Marlow is a thirty-two-year-old sailor who has always lived at sea . The novel’s narrator presents Marlow as “a meditating Buddha” because his experiences in the Congo have made him introspective and to a certain degree philosophic and wise.
What is Marlow’s significance in Heart of Darkness?
Marlow. The protagonist of Heart of Darkness. Marlow is philosophical, independent-minded, and generally skeptical of those around him . He is also a master storyteller, eloquent and able to draw his listeners into his tale.
What does Marlow represent in Heart of Darkness?
Marlow is a complicated man who anticipates the figures of high modernism while also reflecting his Victorian predecessors. Marlow is in many ways a traditional hero: tough, honest, an independent thinker, a capable man. Yet he is also “broken” or “damaged,” like T. S. Eliot’s J.
What does the intended symbolize in Heart of Darkness?
The significance of the presence of the Intended is to provide Conrad a chance to have Marlow lie to make evident to the readers that darkness exists everywhere , that it is inside the heart of every person. Conrad uses the Intended in another way to convey to the reader that darkness is every- where.
What does Kurtz symbolize in Heart of Darkness?
Kurtz, one of the leading characters, the other being Marlow, the narrator of the soty, represents many symbols in the novel. Firstly, he symbolizes the greed and the commercial mentality of the white people of the western countries . Secondly, he symbolizes the white man’s love of power.
What is Kurtz role in Heart of Darkness?
Kurtz is a central fictional character in Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness. A trader of ivory in Africa and commander of a trading post , he monopolises his position as a demigod among native Africans. Kurtz meets with the novella’s protagonist, Charles Marlow, who returns him to the coast via steamboat.
Why did Marlow lie about Kurtz last words?
Marlow lies to Kurtz’s Intended to spare her the painful reality of her fiancé’s descent into madness and evil. ... Marlow lies that the last word Kurtz uttered was his fiancée’s name because “it would have been too dark” to tell her that Kurtz last spoke of pure and desolate horror.
Why do the natives worship Kurtz?
In Heart of Darkness, the natives adore Kurtz and worship him as a demigod partly because of his personal charisma , but also because he has superior European technology which they have never seen before.
Is Marlow a hero?
Marlow is a complicated man who anticipates the figures of high modernism while also reflecting his Victorian predecessors. Marlow is in many ways a traditional hero : tough, honest, an independent thinker, a capable man. Yet he is also “broken” or “damaged,” like T. S.
What are the major themes in Heart of Darkness?
Overview. The main themes of Heart of Darkness include darkness, alienation and loneliness, and chaos and order . Darkness: Marlow sees “darkness” in the practices of imperialism, though the book maintains the racist implication that it is the uncivilized land and people that led to Europeans’ corruption.
Why is Heart of Darkness important?
Here, “heart of darkness” is a shorthand for European stereotypes of Africa , which Conrad’s novel did its part to reinforce. Hamid’s line plays on racist anxieties about immigration: the idea that certain places and peoples are primitive, exotic, dangerous.
Who was the woman at the end of Heart of Darkness?
At the end of Heart of Darkness, Marlow has returned from Africa a bitter, cynical man. He goes to see the woman Kurtz called his “Intended” (that is, his fiancée, the woman he intended to marry) and finds that, although it is over a year since Kurtz’s death, she is still deep in mourning.
Why does Kurtz say the horror?
The horror!” (3.43). Marlow interprets this for us, saying that these words are the moment Kurtz realizes exactly how depraved human nature is —that his inability to exert even a shred of self-control is the same darkness in every human heart.
Is Kurtz good or bad?
General Corman describes Kurtz to have originally been a good man, the kind of person who is filled with kindness including the capability of seeing the difference between good and evil. Often ruthless , Kurtz has an extremely complex personality, that of which is nearly inexplainable.
Why does Marlow respect Kurtz?
Marlow remains dedicated to Kurtz because he believes that Kurtz , whose last words were “the horror,” understands the truth of what European colonization in Africa is truly like. ... In the beginning Marlow admires and respects Kurtz for his accomplishments.
Why is Kurtz bad heart of darkness?
Kurtz is a dangerous man because he gives the lie to the Company’s “humanistic” intentions in the Congo . He returns more ivory than all the other stations put together, and does so through the use of absolute force.
