HoD end of part 1

As I started to read this chapter, I realized that most of the content and the narrative of the story kept referring to the greed of the white men in Africa. The white men did not care about dying Africans; all they cared about was getting their work done in a quiet atmosphere, even when a dying man was in the same room. Greed was the driving factor of the white men as they came to Africa soly for the purpose of making money. Another example of greed was when Marlow described the typical white men activity by stating that "The word 'Ivory' rang in the air, was whispered, was signed. You would think they were praying to it." Along with this, the descriptions of the colonies added on to the representation of greed in Africa due to the run down condition of the stations. This represents that the colonization of Africa was meant to last long enough for ivory to be exploited. Human care was not a priority; making money was.

Another aspect of this book that was thought provoking was the fact that Marlow has a flashback to the doctor's sayings back in Brussels. Marlow considered that he was becoming "scientifically interesting" as his thoughts and behaviors were changing in this "savage land" As of now, I do not fully understand the significance of this flashback. Maybe it was just to get the reader to start thinking about its significance and help the readers key in of the fact that Marlow is indeed changing through his experiences in Africa.

An intriguing aspect in this section of the chapter revolves around Mr. Kurtz. Marlow talks about how the other agents idolize him and wish to take his position as he will be promoted soon. I want to know who this guy really is. Is he truly glorious, as portrayed by the other agents? What are the motives of this guy? Is he also driven by greed or will he be the odd one out? I think that the author intentionally does not including a meeting with Kurtz yet in order to create the suspense and tension that the readers feel.