The way Marlow obsesses about Kurtz, we almost expect Kurtz to file a restraining order on the guy. Or, we would if Kurtz weren't already half-dead by the time Marlow meets him. But it wasn't always like that. When Marlow first hears about Kurtz, he's not "very interested in him" 1. But when he hears the story about Kurtz turning back to the jungle, his ears prick up: he "[sees] Kurtz for the first time" 2. And then, just a few paragraphs later, Marlow is actually excited to see the guy, saying that, for him, the journey has become entirely about meeting Kurtz.
The boat, he says, "crawled towards Kurtz—exclusively" 2. What was it about that story of Kurtz returning to the jungle that tickled Marlow's fancy?
True, we've already seen that he's kind of obsessed with the jungle and its people. But at the same time he's drawn in by this primitive wilderness, he's terrified by it. What, they haven't made that one yet? Kurtz has done what Marlow can only dream of: refuse to return to the luxury and comfort of Europe and choose instead to pursue fortune and glory.
But Marlow's roller coaster of love doesn't doesn't end there. Once he actually meets the guy, he starts to resent him. Apparently, all that cultish adoration that the harlequin and the native Africans have for Kurtz turns Marlow's stomach: "He's no idol of mine" 3. And then he seems to decide that Kurtz is actually just childish—a helpless and selfish man who has ignorant dreams of becoming rich and powerful.
Note that when Marlow drags him back to the tent after Kurtz tries to escape, he's "not much heavier than a child" 3. Why the backpedaling? Well, we think that Marlow wants to differentiate himself from the brainwashed men around him—just like we claimed to hate Arcade Fire back in even though we secretly thought that Funeral was a great record. He also seems angry that he's effectively at Marlow's mercy, deep in the African interior.
Or—to give Marlow some credit—maybe he really does believe that Kurtz is dangerous. And then, at the end, Marlow seems to come back around to admiration. After Kurtz dies while gasping out the words "The horror! The horror!
Marlow only spends a few days with Kurtz, but he still says that he "knew [Kurtz] as well as it's possible for one man to know another" 3. Talk about a whirlwind romance. So, by the end of the story, does Marlow respect Kurtz? Admire him? Fear him? You tell us. He sure doesn't. This whole love me-love me not melodrama should be simple: Marlow admired Kurtz right up until he found out that the man put heads on sticks, at which point he stopped admiring him.
Let's all pack up and go home. Er, not so fast. If you go home now, you'll you'll miss out on what makes Heart of Darkness just so darn awesome and powerful: Marlow is just like Kurtz. Yep: our protagonist, our loveable, sympathetic Marlow, is just like the crazed, cult-inspiring, heads-on-sticks-owning devil-man.
Oh, the horror! So, here's another million-dollar question for you: is Marlow ultimately able to differentiate himself from Kurtz? For the most part, Marlow comes across as a nice guy, if not a particularly ethical one.
What does Kurtz talk to Marlow about on the boat? Important Quotes Explained. Quotes Important Quotes Explained. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5.
This is the reason why I affirm that Kurtz was a remarkable man. He had something to say. He said it. Last, William was a very great man. He was a very smart guy. Looking in on the surface, the female character is imprisoned by the repressiveness of her father. Because of her poor choices, Emily lives in misery instead of rescuing herself from such damaging chains of sorrow.
Sometimes this can be really confusing. Marlow is chosen to be the captain of a steamboat since the earlier captain had died. Marlow has a mission to take the boat down Congo River, at least this is the impression, all the way to the coastal station. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.
As a young sailor looking for a job, Marlow finds himself sailing to the Congo for one of Belgium's ivory companies. Marlow travels to one of the stations, where he meets the manager and is tasked with bringing back a renowned ivory collector in the interior, Kurtz.
Sailing into the foggy Congo river, Marlow faces an attack from a nearby African tribe, and subdues them with the ship's blow horn. Arriving at the inner station, Marlow meets a Russian harlequin, a follower of Kurtz, who describes his experience with Kurtz.
The novel begins with an introduction of various characters, including Marlow by an unnamed narrator. Marlow and the unnamed narrator are aboard the Nellie and the boat has been temporarily docked in order to wait for a change in tide. During that short break Marlow begins to talk about one of his previous journeys.
Marlow, who describes himself as someone who has wanted to travel around the world even as a child, sees a map of Africa and the Congo River and remembers about a trading company operating there. Not being able to live up to what the North had in mind for white womanhood, meant that she was deemed unworthy of happiness just for the fact she tried to free herself by giving up her virtue. Linda Brent was also prevented from the high expectations of preserving her purity due to Dr.
Flint pressuring her countless times. Between th century and th century, the most powerful African kingdoms had achieved great goals, such as developing a trade system.
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