When we meet Marlow in the second section of chapter one, he has become more like his counterparts. Long gone is his naivete; now he has as much disdain for the Africans as everyone else. He himself sees that he has changed and exclaims that he is becoming "a science experiment." He also begins to see that the accountant is not the God-like figure that he once thought he was. He complains that the dying man is "distracting him" and has little compassion for any of the men. The accountant is only one of commoness and it takes the illusion away from him. This exemplifies that nothing is as it seems in the dark world and everything has two sides including those that are seen as the righteous people.
Marlow then hears about the mysterious Mr. Kurtz. A man that could be a savior to his dark world. I think he sees a little of himself in Kurtz, in that he is a man that may have lied to become one of the major components of Africa. I think that Conrad compares Kurtz to Dante. Dante has gone through the Inferno and has come out with more knowledge and understanding of the world. Kurtz had worked through his way through this dark land and was almost to the coveted spot of assistant and he had gain a "set of morals", much like those that Dante earned. Both men were thought of as being more knowledgeable by the people around them because they had already gone through the hardest part of life.
Laura, I never looked to compare Kurtz with Dante, but now that you mention it, I can definitively see the connection. Although we still have yet to meet this mysterious Mr. Kurtz he is already thought of highly in everyone's mind. Both of these men seem to have been through many experiences, and have the wisdom from those experiences to influence others in both stories.
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