Conrad’s stories‚ Marlow from “The Heart of Darkness” and the Captain from the Secret Sharer‚ are most likely representing himself. Marlow is a young captain who is hardened and detached from civilization during his time on the Congo. He is wise‚ almost philosophical‚ skeptical‚ and courageous. This is the first command that Marlow has gotten‚ due to his aunt’s connections‚ but he has to wait for a while at a base because his boat needs repairs. While he is waiting for those repairs Marlow keeps hearing
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shocked by the addendum to Kurtz ’s report that says‚ "Exterminate all the brutes!" Nevertheless‚ Marlow never sees beyond the surface of any of the natives. He compares watching the boat ’s fireman work to "seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat‚ walking on his hind legs‚" and shocks the pilgrims when he dumps the body of the helmsman overboard instead of saving it for burial. For Marlow‚ the native "savages" serve only as another illustration of the mystery Africa holds for Europeans
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Heart of Darkness‚ by Joseph Conrad‚ Marlow finds that barbarism and savagery are universal among nations‚ and that the common man is able to be influenced by the slightest of impulses. The distinctive evil that roams Europe soon pervades newly discovered Africa and allows the darkness to fill the land. The European colonizers brought not only civilization and enlightenment to the land of the Congo‚ but also savagery and utter corruption. Throughout his journey‚ Marlow learns of the darkness of human
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particular men stand out; Marlow and Kurtz. Who is the hero; Marlow or Kurtz? Clearly both Marlow and Kurtz are the protagonists of the story; however‚ protagonist and hero are not always synonymous. Marlow is the hero in the traditional sense of the word‚ while Kurtz is the more modern hero‚ often referred to as the anti-hero. Does it really matter the background of a person to determine whether they are a hero or not? Throughout this paper I will prove to you that Kurtz and Marlow both have aspects the
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Marlow‚ the narrator‚ while trying to relax underneath a tree‚ comments harshly on the white worsted around an African American’s neck: “it looked startling around his black neck‚ this bit of white thread” [...] “Where did he get it?” (Conrad). The opposed colors between the thread and the native’s skin create a shock for Marlow. He does not believe the native is fit to have such a refined “thread from beyond the
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why he feels this novel is of racist nature‚ despite the many serious scholars who have praised and raved about this book. There are many examples of his racism that could have been easily overlooked by someone not willing to accept these claims. Marlow‚ the main character‚ represents a journey that Joseph Conrad took on a previous trip into the Congo and tells the story through his eyes. During the later part of the 19th Century‚ European countries participated in the Scramble for Africa (Bentley
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symbolic journey into the deepest recesses of human nature. On a literal level‚ through Marlow ’s narration‚ Conrad provides a searing indictment of European colonial exploitation inflicted upon African natives. By employing several allegoric symbols this account depicts the futility of the European presence in Africa. One of the first glimpses into the frivolous occupation of Africa by the Europeans is seen when Marlow recounts his journey to Africa aboard a French steamer. The immensity of Africa is
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storm to pass; meanwhile‚ Marlow describes his story from his
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people. When Marlow walks from station to station‚ he sees the company men call the natives savages‚ criminals‚ murderers and other names that classify the natives as morally wrong and an ambiguous part of the world. As he continues onward‚ he notices a boiler lying in the grass‚ an undersized railroad car with its wheels in the air‚ and a detonation in order to build a railway even though the bomb was unnecessary. This “objectless blasting was all the work being done‚” according to Marlow and it did
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On page 86 Marlow says "Next day I left that station at last‚ with a caravan of sixty men‚ for a two-hundred-mile tramp." This is where his story truly begins in the Heart of Darkness. He travels through burnt grass‚ thickets‚ up and down ravines‚ ablazed with heat‚ and solitude. He passes through several abandoned villages‚ he starts at first to admire‚ then shows no thought of the village’s past. "On the fifteenth day I came in sight of the big river again‚ and hobbled into the Central Station"
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