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Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad

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Likewise, Conrad uses a series of minor characters to describe Mr. Kurtz's character to Marlow before they actually meet. The chief Accountant is the first minor character Conrad uses to reference Mr. Kurtz. He makes statements like "he was the first class-agent," "he is a very remarkable person," and "Mr. Kurtz was at present in charge of a trading post, a very important one, in the true ivory country [...] sends in as much ivory as all the others put together [...]"(Conrad 28). From the description above, Mr. Kurtz is described to be an extremely productive and remarkable man. By this point, Marlow does not know who Mr. Kurtz is, but he is interested in him and wants to know more. Then Marlow meets the Company's Manager, who describes Mr. …show more content…

Kurtz to Marlow, the Manager makes sure that Marlow has not misunderstood him, stating, “I wouldn't like him to get the false idea of my disposition [...]" which indicates that the Manager fears Mr. Kurtz (41). Conrad uses other characters to allude to Mr. Kurtz’s attributes in such an extravagant way that Marlow claims "he [Mr. Kurtz] was just a word for me. I did not see the man in the name anymore than you do," but even though Marlow thinks of Mr. Kurtz as an idea, his reputation continues to pique Marlow's interest and curiosity (42). After being attacked by the natives, Marlow assumed that Mr. Kurtz might have been attacked and died as well, which caused him great disappointment because he was excited or obsessed with meeting Mr. Kurtz. The last person that alludes to Mr. Kurtz's character before Marlow meets Mr. Kurtz is the Russian trader. His depiction of Mr. Kurtz was that Mr. Kurtz is a man you listen to, he is well loved by the natives, and a man that could enlarge your mind (90). While speaking with the Russian trader Marlow, noticed what he thought were decorations of a balls on a stick, but as he got closer he realized the balls were actually the heads of "enemies" put on sticks. Although the Russian tried to justify this site, Marlow describes it as

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He hears of a man by the name of Kurtz, who is well known for his ability to collect copious amount of ivory. Once Marlow finally meets the mysterious Kurtz he quickly discovers that the man is half insane but the natives have built him up to be some sort of god and even attack to keep Kurtz with them, unknown if he

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When Marlow returns from the Congo he, just as Kurtz and Russian, is no longer the same man. Marlow returning to Europe to see just how ignorant the people there are, not knowing anything past their, “insignificant and silly dreams” (Conrad 70). He believing that he is no longer like them, no longer being like them since being in the Congo and seeing just what it had become at the hands of European Imperialism. Though Marlow is no different than those he is looking down upon, his ignorance coming from keeping others

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Marlow makes a numerous amount of remarks that allude to Kurtz’s inhuman nature; such as, comparing Kurtz directly to the ivory he was in possession of, observing that Kurtz’s name “means short, [and] the name was true in everything else in his life—and death” (Conrad 76) even though Kurtz appeared to be a very tall man, and mentioning how Kurtz seemed

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Marlow cannot help but think back to the experiences Kurtz had gone through and view him as a different man than the rest of the people who have never left Brussels. Adapting back into a society where gore and savagery is not an everyday occurrence is unimaginably difficult and

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In reference to Kurtz, Marlow states, “One evening coming in with a candle I was startled to hear him say a little tremulously, “I am lying here in the dark waiting for death.’ The light was within a foot of his eyes. I forced myself to murmur, ‘Oh, nonsense!’ and stood over him as if transfixed” (64). In this scene, Kurtz is unable to see the light of Marlow’s candle even though it is only a foot away from him.

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In Joseph Conrad's short story, "Heart of Darkness," Kurtz's last words are used to emphasize the horrible atrocities that took place in the Congo. In the story, Kurtz dies on his way out of the interior of the Congo. As he dies Marlow states, “He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision – he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: ‘The Horror! The Horror!’ ”

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Marlow being someone who could see civilizations hollowness, while at the same time deciding not to bring light to the darkness, truly shows how lost and complete civilizations blindness has become. If Marlow uncovered the lies of the beloved Kurtz, and imperialism, then he would kill any hope left in

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In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the main character, Charles Marlow, goes to the Congo to work for a Belgian company, inventively name The Company. The Company operates trade along the river, with Marlow being the riverboat captain. Throughout his journey, Marlow learns about Kurtz, a greedy ivory trader who was employed by the Company and also learns about greed has changed Kurtz into somewhat of a demigod. Rumors float around in the book. Who is Kurtz?

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Kurtz, allowing readers to see the overall madness recurring. Conrad uses specific diction to force readers to imagine the madness that must be going through Mr.Kurtz mind because of his geographical surroundings. Furthermore, Marlow disturbingly states “the air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of the sunshine... deserted, into the gloom.”

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At last, when they remove Mr. Kurtz from the Congo, he cannot handle it and sickness overcomes him. Marlow ties his identity so closely to Mr. Kurtz that when Mr. Kurtz dies, “they very nearly buried” Marlow as well (87). By seeing the monster that Mr. Kurtz becomes, Marlow eventually sees his own dark potential. The jungle could just as easily corrupt him and cause his

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From the narrator Marlow the readers come to know about the Natives that they are actually innocent people who were under Europeans. In relation to this it deals with the theme of Good vs. Evil, in ‘Heart of Darkness’ which is presented when Marlow who is a good character encounters the situation where he is confused between good and evil, whether Mr. Kurtz is really a

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The character Marlow that is seen in the novella Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim is similar to one another as Conrad has created the character Marlow to be the narrator of the story and a ship 's captain. As Marlow in heart of darkness says, "All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz, and by and by I learned that most appropriately the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs had entrusted him with the making of a report for its future guidance." (p.49) Marlow therefore takes interest in meeting the character called Kurtz in the novella heart of darkness. Similarly on the other hand Marlow in the novel Lord Jim first encounters the protagonist of the novel called Jim at the inquiry where Jim loses his certification.

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