HoD, Chapter Three

I understand this is posted really...REALLY late, and I apologize immensely to the student who has to comment on my posts, but I have undergone a lot of complications and stress due to outside circumstances that nobody really wants to even think about hearing. So, for the sake of punctuality, let us move forward.

Let me just say that I did not enjoy reading this novella. Although I did find a bushel of symbolism amongst its pages, every second spent reading this novella was very, very irritating. Conrad's overuse of adjectives and descriptions and imagery made the reading tedious and boring. I do not even think that this story can follow the old, traditional plot chart from middle school. Sure, it had a start and an end, but a climax? Eh, maybe. A catharsis? For me, definitely not.

The whole way that Conrad kept building Kurtz up to be this great genius of a man was very anticlimactic when Kurtz was actually introduced and went from an idea to a person. I personally felt offended that all of that build-up led to absolutely nothing impressive. There was no mystery left about Kurtz; every other character Marlow had talked to had revealed everything there was to know. He was a genius, he had an insatiable lust for ivory, the natives revered him, he was sick...that's great, but for being the main drive of Marlow's journey forward into the Heart of Darkness, as a reader I was expecting some kind of interesting twist in his characterization, but no. Kurtz was exactly what everyone in Africa had said he was, and all of that added up to be flat out boring.

HoD 3 Katie

So here we are for one more chance to experience the Heart of Darkness. I have to say that chapter 3 was by far my favorite chapter. I feel as though the entire book has been leading up to this chapter. The action finally got going! I was finally satisified that Marlow saw Kurtz for who he really was. All pretenses had been dropped, and Marlow finally realizes what a fool he had been to place so much trust in his expectation of Kurtz. It is in this chapter that the "Heart of Darkness" is finally uncovered. I really enjoyed Marlow's characterization of the native woman. His usual characterization of women as weak and inferior creatures is transformed into one of raw unbridled power and independence. YES! FINALLY! O how long I have waited to see that Marlow finally understand the value of women! On the other hand, I was never quite sure why Marlow felt such kinship with Kurtz's Intended. It almost seems to me as if he feels the same way about Kurtz as she does. But at the same time this seems impossible because he came to the realization that Kurtz was a very bad person when he was in the jungle. What confused me most was what he said in teh last page, " I could not tell her. It would have been too dark altogether." Is this his admission that he could not tell her that Kurtz was a despicable human being?

Chapter 3 Response

Chapter three was quite a disappointment to those who had waited for the wonderful Kurtz. It became almost depressing to know that you read this entire novel and had this image built up in anticipation for an amazing person to end with a “sucky” introduction to Kurtz like this one. It was obvious from Kurtz’s and later Marlow’s sickness that it was caused by being in the “heart of darkness” or Africa, for it caused immense amounts of unbearable greed that even though was described as physical illness was mental as well. While they may have been extremely sick, I know it was caused by the suffering they faced.

It was interesting to hear the Russian trader talk about Kurtz before the natives brought him on a stretcher over to where Marlow was. For someone who was supposed to be all mighty and powerful, he seemed to be quite a jerk. Although somewhat of a shocking idea, one could tell that Kurtz was a true business man who was concerned with just that and did not even care if he would have to kill someone (like the threat to the trader) to move up in his ivory business. Also when sick, a beautiful lady reappeared several times, someone whom the Russian believed to be Kurtz’s lover; however, I felt that this lady was symbolizing Kurtz’s regret for leaving Europe and appeared in the most desperate and reflective times.

In the last section when Marlow is returning home, I was struck by him describing the fact that the way home was so quick, while the journey to Africa was so looooong. But then I remembered that in the first chapter they were moving up stream and were in great anticipation for the adventure, and then on the way home they were moving down stream and were waiting to reach home again. Often times when we initially go somewhere the way may seem long because we are not fully aware or prepped to enter such an environment, but then leaving we are ready to return to our old way and environment.

Chapter 3 Response

Chapter three was quite a disappointment to those who had waited for the wonderful Kurtz. It became almost depressing to know that you read this entire novel and had this image built up in anticipation for an amazing person to end with a “sucky” introduction to Kurtz like this one. It was obvious from Kurtz’s and later Marlow’s sickness that it was caused by being in the “heart of darkness” or Africa, for it caused immense amounts of unbearable greed that even though was described as physical illness was mental as well. While they may have been extremely sick, I know it was caused by the suffering they faced.

It was interesting to hear the Russian trader talk about Kurtz before the natives brought him on a stretcher over to where Marlow was. For someone who was supposed to be all mighty and powerful, he seemed to be quite a jerk. Although somewhat of a shocking idea, one could tell that Kurtz was a true business man who was concerned with just that and did not even care if he would have to kill someone (like the threat to the trader) to move up in his ivory business. Also when sick, a beautiful lady reappeared several times, someone whom the Russian believed to be Kurtz’s lover; however, I felt that this lady was symbolizing Kurtz’s regret for leaving Europe and appeared in the most desperate and reflective times.

In the last section when Marlow is returning home, I was struck by him describing the fact that the way home was so quick, while the journey to Africa was so looooong. But then I remembered that in the first chapter they were moving up stream and were in great anticipation for the adventure, and then on the way home they were moving down stream and were waiting to reach home again. Often times when we initially go somewhere the way may seem long because we are not fully aware or prepped to enter such an environment, but then leaving we are ready to return to our old way and environment.

LET THERE BE LIGHT!!

Chapter 3 of the Heart of Darkness made all of my guesses come true (except the one where I thought that there was no Kurtz, it was an African that had lured the men into a trap...that was wrong) and it kind of made me feel let down. Kurtz is seen as so many different thing for different people including an all-knowing God for the Russian and a look into the future for Marlow and yet he is just a dying man that is no more than a skeleton. I thought Marlow saw a little of himself in Kurtz and with that he saw the problems that he need to change. I question that I had was that why would Marlow want to go back to Africa after already going through all the hardships and almost loosing his life. Maybe he believes that he will be able to conqueror the darkness (but isn't that a little like hubris).

I thought that the end is an explanation for "heart of darkness". Heart of Darkness is the negative side of humanity and how it grows when it is fed. It is also the part of humans when they believe that nothing else matter but themselves and what they want and will step on anyone or anything to achieve that goal. There are many different definitions for heart of darkness, each one equal to the next, but "heart of darkness" is more about finding that personal darkness and figuring out a way to bring light into it.

Chapter 2 post

Chapter two opens with another stab at trying to figure out who Kurtz is and how he relates to the pilgrims. It also goes back to Marlow's problems with Africans. He sees the cannibals as okay guys yet he hates the men that are trying to keep their own land and livelihood. I thought it was very smart of Conrad to make it so that Marlow connected with the cannibals because it is kind of what he as been doing all along. Marlow and the other Europeans have been consuming the Africans (figuratively) and their resources (literally), while the cannibals have been literally eating each other. Marlow also sumises that it is okay that they are looking at everyone like a large t-bone steak as long as they haven't been able to eat anything in a long time. He understands that it is the Europeans fault because they have been working them so hard, yet he can't put to neurons together and think "maybe we should stop working the Africans so hard."

There is one huge connection between Dante and Heart of Darkness in this chapter and that would be the river that Marlow and his men take. The river Styx is the boundary between the mortal world and the underworld. Marlow and his men begin to go into their own kind of underworld as they delve deeper into the great darkness.

i hate my life

to put it in simple terms; I was right. i vividly remember that I, Stephen Truban, brought up in a socratic circle discussion that i believed Kurtz would not turn out like he is all talked up to be. Yet i was laughed at and ignored just like all my other comments that i choose to speak of.

Yes, Kurtz wasn't all he was talked up to be, instead of a almighty human who has and rugged and awesome life, he is a crazy person. although i do feel sorry for him. I find that the only reason he turned out like he did was because of Africa. He, being the only one to conquer the uncharted places, was left by himself, except for the natives. I think its kind of like cabin fervor. now, if i was in a discussion i would say it relates to the movie The Shinning, but no one would accept the connection, say i wasn't productive, laugh maybe, then move on. It seems obvious that Kurtz's illnesses are physical, but i really think it is more than that. I perceive Kurtz's illness as mental, that was caused by the physical separation from European social environments. I feel that it was very convenient that Marlow became ill on this trip too. Mabye this is for the same reasons by which Kurtz was ill, i dont know, and will ask in discussion tomorrow.

I would like to point out that i did say in the first discussion that the trip into Africa was up stream, therefore slow. It now mentioned that the trip was quick out of Africa because they were with the current. That comment was also ignored. And i dont know exactly what it symbolizes yet, still thinking about it. it might have something to do with the newness of the surroundings to Marlow.

finale

Well, it is not to my surprise that I didn't favor the end of the book; I didn't really favor the beginning either. It just seems so predictable, Kurtz not being what Marlow expected; Kurtz going mad and dying, Marlow returning to his normal life. I feel like we somehow predicted this in our various discussions, maybe not exactly correct but close enough. I felt some extreme irony when our first true encounter with Kurtz, the man who has been described as so powerful, wonderful, and remarkable, is him being pulled along on a stretcher, a major symbol for weakness and powerlessness. I silently predicted in my mind that this was Kurtz's demise, he would die by the end of the book. A real shocker would have been something crazy, like him going back to England and getting married or reuniting with his family or something dramatic like that. But I guess that isn't why this novel was written, it was written to portray the imperialistic society which I think it did wonderfully. There are many observations I have made throughout the book, too many to account for them all here. However, I would love to point out when Marlow describes Kurts'z intended; he describes her with so much confidence and it seems like she has the world by a string. But then, at the end of the story, the tragedy of Kurtz's death deeply troubles her and she is caught up in endless mourning. This is the only part of the story I particularly liked, because it had some relate-able drama. It shows that no matter how put together and with it a person could be they could still be falling apart on the inside and can still have tragedies in their lives, much like Kurtz's success compared to his downfall. But, the book wasn't all that awful, this and some other parts I liked and understood.

Really? Really?!

Alright I probably could have told you this by the end of chapter one but, the "heart of darkness" is the disease of imperialism. The concept is an addiction that captured the heart of Kurtz and drove the actions of Marlow. Chapter three was basically a long journey home. Kurtz's health progressively gets worse the further away from the "heart" of Africa they travel. Marlow also becomes sick during this time which most likely symbolizes his touch of the imperialistic virus. Its interesting that Marlow refers to the journey home as "swift," while he always referred to his travels into the continent as "extensive." It seems that entering the darkness is more difficult than leaving; however, the return is more than natural. Marlow is not happy in Brussels as he experiences his own sense of self-importance. He is drawn back to the river, back to the dark continent which he once feared he would never be able to escape. The irony of the struggle and accomplishment, only to return, and the irony of the "voice" (Mr. Kurtz) which turned out to be very fallible as a human being, indicate a tragic system of imperialism that consumes the heart of men who naively believe the lie of their own self-righteousness. Boom! That's about it.

Well thats it. Kurtz; a man who braved into the uncharted African wilderness, conquered the jungle and it's inhabitants, made a crap ton off of ivory, became a god-like figure to the natives as well as the other Europeans, and became the king of imperialism turns out to be a weak, scrawny man, who is carried in by a stretcher the first time we meet him. Something tells me that this is not the climax that we all intended it to be, and the book will probably not get much more exciting from this point on.

Even with the ill and fragile Kurtz, the reader can still see what effect the heart of darkness can have on someone. It drove Kurtz mad with greed, and he was willing to do anything to get his hands on some ivory. While talking to the Russian Marlow learns that Kurtz almost killed him for just a small amount of ivory. Kurtz has committed many crimes against the African natives that surround him by raids, and turning them against one another. When he shouts out his last words "the horror! the horror!" i believe he is finally realizing all of the evil things he has done just to find wealth. Kurtz was unable to escape the heart of darkness in the mortal life, but now he is surely to be sentenced to an eternity in darkness because... he probably went to hell.

done.

Chapter 3 of Heart of Darkness places the reader in the climax and “heart” (no reference to the meaning of HoD) of Marlow's story. Unfortunately, this build up ended in a let down; sort of like a plaque filled “heart of darkness” instead of the healthy one I had expected. In this chapter, Kurtz has a less than epic appearance after Marlow's continual build up and foreshadowing. Somewhat ironic, Kurtz appears essentially on a death bed, weak and skinny instead of this strong voiced individual that was anticipated.

Although decapitated heads were displayed pierced on the ends of poles, Marlow gives his word to the culprit, Kurtz, even though it meant that he would be excommunicated from the Company and shipped out of Africa back to Brussels. This juvenile devotion shows the extent to which Marlow wanted to be with the Company and the overwhelming power Kurtz has with his oratory skills. Marlow seems to pity Kurtz to some extent, seeing that his madness can be attained unwillingly and anyone can be fully consumed in this business.

In this chapter, the answer as to what the heart of darkness actually is referring to is somewhat answered but is also left up to some interpretation. From the text, I assume that the heart of darkness is most prominently found in Kurtz. This darkness refers to the consuming power of imperialism especially Kurtz; a man transformed into his business and trade until he has no one but the natives he has manipulated. This need for power is what essentially led him into madness. Simply put, “the heart of darkness” refers to the “darkest” side of humanity, brought out by the colonization of Africa.

-Molly Barb

Chapter 3, HoD

I was, to put it nicely, disappointed.

There was no exciting, suspenseful conclusion to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. No amazing, unforeseen revelation.

The one part of the chapter, though, that truly did intrigue me and kept me reading was Marlow going to visit Kurtz's fiancee (as he never offers her given name I will refer to her as Julia for the purposes of this blogpost). Julia is described in the terms of a complete angel, being exceptionally beautiful and having an "ashy halo." While this furthers the similarities between Inferno and Heart of Darkness, the visit serves little other purpose other than, perhaps, putting a conclusion to the relationship between Marlow and Kurtz. In short, it tied up the loose ends.

Admittedly, I had been expecting something a little more dramatic. The book spent a great deal of time building up suspense for the equivalent of nothing to occur.

As it is, Marlow visits Julia, leaves Julia never to see her again, and believes this to be a satisfactory conclusion to his narrative. Then we return to the frame story where Marlow just sits there silently (his throat probably hurts from telling such a long story), the ships continues to sail, and the sailors notice that it is dark outside.

The end.

No more darkness please

This book started out crappy, got better, then ended crappy. This section was by far the biggest let down of my English “career.” I got psyched for the end of this book after section 2. Section 2 created such suspense. Marlow is standing there talking to the Russian, only yards away from Kurtz. However, section 3 did not capitalize on this suspense. It just kept going from chapter 2 with some boring dialogue with the Russian. You don't even see Kurtz until like 4 pages in. And it is such a let down. He is being carried on a stretcher, near death. Sure, it hints at Kurtz's terrible condition in section 2, but this man is supposed to be a “god”! He isn't supposed to be some weakling who got the flu. It completely reverses any sort of characterization about Kurtz that was previously developed. However, after several pages, along with this beginning image, Conrad reveals Kurtz's true characterization. He is this man who is completely dominated by greed. He was even willing to shoot his right hand man for a little bit of ivory. On top of that, Kurtz uses the African people to kill their own in order to get this ivory. Sure the man is a god to them, but that still seems pretty messed up to me.

Although I barely got through this section, I did stumble across something I found very interesting. When Marlow sees Kurtz alive for the last time, Kurtz screams “The horror! The horror!” followed by Marlow simply remaining in the room when everyone else goes to check on the status of Kurtz. I think this is probably the most significant part of the entire book. At this moment, when he is on his deathbed, Kurtz truly sees the evil in his actions. I think that Kurtz is also trying to tell Marlow “what he has to say.” I think Kurtz is trying to let Marlow know that the “heart of darkness” (Africa) can take you over and change you into someone you do not want to be. I think that the fact that Marlow remains seated after Kurtz dies slightly hints at the idea of Marlow becoming evil similar to Mr. Kurtz. However, this slight possibility, I think, is destroyed when Marlow survives this mysterious illness. This symbolizes that, although Marlow went into the Heart of Darkness, experienced everything, and even supported Kurtz, he will not become the evil man Kurtz was.

IT'S OVER!!!!

I have to admit, as happy as I am to be done reading Marlow's monotonous narrative, I am not so happy with the way the book ended. The third chapter is centered around Marlow's encounter with the Russian trader and, of course, Kurtz.
The third chapter begins with some boring conversation between Marlow and the Russian Trader. The trader had nothing but positive things to say about his times with Kurtz, yet he goes on to tell Marlow that Kurtz was willing to shoot him if he didn't get all the ivory he had requested. Nice guy. Through the trader's descriptions of Kurtz we discover that his illness has succumbed him to a literal mental illness that, no matter what the trader tries, cannot be controlled. Kurtz's illness has created him into an even more self-centered, egocentric man dependent on the Russian trader as a caretaker. While Kurtz is laying on his deathbed later in the chapter he can still find in himself the energy to order others around.
Marlow stays by Kurtz's side throughout his prolonged death until his final breath. Marlow's loyalty to Kurtz truly emphasizes Marlow's willingness to take care of the man he had been waiting to meet for so long. After Kurz's death, Marlow had mysteriously been diagnosed with the same illness as Kurtz, yet he was able to surpass its deadly affects once he arrived home and received care from his aunt.
While all of the details included in this chapter are necessary to the formation of the story as a whole, I am still somewhat confused as to what the exact purpose of the book is and I have only a vague understanding of the Heart of Darkness. I can honestly say that this chapter did nothing but left me even more confused as to what the actual Heart of Darkness is, but I can say that I learned more about Kurtz and his greedy desires.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLIMAX?!

As these posts are to be informal and strictly reflective, I am going to take freedom with expressing my opinion since I have become increasingly vexed with this book.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a story quite as void of anticipation and suspense as “Heart of Darkness.” The first few opening paragraphs of Chapter 1 were positively chock full of such heavily ominous, seeping imagery and powerfully menacing tone that I remember thinking “Oooh, this is going to be good!” As a person who whole heartedly enjoys reading old classics (ex: I found “The Scarlet Letter” riveting), I truly wanted to say that I liked this book. Unfortunately, I found Conrad’s storytelling tactics to be lifeless, bland, and straightforward yet absolutely puzzling at the same time. I appreciate his incredible use of symbolism but one can only apply so many motifs before the whole plot morphs into one lengthy riddle. Any rising action moved as slowly as molasses in the middle of January and was eventually squelched or simply faded away into the blackness of the story. The perfect example is the sequence of scenes in which Kurtz is dying yet is still making demands. Every time he was shown, either stretched out, mouth agape or crawling through the jungle, I was expecting him to die or attack Marlow or do something expected of a madman. But nothing came of it! There where points at which I honestly had no desire to turn another page because I was so uninterested and disappointed. I understand Conrad’s reasoning behind writing “Heart of Darkness” and I believe the overarching themes he addresses of the corruption of humanity, the fragility of morals, and the grotesque distortion of righteousness should certainly be put to memory but he could have made his book more appealing by expanding and electrifying the many mini-climactic moments that occurred throughout the story.

I can best sum up how I felt upon reaching that last blessed punctuation mark on page 72 by using a meteorological comparison. The experience was similar to when a storm is brewing outside your window, getting blacker and angrier by the minute, with the occasional sharp gust of wind rocking the house, and you grab your Snuggie and hunker down, ready for the heavens to let loose. But hours pass and not even a drop of rain has fallen or a crack of thunder has sounded. Then the clouds dissipate and all threat of a storm subsides. You are left feeling cheated and dissatisfied for having prepared for nothing.

Blog time what to ramble about this time; I know.... how about both Marlow and Kurt’s European banging buddy construct idealized versions of Kurtz in an attempt make sense out of their respective worlds, but ultimately, Marlow’s version of Kurtz is obliviously more profound. Marlow emphasizes his disgust at the complacency of the people he meets in Brussels in order to validate his own share of worldly experience. Marlow’s narrative implies that his version of Kurtz, as well as his accounts of Africa and imperialism, are inherently better and truer than other people’s because of what he has experienced. This notion is based on the bull[expletive deleted] ideas of heroism, involving quests and trials in the pursuit of knowledge. In fact, by seeming to legitimize activities like imperialism for their experiential value for crackers—in other words, by making it appear that Africa is the key to philosophical truth—the closing of Heart of Darkness seems to be the harbringer of a much more momentous horror than anything Marlow has encountered on his super awesome fun boat adventure. Are the evils of colonialism justifiable in the name of “truth” or knowledge, even if they are not justifiable in the name of wealth (I ask Neri)? This paradox accounts appears at least partially for the novella’s use of a frame story. Marlow recounts his experiences to his boat buds because doing so establishes an implicit comparison. The other men aboard the other boat are the sort of men who benefit economically from imperialism, while Marlow has benefited mainly experientially. While Marlow’s “truth” may be more profound than that of his friends or Kurtz’s Intended, it may not justify the cost of its acquisition.

About time Kurtz.

While reading this chapter, I could not help but feel a major anticlimactic feeling. Based on chapter 1 and 2, I felt that this would be the chapter that would finish of the book with a bang, yet it ended with creating confusion in my mind.

Going back to the start of chapter 3, the descriptions from the Russian trader characterize Kurtz as supernatural human being. The trader talks highly about him with Marlow and he goes into detail about how he gave wonder speeches and his ideas are very philosophical. I found it ironic that the trader still spoke highly of Kurtz even though he threatened to shoot the Russian over a small box of ivory. This bit of information gives insight to how deranged Kurtz has become due to his stay in the “heart of darkness” as it is implied throughout the book that Kurtz is situated in the heart of darkness. Another ironic situation mentioned in this book was that the Natives do not want Kurtz to leave, yet Kurtz is raiding other native villages and destroying other native populations. I think that this is incorporated to symbolize that greed has taken over Kurtz AND the natives around him due to their location in the heart of darkness where sanity is lost by the people.

Finally, Kurtz is revealed in this chapter, though it is very anticlimactic as he a weak and destroyed person. With all the previous descriptions, I envisioned a man of great build, tall, and a demanding figure, yet here we see Kurtz on his deathbed, waiting to embrace death. An incident that I found intriguing was how Kurtz cried “The horror! The horror!” before his death. I think that Kurtz saw his past experiences flash past his eyes as he was dying. He was able to reflect on these past images and conclude that he has committed horrible crimes upon humanity. Either way, the end of the book left me in confusion and darkness, which could potentially be the intended effect of the author as it is a parallel with the title of the story.

these times left in cascading darkness;

The final chapter struck me as something unusual, particularly to the references made in accordance of Marlow's behaviors towards the being that is Kurtz. His entire self being seems to come into question, beginning to grow more fragmented and less observant towards himself and more towards everything around him. Kurtz to Marlow is like another white blotch on a map that he always wanted to locate as a young boy, something that has always powered him to advance forward through life and to divulge himself deeper into his ventures. Kurtz symbolizes a near demi-God that has been so diluted in the eyes of man that those that speak of him aren't quite sure just how to interpret him entirely. "One of the agents with a picket of a few of our blacks, armed for the purpose, was keeping guard over the ivory; but deep within the forest, red gleams that wavered, that seemed to sink and rise from the ground amongst confused columnar shapes of intense blackness, showed the exact position of the camp where Mr. Kurtz's adorers were keeping their uneasy vigil. The monotonous beating of a big drum filled the air with muffled shocks and a lingering vibration." This spot in particular catching me especially my surprise however, after reading further into the chapter.

In the impending moments before Kurtz's death, a drum is beating in a rhythm and the beating of a large drum would entitle a deep sound that would resemble the beating of a heart. This goes mentioned later on in a more blunt fashion just prior to his death, "the beat of the drum, regular and muffled like the beating of a heart--the heart of a conquering darkness." The repetitive notion of the drum and the comparisons Marlow feels towards the steady beat entitles an amount of remnant left upon him - something similar to which Kurtz felt in his time within the dark continent. Kurtz's entire identity resided in words and actions - now only remaining in Marlow and through the constant pulse of a drum-beat.

The drums continuing past Kurtz's death, however, make me believe that drums symbolize the heartbeat of Africa still surviving past the imperialism that eventually dies away as Kurtz does physically.

Bury me with my guns on, so when I reach the other side

I can shoot the devil right between the eyes.

or have I already seen the devil? Kurtz may be the devil himself, so could the Russian in his happy enlightened attitude in such a desolate land. But back to my real point.

Marlow has finally reached the Heart of Darkness, or has he? This final chapter begins with the Russian that is in the ragtag clothing, which to me seemed very significant in the end of the second chapter, telling stories of how Mr. Kurtz liked to go exploring alone. This man is still a very strong symbol in my opinion of what imperialism and mankind as a whole is capable of. This Russian, though in this lonely and desolate place and constantly being attacked by Mr. Kurtz with the thread of being killed, seems to be almost enjoying himself. He lives his life in an almost whimsical manner to which anything and everything can happen. He reminds me vaguely of the Mad Hatter, where he simply wished to tell stories and have his own “cup of tea” where he only wants adventure, which is a very pure and noble ideal. Bringing another connection as to why he seems so untouched by this entire ordeal, he purely wants adventure and nothing more, he found some ivory but gave it to Mr. Kurtz so that he may keep his life, this Russian man is pure of heart and soul and therefore is not part of the damned that are destined to be punished in this final circle of hell, this so called Heart of Darkness.

Upon finding Mr. Kurtz, Marlow finally sees him, but in a very desolate and degraded state. Mr. Kurtz himself is a symbol that can be interpreted in a few ways, one that he represents the country of Africa itself, where imperialism was meant to do it good, however it ravaged it and left it for dead, or two that he represents the white man and their folly in thinking that it is their burden to “enlighten the Africans of their ignorant ways.”. Kurtz dies with a very somber, and highly disturbing last phrase, the Horror….the Horror, now I capitalize horror in this case because I believe it to be a specific thing in this case. The horror is the wisdom that he wished to obtain in life, or maybe it is life itself. So is the mystery of death.

P.S sorry this was so long, I wished to type more, but the word limit got me.

HoD Ch.3- Megan Burch

In the final chapter of “Heart of Darkness,” everything differs in comparison to how the book began. There were many changes throughout the book that were finalized in chapter three. This chapter began with a Russian man that Marlow and his crew picked up from the shore who worked with Kurtz and knew him well. He told Marlow many stories about Mr. Kurtz about how he likes to explore alone and goes off for weeks at a time, or the times he has threatened to kill the Russian man if he does not do exactly what he is asked. These stories made Marlow change his view on Kurtz even more, causing him more dislike for the man. Once Marlow met Mr. Kurtz in person, however, he was ordered while feeling obligated, that he needed to remain loyal to Mr. Kurtz. He stayed by his side pretty much until the very end when Mr. Kurtz died on the boat.

Marlow’s opinion on women seemed to change too. In the beginning they were looked at as being inferior, but now they are spoken of in a more superior manner. The native woman seems to hold much power in the woods, and is described as being able to silence everything around her. In the end, Marlow visited Kurtz’s fiancé a year after his death. She kept rambling on and on about how much she loved him, and longed to hear what he spoke as his last words. Marlow got agitated, and he decided that the actual words Kurtz had spoken were too terrible to repeat, so he lied to the mourning woman and told her that he spoke her name.

this is late because of ecology

i have got to say that i am glad to claim that there is finally some action in this section. I was about to give up on this book because nothing was going on but nothing changes my mind like a good old native raid.

It seems very obvious that Marlow has an obsession with this Kurtz figure. Kurtz is a figurative God to almost everyone in this part of Africa, including the native by which he stripped the culture of. All Marlow ever thinks about is Kurtz, it reminds me of the relatioship a teenage girl has with Justin Beiber. For all we, the reader, knows at this point in the story; Kurtz may not even be a real person, although it is highly likely that he is a real person. The only reason Marlows interest was sparked to this extent was because he over heard the manager and the managers uncle talking while he was on the boat. I also find it weird that the natives think so highly of Kurtz, it seems like, if anyone, they would despise him the most, but obviously not because they think he is basically a God. After all they do preform sacrifices for him. The inscription that Kurtz left to get rid of all the brutes, i think actually means to kill the white people since i found that brute means brutal or insensitive, which is exactly how the white man is acting.

Part 2 Saves the Story

I quickly realized about half-way through the second page that I was going to enjoy part 2 much more than I had part 1. I found the conversation between the manager and his uncle so interesting that I was intrigued to continue on with the rest of this section. Marlow got an even more detailed sense of what he can expect if/when he meets Kurtz.
Finally Marlow begins his journey down the sea towards Kurtz. Along the way, Marlow and his crew hear the shrieks of the natives of the land they were passing, but they were unable to see who the people were because of the thick fog surrounding them. Marlow initially hesitates whether he and his crew should be prepared for an attack by the natives, but decides that they will not attack. We discover, though, that the natives do attack Marlow’s ship because they are afraid of what he and his crewmen may do to them or may even take from them. This situation can represent the uncertainty that Marlow has been experiencing since the first chapter. The fog is an obstacle that hinders Marlow’s ability to see what is in front of him which forces him to continue onward with what he either knows or believes to be the case; the assumption that the natives will not attack is also a representation of Marlow’s uncertainty of what people are actually capable of. These two representations of uncertainty lead me to believe that they are connections to Marlow’s “blind” following of Kurtz. Marlow has never met actually met Kurtz, but the descriptions he hears of the unknown man throughout the story are enough for him to create a figure of whom he is anticipating to meet eventually.
The wait to meet Kurtz creates a lot of anxiety for Marlow and leads me to believe that this man of thought has made Marlow lose his mind. He interrupts his narration to tell the men that Kurtz is a thought that is terribly hard to get out of his mind. Maybe this is the madness the doctor warned Marlow of before his departure to Africa, and maybe Kurtz is the “Heart of Darkness.”

HoD, Chapter Two

So with this next installment in "Heart of Darkness," I was genuinely hoping for a break from the extremely lengthy descriptions, but as usual, the things I have come to believe about works we read in A.P. turned out to be completely and totally wrong.

Moving onward.

What kind of drew my attention in in the beginning was the men talking to each other right by his boat; it was a perfect set-up for him to eavesdrop and learn of the expedition to Mr. Kurtz's station and to pursue an ivory-gathering mission. Through that whole sequence, I kept getting the feeling that the men knew that Marlow--or anybody, for that matter--was in the boat they were talking loudly right next to, and could easily hear everything they said. What further pushed this feeling of epic sketchiness was that when he fidgeted or moved or said something (I honestly do not know what happened to make this effect), the men were startled but then continued on like nothing happened. Weird, much?

I also noticed some ties to either Greek or Roman mythology--I do not know which one as it has been a long time since I studied the two. The connection that I made was that the boat journey further up the Congo River to Mr. Kurtz's station was so long and grueling and "trecherous" (though, honestly, I still do not like the wordiness of this novella), that it was like the Odyssey...or maybe that guy who went on that 35 mile journey that resulted in the race called a Marathon?

I'm getting close to the word limit, but I made an amazing connection that I will share in class. I will also have diagrams to enforce that what I am saying is right.

Ch. 2

Like the previous few posts i agree that this chapter is much much more interesting than the first, and i found myself breezing through the pages at a quicker rate than i had in the first chapter. This may be because there is more suspense, mystery, and action then there was before. Also there was less of Marlow's personal thoughts and rambling descriptions about landscapes that he could explain in one sentence rather than a whole page.

All this time while reading i think to myself why doesn't Marlow just turn around and go back to England? He hates and fears the landscape with all of it's inhabitants, he gets attacked, his boat has sank once already, and he can barely navigate on this shallow, and at times narrow river because of a dense fog covering everything. The answer is simply money. This long and dangerous journey on the river is risked to find Kurtz, and discover his secret to making a profit in the center of "the heart of darkness".

Marlow's view of the natives begins to show more in this passage. He often views them as wild beasts that go around "leaping and spinning", and eating each other in their primitive world that has long been cut off from the rest of the civilized world. Marlow is astonished when he begins to think that he may have something in common with them as being a human. During the battle on the boat Marlow's belief is backed when the natives start to attack with bows and arrows as the pilgrims fire back on them with the more technologically advanced Winchesters. Not even his helmsman is smart enough to Marlow to concentrate long enough to keep the boat from snagging on the river bottom during the attack.

HoD Chap 2 (And so it begins... finally)

About time this book picks up on the action. I find the starting of this chapter really interesting. The discussion between the uncle and the manager reveals how everyone "loves" Kurtz on the outside, but they hate him from the inside due to his outlandish behaviors. The only example of the outlandish behavior is the response the manager gets from Kurtz when the manager sent him slave labor. Once again, the workers just seem to "suck up" to Kurtz just to gain a high position when he gets promoted. I find the whole conversation between the two as a conspiracy theory. They talk about hanging one of Kurtz's worker, the Russian guy, and they also mention how they hope that they climate will favor them and kill of Kurtz. Here is another representation of greed and corruption that takes root among the people working in Africa.

As I progressed through this chapter, Marlow emphasizes the appearance of the land. His use of diction and imagery are really powerful, this enabling him to force images into the readers mind as they read. These images consist of darkness, despair, fear, loneliness, and many other dark feelings. This negative characterization of the land sends chills up my back as I feel these emotions run through me. Conrad really knows how to use diction and imagery in order to grasp his reader’s attention and focus (which is good thing for this book).

One think that aggravates me about this book is the ending of the chapter. I dislike how Conrad leaves us in the dark as to why the natives love Kurtz. Throughout the second chapter, Kurtz has been represented as a pure evil guy as he is portrayed as a devil. Yet, the sudden inclusion of how the Native tribe loves Kurtz is a twist that I feel should have been answered in this chapter.

Savages! Savages!

Finally this boat get's going!

But I have to say, there was none of the fanfare that I was expecting and secretly wanted. There was not even a "Woohoo! We're finally moving down the river and away from this hellish station." Marlow only expressed that he was "then rather excited at the prospect of meeting Kurtz very soon." Oh goodie. Yet again, the lack of climax in this book disappoints me.

For what this book lacks in interest, it makes up for in imagery. In Chapter 2, the imagery of the environment Conrad presents is positively riveting. The condensation of such powerfully rich details, "vegetation rioted on earth," "an empty stream,""the brooding waters flowed through like a mob," contributed greatly to the claustrophobic, anxious feel of the passage. The savage, otherworldly atmosphere is made even more frightening with the looming presence of the natives. I honestly got goosebumps (or goosepimples as Katie Philpott would say) when Marlow states "They howled, and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was the thought of their humanity-like yours-the though of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar." It's a scary reality to come to that lying within all of us is a primal, raw, stripped down form of humanity that is both "monstrous and free."

HoD Chapter 2

Marlow is going crazy! His obsession with the mysterious figure of Kurtz and his continual transportability with the African landscape are becoming more prevalent in this section. He feels the wilderness enveloping him to the point of no return. He describes the land as a living "monster" in which there seems to be no escape. The instability and potential dangers that coincide with the native tribes and the barren land are meshed together through the darkness of night and the fog of morning.

Marlow is no longer sure of where he stands with the African men. He acknowledges that they have the capability to act as human beings and contribute in a domesticated manner, yet he still sees himself as superior and very separate from their kind. He is bewildered by the diversity within their culture and the opposite extremes in behavior, while the "cannibals" act as valid crew members and unseen men on the land act like savages. However, one thing still remains clear, Marlow does not consider himself one of them.

Marlow's view of Mr. Kurtz is changing from a generous genius to a greedy tyrant. He creates a picture of a man that has turned his back on his common white man to become the master of his own world. Africa seems to belong to this powerful man as he manipulates the natives... and they love him for it. Marlow can not fully grasp the world in which a single man can rule over such a land.

Part 2 > Part 1

I like this section MUCH better, its not as monotonous and filled with useless detailed information (in my opinion..) I found it striking in how much the imperialistic mindset was protrayed in this section. The trip on the river, over several months, is described as extremely dangerous, treacherous, etc, and yet these men all jump on the voyage like it is nothing. What drives them? Ivory. The simple fact of making a profit on this ivory is greater than the importance of their lives, which is why they make the journey. I think the author meant to over exaggerate how "treacherous" the journey was, to really show how money-hungry these men were.

I also find it interesting how he relates to the Africans; it seems he is confused as to what to think. He knows what he has been told and what he previously believed, but now he is not quite so sure if they are just like poor, uneducated Europeans. There are alot of sharp contrasts in this story, which I think really help me understand what the author is trying to do. Or at least I think I know.

These songs I play for you, are all but out of tune.

I will start off by saying I feel very dim for not catching this symbol much earlier in my readings, however something that struck me deeply in this chapter was the way ivory is being described. It brings about images of pure white and of wealth, but at the same time it is almost deathly….like a clean skull. When bones are cleaned they look like ivory, for what is ivory but a bone. This encompasses the entire story for me now, where the thing that Kurtz is hunting so vivaciously for is not wealth itself but death. Kurtz has been to the heart of darkness, he has made the pilgrimage to the center of hell itself, and this is why he is treated almost like a godly figure, though his actual human qualities cannot handle it. He is broken down by such and he is actually hunting for death itself, ivory is not ivory in this world.

Another thing that caught my attention closely was the man that appears at the end of the chapter, he seems as if he is not completely mentally stable. He talks about his Russian descent and how he followed a Dutchman until the Dutchman gave him guns and supplies to start his own trade shop. He is described like a harlequin which I think is a very important concept, because the man is obviously going insane, the bright contrasting colors of his suit are representative of the insanity that is imposed on intruders of this land itself. He is a physical representation of the unstable minds of all the “pilgrims” that are aboard this ship.

Finally, Marlow speaking about himself in third person perturbed me, because he seems to be losing his mind, as if he is lost within darkness and is blinded by it.

Zachary Corona

HoD Ch. 2

As Marlow progresses down the river towards Kurtz and the Inner Station, he encounters many physical and emotional dilemmas, along with digging deeper into finding out who Kurtz is. Chapter two starts off with Marlow traveling down the river on his repaired boat with his seaman who consist of both pilgrims and natives of Africa. The ship and its crew encounter a natives who begin to take fire on them with crude bows and arrows, killing a black herdsman on the ship. This event carries much significance.

Firstly, the mobility of the mostly white crew represents the imperialist advances on Africa, while the stranded Africans on land act as the symbol for the lack of progression for the natives. Secondly, the herdsman symbolizes Marlow's acclimation to the European views of Africans. Starting off as feeling bad for the natives, Marlow tries to help them. But as the boat floats down the river, so Marlow progresses toward thinking of the Africans as inferior; he even throws his luxury shoes overboard because the blood of the herdsman got on them. Although he shows some disinterest, Marlow wants a proper burial for the herdsman showing that he is not depleted of empathy. Thirdly, the attack on the ship exposes Marlow's intense concern that he will never meet the wonderful Kurtz that so many men have spoken highly of. He acknowledges that he fears Kurtz will never be a sight, rather just something he has heard about. Once the ship arrives to the Inner Station, Marlow, although comforted that Kurtz is alive, begins to realize that Kurtz is an imperialist himself (the heart of darkness) and that people do not talk to him, they listen.

Mr. Kurtz the Mystery Man

I found this section to be much more appeasing than the first section. It seemed less boring and helped advance the plot more. The whole point of this journey has been to find Mr. Kurtz and Marlow finally meets him in this section. However, Mr. Kurtz is not the man Marlow was necessarily expecting. I think that Conrad suggests this through the fog and also the Russian's suit. The fog represents Marlow's uncertainty about Mr. Kurtz and also his inability to truly see who Mr. Kurtz is yet. Marlow cannot see through the fog, just like how he cannot fully see and understand who Mr. Kurtz is. Marlow has been forced to just go on second hand accounts of Kurtz and cannot truly follow who he is, just like how the fog distorts and hides the river and prevents him from effectively navigating it. Also, I think the Russian's suit is representative of this uncertainty. The suit is composed of many different patches and Marlow even compares him to a “jester” with all the different colors. I think this represents the mystique behind Mr. Kurtz. Marlow has heard all these different stories about Kurtz, all of which introduce different characterizations of him, similar to the many different colored patches, all of which make up a different part of the suit. Mr. Kurtz is such a complex man that one characterization of him does not suffice, similar to how one patch is not enough to fix the suit and complete it.

When Marlow does finally meet Mr. Kurtz he is shocked at his inhumanity. While traveling down the river, Marlow heard some stories of how Kurtz was a good figure who wanted to help “civilize” the Africans. However, Kurtz is a man of greed and lacks any significant morality. I think that Kurtz has been consumed by this “Heart of Darkness” (imperialism) and has become completely corrupt and just overall a crappy human being. Also, I think Conrad displays how the whole “white man's burden” thing is bullsh*t through this characterization of Kurtz. Kurtz started out trying to “help” but this was a lost hope and he ended up just making things terrible for the Africans.

fog because why not

What to talk about this week lets go with that for that pops up somewhere in this chapter. The fog that surrounds the boat seems to me be both literal and symbolic: it obscures, distorts, and leaves Marlow with only voices and words upon which to base his judgments. But this has been Marlow’s situation for much of the book, as he has had to formulate an idea of Kurtz based solely on secondhand accounts of the dude’s exploits and personality. This has been both enriching and kind of dangerous for Marlow. On the one hand, having the figure of Kurtz available as an object for contemplation has provided some form of release for Mr. Marlow, and a nice distraction from his [expletive deleted] sandwich of a ship actually is, and Kurtz has also served as a kind of a tabula rasa onto which Marlow can project his own thoughts and values. Kurtz gives Marlow a sense of possibility. But at the same time, Marlow’s fantasizing about Kurtz has its hazards. By becoming intrigued with Kurtz, Marlow seems to become dangerously alienated from, and player hated on by, the Company’s representatives. Moreover, Marlow focuses his energies and hopes on a man who may more than likely be absolutely nothing like the astounding number of legends surrounding him. However, with nothing else to go on and no other alternatives to the manager and his ilk, little Marlow finds he has little choice. But of course remember young team this Heart of Darkness which means in all likely hood this interpretation is unbearably wrong and the symbolism is much deeper than our feeble non-polak minds can interpret.

Chapter two encompasses a time span of several months, depicting Marlow's travel on the steamboat to Kurtz's station. Marlow has changed some in chapter two. He is more cynical, less innocent, and somewhat sarcastic, saying in reply to the pilgrim's rejoicing at repelling an attack that they "made a glorious lot of smoke" even if they did not kill any of the attackers. He also admits that he and some of the others began to lose touch with reality while in Africa, feeling that the truth was fading.

Everywhere in the extremely detailed descriptions of Marlow's surroundings lurks danger, treachery, and death. Yet there are men that are willing to risk it for nothing more than ivory. This drive for ivory is what makes Kurtz such an appealing person to know.

The imperialistic commentary of this novel is more apparent than ever in chapter two now that the greed of white men is even more evident. It is incredible that there are so many men who value money over their lives.

Marlow also holds a very low opinion of Kurtz, who he considers outrageously greedy, referring to everything as "my" ivory or "my" river etc. As it seems to me, though, Marlow has no esteem for anyone, including Kurtz and the pilgrims adn the manager.

Marlow's disdain for greediness and imperialism makes me even more curious about the purpose of the expedition traveling down the Thames.

Katie Philpott HoD chapter 2

I am so glad to see that Heart of Darkness is finally going somewhere! The first chapter was slow to say the least, and I fell asleep multiple times. It was nice to finally read something that kept my attention.
On page 30, Marlow describes the process of going up the river. I can’t help but relate his description of the area with his earlier description of how England must have looked to the Romans when they first came to the land. The fact that it was like “traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world,” hints at its “prehistoric” nature. The author does this to highlight the nature of the jungle and how dangerous it is. This also shows the overall greed of the white man. They are willing to risk their lives in such a hostile environment all for the sake of money.
Marlow hints at the very real possibility of losing your sanity when he says “When you have attended to things of that sort, to the mere incidents of the surface, the reality-the reality, I tell you-fades. The inner truth is hidden-luckily, luckily.” I feel like this is his attempt to show how easy it is to lose one’s grip on reality, especially in such an emotionally and physically straining environment. I also think this is how he justifies the true “heart of darkness.” It isn’t necessarily the Dark Continent itself or the horrific ends to which the white man is willing to go to in order to make a profit. I think the true heart of darkness is when a man loses himself and his grip on reality. He becomes a sort of machine and loses everything that defines who he is.

HoD Ch.2- Megan Burch

In my opinion, chapter 2 was much more exciting than the first chapter in the fact that it went into such great detail. Marlow seems to have grown up a lot from when he first went to Africa. Conrad uses vivid imagery in this story, so when Marlow is describing the landscape you can picture it perfectly. It does not sound like a fun or happy place to be. It sounds dirty and miserable, with no happiness or cleanliness. Marlow has grown in his opinions and thoughts of the Africans, of Kurtz, and of his leaders. He begins to think that Kurtz is not worth dying for and that his entire expedition will be for nothing, since he sees Kurtz as spoiled like a “princess.”

Marlow does not respect the Africans, but in a way he understands them. He listed the cannibals as hard workers, and they surprised him. They never ate human meat in front of him and they never once tried to kill and eat him or any of his crew during the journey to find Kurtz. He saw a group of Africans on the shore at one point that were dancing and yelling. He did not bother them and did not feel the need to stop. Later on in the chapter, Marlow and his crew were attacked by an angry group of Africans that were only doing it because they were trying to protect themselves. It killed one man on board, but they kept going up the river to find Kurtz.

from the light comes the dark { chapter 2 }

Chapter 2 from its beginning ignites a deepening feeling of darkness and not merely in the form of excessive adjectives, but this time in the face of actual night hours. I myself hadn’t actually noticed it before until reading the first few pages again to assure I wasn’t entirely losing myself as usual in the excessive word brooding shadows of every sentence. Anyway, from light to dark, the transformation of the day represents a change in the knowledge of man within a continent that none of them are remotely familiar with. Light represents knowledge and a clear pathway for an individual to cross while darkness represents the unknown and a sudden lack of knowing as to which direction is correct or blindness towards a specific scenario. Marlow has teetered on the line of knowledge and obliviousness as shown in his treatment of women and the Africans and the Imperialists of the Company have also faced the familiarity of their mother country and its customs and the savage darkness that they must encounter by following the river inward on their expedition.

While going along, the notion of rivers came up again and the relation to River Styx in Dante’s Inferno. Styx was referred to as the boundary line between the mortal world of Earth and the Underworld in Greek Mythology and the river that Marlow and his expedition is traveling slowly seems to delve into darkness with the change of day literally into a dark forest where they can see nothing whatsoever - which also revives the image of a dark wood once more where the unsure seem to often wander.

“In a few days the Eldorado Expedition went into the patient wilderness that closed upon it as the sea closes over the diver.”

This quote struck me the most simply because of the name of the expedition itself. El Dorado was the city of gold, a legend that sailors desired to locate in order to achieve unfathomable wealth and power by locating such. A symbol ? Oh, I think so. For the British, stocks of ivory represent wealth and power - something that Kurtz already seems to harbor plenty of. Searching for El Dorado led to nothing more than nothing; an emptiness, a lack of anything intended or found. Imperialism itself demolished most culture and resource from Africa, leaving it barren and empty when everything had been raped of its grasp. Though the British found and drained their "El Dorado" historically, the lack of true success from either side of the ordeal is prevalent.

[ Zach, I tried to post this early to make it convenient for you o3o ]