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.
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.
I feel like I understood this chapter best of all, but I am still feeling slightly confused on some aspects. I believe the "Heart of Darkness" may be hinted at in different portions of the book, but I believe it is up to the reader to interpret what exactly it means. Different people come to different conclusions with the same information. And so I believe that conrad paints the picture for us, but leaves the analyzing of said picture and interpretations, up to us. this being said, don't feel bad that you don't really understand the "Heart of Darkness."
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