She believes firmly in imperialism as a charitable activity that brings civilization and religion to suffering, simple savages. They are the audience for the central story of Heart of Darkness , which Marlow narrates.
All have been sailors at one time or another, but all now have important jobs ashore and have settled into middle-class, middle-aged lives. They represent the kind of man Marlow would have likely become had he not gone to Africa: well-meaning and moral but ignorant as to a large part of the world beyond England.
Fresleven, by all accounts a good-tempered, nonviolent man, was killed in a dispute over some hens, apparently after striking a village chief. Ace your assignments with our guide to Heart of Darkness! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook.
What is Kurtz doing in the Congo? Why does Kurtz go crazy? What does Kurtz talk to Marlow about on the boat? Important Quotes Explained. Characters Character List. Marlow The protagonist of Heart of Darkness. 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.
He's no saint, or he's a helpless one, as he does nothing about the horrible scenarios of black slavery he encounters. But he does do little things that show compassion. He attempts to give a biscuit to a starving slave. He treats his own cannibals decently.
When the helmsman dies, he makes sure he won't be ignobly eaten by the native Africans on board. So, on the surface level, Marlow is a decent guy who, as a product of his times, isn't about to start a civil rights movement in the late nineteenth century. But, like most things in Heart of Darkness , it's really not that simple. Many people would have opted to return to safety rather than die in the Congo forests in a strange and far off land.
From the narration, we see that Marlow waited or a period of three months to have spares for his steamboat from Europe to arrive. This act also shows us that Marlow was determined to achieve his goals. In other words, Marlow was not a quitter. Another representation of Marlow in this novel is that of being a sensitive and humane person.
Two main instances derive us to see the humane nature of Marlow. In the first case, we see that from the onset Marlow had heard many good things about Mr. As he went to retrieve him mallow expected to find a very diligent, humble and peace-loving intellectual within the Congo wilderness. However, we see that even before meeting his partner Marlow hears many bad things about Mr. Regardless of this and even after knowing that Mr.
Kurtz was responsible for his steamboat being attacked, he still goes on to find him deep into the jungle.
He finds human skeletons near Mr. Kurtz is responsible for all atrocities he pities him and still takes upon himself to take him back to Europe. Marlow had witnessed the atrocities committed by ivory merchants and Mr. Kurtz but he is still human enough to lend him help even in his dying moments since he was very sick. Unlike those who truly confront or at least acknowledge Africa and the darkness within themselves, Marlow does not die, but unlike the Company men, who focus only on money and advancement, Marlow suffers horribly.
Ace your assignments with our guide to Heart of Darkness! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. What is Kurtz doing in the Congo?
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