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Role of Marlow in Joseph conrad's heart of darkness
essay on the dual role played by marlow in heart of darkness
conrad heart of darkness marlows journey
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Recommended: Role of Marlow in Joseph conrad's heart of darkness
In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Marlow can be seen as the hero of the story despite his alternating morals and the fact that Marlow ultimately does nothing to improve the situation in Africa. Throughout the whole narrative Marlow finds himself thrust into many shocking situations yet chooses the path of an observant bystander, giving his own opinion at the time, but no lasting action or motivation is conceived. On top of this fact Marlow’s morals are anything but set in stone; they waver innumerable times over the course of the plot. Yet Marlow is more often than not seen as the prominent hero of the plot. How is this possible? This is because readers aren’t looking for perfection in a character, but depth, and Marlow achieves this level of depth through his epiphanies and the changes that take place in his perception of the world. These revelations in turn challenge the reader to reevaluate themselves. Marlow’s attitude towards colonization is made very clear in the first pages of the book. He is very critical about the whole process and is very cold towards affair. Marlow states: “It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind—as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness. The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only.” (Conrad 70). Marlow’s gains this perspective on colonization throughout his journey, thus already foreshadowing change within Marlow’s character. Marlow embarks on a journey to be the captain of a small steamboat to navigate the Congo river for a trading company. On ... ... middle of paper ... ...or their own benefit. Thus it can be concluded that predominantly Marlow is the also the moral hero of the story. Marlow the accidental hero in the story not just because of his status as the protagonist of the book but because of the depth of his character and just how effective he is at conveying Conrad’s messages. Marlow never strived to become the hero of his story. Nevertheless he is the hero - the accidental hero. His believable flaws and personality allow Marlow to connect personally with the reader and through his speculations provokes self-reexamination. Yes, Marlow isn’t perfect, but it is these flaws that allow space for the reader to exercise sympathy and try to understand Marlow’s situation, just as Marlow strived to understand the natives’. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness ; And, The Secret Sharer. New York: Signet Classic, 1997. Print.
Heart of Darkness is a kind of little world unto itself. The reader of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness should take the time to consider this work from a psychological point of view. There are, after all, an awful lot of heads and skulls in the book, and Conrad goes out of his way to suggest that in some sense Marlow's journey is like a dream or a return to our primitive past--an exploration of the dark recesses of the human mind.
Unlike other white men who went into the Congo River for unmoral or materialistic reasons, such as to Christianize the natives or to get rich by exploiting all the ivories in the jungle, Marlow does not feel right about how the Imperialistic European countries exploit of the rest of the world. This is shown very clearly when Marlow says “This devoted band called itself the Eldorado Exploring Expedition, and I believe they were sworn to secrecy. Their talk, however, was the talk of sordid buccaneers: it was reckless without hardihood, greedy without audacity, and cruel without courage, there was not an atom of fore-sight or of serious intention in the whole batch of them, and they did not seem aware ...
Marlow begins his journey with high morals and an ignorance of native Africa. He becomes acquainted with a seaman named Kurtz, a brilliant man in everyone’s eyes, who fights the same battle as Marlow but eventually gives into greed. Marlow thinks highly of Kurtz when they first meet but then realizes something about him is corrupt, “The point was in his being a gifted creature, and that of all his gifts the one that stood out pre-eminently, that carried with it a sense of real presence, was his ability to talk, his words—the gift of expression, the bewildering, the illuminating, the most exalted and the most contemptible, the pulsating stream of light, or the deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness (ch 2, ¶24).” Marlow discovers the shadiness of the company when he begins working with them. He describes their evil desires with, "It was as unreal as everything else - as the philanthropic pretence of the whole concern, as their talk, as their government, as their show of work. The only real feeling was a desire to get appointed to a trading-post where ivory was to be had, so that they could earn percentages. They intrigued and sla...
In Conrad's Heart of Darkness Marlow, the main character, symbolizes the positiveness of Imperialism. Marlow, as a character realizes the evil that negative Imperialism has caused and decides it is truly unnecessary. When Marlow states, "I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you," he expresses his good intentions to help the Africans progress and advance. Furthermore, when he says, "I was an impostor," Marlow recognizes the fact that he is an invader into a foreign land, yet he sticks to his moral values.
Because of the way that Marlow has never experienced this crowd previously, he does not know how to cooperate with them or clarify their physical qualities. Case in point, when Marlow first sets his eyes on a gathering of African Americans he rapidly states, “You could see from afar the white of their eyeballs glistening. They shouted, sang; their bodies streamed with perspiration; they had faces like grotesque masks” (Conrad, 16). With only one look, Marlow is making generalizations about the whole African American populace. His cliché nature is seen again when a percentage of the locals are slouched under trees and he expresses that they are not foes or criminals, yet in any case he leaves as quick as he can as far from the indigenous as he can. Marlow does not know who these individuals are or what to consider them, yet that does not pardon his judgment and scorn towards them. Finally, Marlow demonstrated that he had no sensitivity towards the Africans when he watches them in the Congo 's thick woodland expressing, “They were dying slowly it was very clear … nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in
Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness revolves around the enigmatic character of Kurtz, a renegade that has split from the authority and control of his organization, that wants to put a stop to his extreme measures and "unsound methods" (Coppola, 1979; Longman, 2000). As a result of Kurtz actions, the character of Marlow is sent to retrieve Kurtz from the desolate outback and as the reader we are lead through the involvement of a tension-building journey up the great river Congo. Along the way, Marlow is given bits of information about Kurtz's actions and finds that he himself identifies with, and becoming somewhat fond of the man. Their relationship and ending moments helps to bring about a change in Marlowe’s very perceptions on colonialism as well as enlightening the reader to various components held within their characters.
In Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, multiple characters change based off of the series of events that occur around them. The easiest character to pick out of the book is Marlow. At first, Marlow ventures out with the intention of civilizing the Congo, but as he arrives, he is in shock to see that there is absolutely no effort to edify the natives. "And also this," said Marlow suddenly, "has been one of the darkest places on earth" (Conrad 3). Here, Marlow comes to the realization of how human nature is inherently sinful through viewing how the natives are treated. As the book continues, Marlow's moral code becomes like those who he has surrounded himself with. For example, as the Helmsman is speared to death, Marlow acts in a
Throughout his journey to the heart of darkness, Marlow becomes increasingly aware of the unfair practices that exists in the Company's territory. He slowly becomes disgusted with the inhumane treatment of the natives, even if he doesn’t fully see them as equals. When the harlequin calls them rebels, he is outraged: “I shocked him excessively by laughing. Rebels! What would be the next definition I was to hear? There had been enemies, criminals, workers—and these were rebels,” (98). He even goes so far as to say that “Mr. Kurtz was no idol of mine,” (97). Yet, after meeting Kurtz, Marlow becomes infatuated with his every word. "Kurtz was a remarkable man," Marlow says, because he "had something to say" and he just "said it" (48). Marlow admires Kurtz’s ability to act on his deepest impulses without much restraint. But these impulses are the same thing that disgusts Marlow. Marlow’s paradox is in his realization of the humanity in the natives, and admiration for Kurtz.
Despite the opinion of certain critics, Conrad did not create Marlow to be a prejudice character. One of his first Marlow?s first Reactions to the villagers is the exact opposite, ?They were not enemies they were not criminals??(Conrad, 189) While his initial response may not seem altogether accepting, it is far beyond the understanding of his peers. As the story continues Marlow is slightly sarcastic in his understanding of the villagers, ?Fine fellows-Cannibals-in their place. They were men one could work with, and I am grateful to them. And, after all, they did not eat each other before my face? (189)? Marlow shows his ability to be sarcastic in the face of popular criticism, even making the mold step to refer to these African?s as ?Fine Fellows?(189), ?They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of they humanity-like yours-the thought of your remote kinship with this wild??(189) Although the natives...
Heart of Darkness has been reviewed by many different critics. There are many issues in Joseph Conrad’s book such as imperialism, cruelty, and how isolation can change a person. A noticeable topic in the book is the ending with Marlow. The book has an outer and inner story. Marlow tells the inner story because it is of his previous experience in Africa. In the beginning of the book, Marlow says that he hates lying yet he lies to Kurtz’s Intended. In order to figure out why Marlow lied and how it affects the story, evidence from different sources must be viewed.
Charles Marlow is introduced to the reader by an unnamed narrator, one of five men aboard the Nellie. Of note, he alone is given a physical description by the narrator, of “sunken cheeks” and “yellow complexion”, clearly someone who has experienced suffering, even evident in this short description. His physical appearance is not well, and the reader can infer that Marlow’s mental state is not much better, an implication that is soon confirmed by the novel. Shortly after being introduced, Marlow begins his tale, of how he sailed to Africa, comparing it to how the Romans may have felt when they went to the then uncivilized lands of modern London. He retells his experiences there as a member of the “noble” Company. In doing so, Marlow’s personality is described in great detail, more than the words themselves reveal. Conrad’s choice of using a frame narrative allows the reader to see Marlow’s perspective of events, and give a notable change in tone as the novella progresses.
Conrad uses the character of Marlow to make use of his own thoughts and views about the people in the Congo. He feels pity for them as he sees them falling down carrying heavy packages and Kurtz commanding them like a batallion of troups. This sight angers Marlow and when he gets to Kurtz, it’s too late. Even he has been pulled in by the darkness. Conrad makes an effective distinction between Marlow and Kurtz.
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical, 1988.
When the colonizers are criticized it somehow gives the feeling that their deeds are wrong but at a point it also shows the colonizers as an object of pity. The incidence which criticizes the natives shows them to be inferior. The Europeans feel that they are superior but the actions that are given show them being inferior. When Marlow reached the station he sees few bricks scattered and a rail way being rusted. Europeans came to Congo in the name of civilization however their deeds never contributed to the civilization of Congo. The Europeans made the natives to dig holes for no purpose. These incidence and many more from the text shows the actual darkness in Europeans. But Marlow also mentions how the Europeans suffer mentally after going back because of the Natives. The Europeans threatens the natives by whistling and making that strange sound. In real life such a practice is only done towards animals. For example people blow honks and make strange sounds to chase away elephants. This shows the opinion of the Europeans on the natives and how they look down on
In the novel Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, Marlow finds himself in a position in which he is forced to accept the fact that the man he has admired and looked up to is a madman. He realizes that Kurtzs methods are not only unethical, but inhumane as well. Marlow comes to realize that Kurtz is evil, and that he himself is also evil. Therefore, Marlows disillusion makes his identification with Kurtz horrifying.