HoD Ch. 1 Part 2

In the second part of chapter 1, Marlow continues the story of his experiences with the Belgian Trading Company in Africa. This section presents us with his continual gloomy diction like “fiend,” “sick,” and “pathetic” to describe the voyages to the different stations, finally ending up at the Central Station and discovering his sunken boat. These gloomy words convey Marlow's dread of being in Africa. Also suggested is that Marlow is using these exaggerated words to capture the attention of his listening shipmates. Conrad sets aside a couple paragraphs to describe the reactions of the sailors to Marlow's story. By continually utilizing such diction, Marlow is able to fully display the horrible environment of Africa and the Congo River.

The part that stood out most was the burning shed that ended up in the conviction of an African native. Marlow states, “afterwards [the nigger] arose and went out – and the wilderness without a sound took him into its bosom again.” 'Without a sound' could be interpreted as 'without a fight'; the silence marks the inevitability that the inferior natives stand no chance of fighting back against the white men. Marlow's reference to the wilderness as an 'it', rather than 'her' as in mother nature, also could be interpreted as underlying his sexist view of women and the white man's dominance over the African wilderness. Even the wilderness and mother nature in Africa are not acknowledged. Lastly, Marlow describes the African native as entering again into the wilderness's bosom. Because a bosom is corresponded with comfort, food, and womanhood, the departure of the African back into the wilderness exemplifies that that is the only place in which he feels somewhat safe. The irony is that the a wilderness is not thought of to be the safest place, but to the African natives it is their protection against the white traders.