What does Kurtz talk about to Marlow on the boat?
3) What does Kurtz talk about to Marlow on the boat? Before his condition worsens, Kurtz gives Marlow a bundle of private papers for safekeeping, in a last-ditch attempt at preserving his legacy.
What horror is Kurtz talking about?
Kurtz’s last words—“The horror! These final words could also broadly symbolize the horror of Belgian (and European) colonialism. For Marlow’s part, he interprets the exclamation as Kurtz’s response to his impending death.
What is the river in Heart of Darkness?
River Thames
Why did Kurtz order the attack of the steamboat?
The Harlequin then revealed that Kurtz had ordered the attack on the steamboat because “he hated the idea of being taken away.” The Harlequin asked Marlow to guard Kurtz’s reputation once he arrived in Europe, asked him for some rifle cartridges and shoes, and then left the Inner Station.
Why Kurtz say the horror the horror?
Kurtz is not stable mentally or physically, slowly succumbing to death on his boat. When he realizes he is near death, he utters this phrase, which carries deep meaning, as his last words. In fact, he refers to all things witnessed and done throughout his stay in the Congo.
Why is Kurtz sick?
Marlow suggests that the loneliness and unfamiliarity of the African environment induces Kurtz’s madness, and that his mind weakens the deeper he travels into the “heart of darkness.” As Marlow describes it: “Being alone in the wilderness…
How does Colonel Kurtz die?
Either because he was brainwashed or because he felt a sympathy towards Kurtz’s cause, Colby joined up with Kurtz instead of bringing him back to Da Nang. With Colby’s failure, MACV then selected Captain Benjamin L. Willard, a paratrooper and Army intelligence officer, to journey up the Nung river and kill Kurtz.
What is the main idea of Heart of Darkness?
Conrad offers parallels between London (“the greatest town on earth”) and Africa as places of darkness. Central to Conrad’s work is the idea that there is little difference between “civilised people” and “savages.” Heart of Darkness implicitly comments on imperialism and racism.
Why does Marlow respect Kurtz?
Marlow is not interested in Kurtz’s job, because he doesn’t want all the money and he doesn’t want to be adored by everybody. He also wants to know more about him, because of the way he has to die. Marlow respects Kurtz and his decisions, and also Kurtz respects Marlow, but they weren’t friends, they just had no other.
What was Kurtz doing in the 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.
Is Marlow a good person?
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. Alfred Prufrock or William Faulkner’s Quentin Compson.
What does Marlow symbolize in Heart of Darkness?
Another major figure of the novel is Marlow. He has a symbolic role in the novel. He symbolizes the spirit of adventure and a love of knowledge. He stands for the thoughtful observer of human life and a student of human nature.
What do flies symbolize in Heart of Darkness?
Throughout Heart of Darkness, flies symbolize “The Lord of the Flies;” a title synonymous with death. They appear following the death of the slave in Chapter 1, and more notably after the death of Kurtz in Chapter 3. The flies also suggest inferno and hell imagery.
What does light symbolize in Heart of Darkness?
The symbolic meaning of light and darkness play the central role in the novel Heart of Darkness. If we try to see the meaning of light it means bright, knowledge, capable in every field, life, perfection, etc. and Darkness, on the other hand, refers to dark, illiteracy, death, ignorance, inability etc.
What does Marlow learn from his journey?
At the end of his journey, Marlow learns that everyone has a dark side to them, but some people can conceal it better than others.) He goes from light to darkness while usual stories go from dark to light (Paradise Lost and Regained.)
Why is Marlow compared to Buddha?
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. As Heart of Darkness progresses, Marlow becomes increasingly sensitive to his surroundings and the “darkness” that they may embody or hide.
What does Marlow find at the end of his journey?
What does Marlow find about 50 miles below the inner station? What does Marlow find at the end of his journey? He finds a decaying station, heads on stakes facing Kurtz’s cabin, the Russian that looks like a clown (harlequin) What is the Russian’s role in Kurtz’s life?
Does Marlow change in heart of darkness?
In Heart Of Darkness, Marlow changes in the sense that he moves towards self,whilst moving towards the centre of earth, taking on a whole new perspective as he does so.
Who are the two narrators in Heart of Darkness?
narrator There are two narrators: an anonymous passenger on a pleasure ship, who listens to Marlow’s story, and Marlow himself, a middle-aged ship’s captain. point of view The first narrator speaks in the first-person plural, on behalf of four other passengers who listen to Marlow’s tale.
Is Marlow an imperialist?
Imperialism in Heart of Darkness In Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Marlow, the main character, symbolizes the positiveness of Imperialism. When Marlow states, “I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you,” he expresses his good intentions to help the Africans progress and advance.
What kind of person is Marlow?
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.
Who are the cannibals in Heart of Darkness?
Conrad’s natives are of two types: they are an indistinct black mass, or they are cannibals. On arrival at the Outer Station Marlow describes seeing ‘black shapes’.
Why do the natives attack heart of darkness?
The natives took the wood (to power the steamboat) and Marlow slipped the book in his pocket. The Harlequin then explained that the natives attacked Marlow’s steamboat because they did not want anyone to take Kurtz away from them. Part 2 of Heart of Darkness offers the reader some of Conrad’s most dense passages.
Is Marlow a hero in Heart of Darkness?
Marlow becomes the hero of this story because he’s able to retain a positive attitude throughout the journey. In his epic case, he remains positive mostly for his own sanity.