On day one of reading Conrad’s novel, many of my classmates and I were stricken by the dark tone and diction that was used, which immediately turned me away from his novel, and while I found it difficult to get past the gloominess of the text, once I was able to focus my attention on the content the novel, it became rather interesting.
When reading about Marlow’s journey, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Dante’s trip through Hell. Much like Dante, Marlow is extremely naïve when he enters the dark forest and sees the slaves of Africa being treated the way they are. Marlow is unaware that the people he sees chained up in Africa are actually slaves, and not criminals. He is also unaware that “they were dying slowly,” even though “it was very clear.” When juxtaposing this scene with Dante, in Canto No. 28, Dante did not fully understand why the people were being stabbed repeatedly as they walked past the demons, and could not wrap his head around the idea of every sin in Hell having a punishment. However, Dante quickly left his naïve state and become fully aware of what was occurring in the circles of hell. This leaves me with the question, of how long Marlow will truly be naïve or play the naiveté card as he continues through Africa and on his journey.
Another unanswered question that will later be interesting to discover is whether or not Marlow follows with the ideologies of the trading company, concerning segregation and racism. While it does not appear that he has his own opinions about racism at this moment, as he continues to travel with the Belgian trading company his opinions may change, for he is surrounded by realm of racism and segregation.
Adam, keep thinking about Marlow's attitude toward his situation and the Africans around him. Pay special attention to tone and irony!
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