration of who is telling the tale, it makes it a bit easier to grasp.
Marlow appears to have a strange fascination with Kurtz. Perhaps it is his inner darkness that makes this character appealing. The Russian trader stated that Kurtz is a man who people listen to, not converse with. Marlow is a man who has the ability to captivate people with his stories. I guess this is the commonality between these two characters.
Kurtz is a cruel man. He refers to the ivory as his own, and looks at himself as a primitive god to the natives. Marlow makes it clear to his listeners that Kurtz is mentally unstable, due to some kind of flaw that made him go insane. It is almost as if he makes excuses for his insane behavior.
I feel that Marlow has no real excuse for inhuman and cruel behavior. For example, in order for the body not to be consumed by the cannibals, he threw the helmsman overboard. Was he justified in doing this? He believes so.
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It's interesting how you bring up the justification of the characters' actions in this book. None of them, (the Accountant, the Manager, Marlow, Kurtz,everyone,) have any justifications for their actions. These men act on complete impulse, or for the sake of the company and money. Even Marlow is going on this incredibly long journey and doesn't even seem to know to what is to come.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you. It is like you need to have this great big knowledge of the sea just to understand the book better. Why can't their be more one on one with the characters. I always found the best way to discover a character is through confrontations but Conrad doesn't write like that.
ReplyDeleteGreat point about Marlow finding Kurtz's "inner darkness" appealing. Why do you think this might be the case? What does that reveal about Marlow himself?
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really thought about the fact that Kurtz and Marlow are alike because they both like to captivate people with their stories. Maybe that is why Marlow is so fascinated with him, because he sees a bit of himself in. If they are alike though, why is Marlow able to resist the darkness and Kurtz isn't? Or maybe Marlow will eventually find himself in the same situation as Kurtz and won't be able to resist it.
ReplyDeleteI think the best way to learn about a character is through there conversations with other characters. I agree with Nichole that the men act on impulse or for the sake of the company.
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