The last section begins when Marlow is helping the Russian harlequin escape Kurtz’s camp by providing him with spare items. After the night of Kurtz’s attempt to escape into the jungle, the steamboat leaves with the sick Kurt aboard. When the steamboat malfunctions, there is no hope for Kurtz. Kurtz dies at the side of Marlow saying the famous last words of, “The horror! The horror!” Kurtz’s body is buried in the jungle and Marlow finally makes it back to England. Before Kurtz died, he gave Marlow papers to which the Company believes is the secret behind Kurtz’s success. Marlow refuses to give the paper to anyone until a man claiming to be Kurtz’s cousin shows up; he leaves with some worthless private letters. The event worth noting in the novel is Marlow’s visit to Kurtz’s fiancée. The widow begs for Marlow to tell her the last words Kurtz’s spoke, but Marlow lies and says his last words were about her. Marlow explains this lie by claiming, “it would have been too dark” to tell her the truth. The story wraps up aboard the Nellie, the Director remarks that the tide has come in. This comment stirs the unknown author who was thinking about Marlow, who was talking about Kurtz. The unknown author seems to see the “heart of an immense darkness.”
There is a definite change in Marlow’s person as a result from his experiences with Kurtz and what he has witnessed. The major change in Marlow’s mind is when he has witnessed Kurtz’s station and what he has created. From the loyalty of the cannibals, the successful raiding’s and killings, and the savagery of Kurtz killing anyone who refuses him, all add up to the “heart of darkness” Marlow has learned about. Marlow learns that the “heart of darkness” is within all humans and the glimpse at the hidden truth prevents him from re-entering normal life again. Since he has seen the truth about mankind, he can no longer participate in the meaningless life everyone lives by.
The change of Marlow’s perspective was foreshadowed when the doctor began taking Marlow’s head measurements. In a sense, Marlow’s head has grown figuratively with the knowledge about the darkness within mankind he has obtained and witnessed.
Characters in this novel were very limited and minor characters were not elaborated on as much because the story is told through Marlow’s eyes and what he had seen; therefore, simple names, such as the manager and the cannibals, were given to minor characters because they would have taken away from the story about Marlow and Kurtz otherwise. Two minor characters that affected Marlow was Kurtz’s tribe of cannibals and Kurtz’s fiancée. Kurtz’s tribe was a main factor in the story because they idolized and were devoted to Kurtz. The tribe affected Marlow in particular because they were a main key to Kurtz’s barbaric success and represented the insanity inside jungle. The tribe gave Marlow a better understanding of the true meaning of the “heart of darkness”.
I do often wonder what became of Kurtz’s tribe in the jungle after Kurtz was taken on the steamboat. If the tribe fell to pieces because Kurtz was dead, then there could be potential problems amongst the tribe; however, if the tribe continued Kurtz’s legacy, there could be issues surrounding the stations. The issues regarding the stations would have to be dealt with by the Company’s employers. These problems are both theoretical and could go many ways with outcomes or motives.
Heart of Darkness provides many areas of topic of further research. I would be interesting in researching the following topics:
The colonies and tribes of the time have been areas of history that my history courses have not yet talked about. I would enjoy learning about this period of time because it is part of the development of our world today. I believe the reality of this novel is intriguing, but very frightening. My copy of Heart of Darkness includes the Congo Diary, which was an actually diary kept by Conrad during his time up the river. I would be very interested in researching further into the origin of Heart of Darkness. It is a true event that should not be forgotten in our history because mankind can only develop to its full potential if we learn from our capabilities and out past. The area of research I would most enjoy is the psychological journey Kurtz had taken from an ordinary man to the insane and power-hungry leader.
There is a definite change in Marlow’s person as a result from his experiences with Kurtz and what he has witnessed. The major change in Marlow’s mind is when he has witnessed Kurtz’s station and what he has created. From the loyalty of the cannibals, the successful raiding’s and killings, and the savagery of Kurtz killing anyone who refuses him, all add up to the “heart of darkness” Marlow has learned about. Marlow learns that the “heart of darkness” is within all humans and the glimpse at the hidden truth prevents him from re-entering normal life again. Since he has seen the truth about mankind, he can no longer participate in the meaningless life everyone lives by.
The change of Marlow’s perspective was foreshadowed when the doctor began taking Marlow’s head measurements. In a sense, Marlow’s head has grown figuratively with the knowledge about the darkness within mankind he has obtained and witnessed.
Characters in this novel were very limited and minor characters were not elaborated on as much because the story is told through Marlow’s eyes and what he had seen; therefore, simple names, such as the manager and the cannibals, were given to minor characters because they would have taken away from the story about Marlow and Kurtz otherwise. Two minor characters that affected Marlow was Kurtz’s tribe of cannibals and Kurtz’s fiancée. Kurtz’s tribe was a main factor in the story because they idolized and were devoted to Kurtz. The tribe affected Marlow in particular because they were a main key to Kurtz’s barbaric success and represented the insanity inside jungle. The tribe gave Marlow a better understanding of the true meaning of the “heart of darkness”.
I do often wonder what became of Kurtz’s tribe in the jungle after Kurtz was taken on the steamboat. If the tribe fell to pieces because Kurtz was dead, then there could be potential problems amongst the tribe; however, if the tribe continued Kurtz’s legacy, there could be issues surrounding the stations. The issues regarding the stations would have to be dealt with by the Company’s employers. These problems are both theoretical and could go many ways with outcomes or motives.
Heart of Darkness provides many areas of topic of further research. I would be interesting in researching the following topics:
- European and African colonies during the 1800s
- Conrad’s experience on the Congo River – the true story
- Psychological thought process of Kurtz’s mind
The colonies and tribes of the time have been areas of history that my history courses have not yet talked about. I would enjoy learning about this period of time because it is part of the development of our world today. I believe the reality of this novel is intriguing, but very frightening. My copy of Heart of Darkness includes the Congo Diary, which was an actually diary kept by Conrad during his time up the river. I would be very interested in researching further into the origin of Heart of Darkness. It is a true event that should not be forgotten in our history because mankind can only develop to its full potential if we learn from our capabilities and out past. The area of research I would most enjoy is the psychological journey Kurtz had taken from an ordinary man to the insane and power-hungry leader.