Marlow's Journey in Heart of Darkness

Marlow's Quest

London

Charles Marlow begins

his journey in London, England.

After seeing a map of Africa in a store, Marlow begins to desire traveling to the distant land.

In his efforts to find a way to travel to Africa,

Marlow decides to head to Brussels to better his chances.

Marlow's character change is extremely obvious and the two biggest factors were the brutalitly of Africa and Kurtz. By witnessing what happened to Kurtz it made him realize that he needs to control his Id and not always act off impulse, this was backed up by other things he witnessed in Africa.

Once in Belguim, Marlow is connected to a shipping company through his aunt. The Company hires Marlow as a ship captain. Although he feels the situation is a little off he decides to go on anyways. He allows his Id to make the decision for him and doesn't exactly think it all the way through.

Marlow learns that he is being sent to the depths of Africa in the Belguim colony of Congo.

Brussels

She did not see his descent into darkness, his consumption by the corruptible natures of the heart of darkness present deep in the jungles of the Congo. Marlow doesn't want to destroy her image of Kurtz by telling her that he had become a monster.

Marlow survives and returns to Brussels to deliver documents for Kurtz, but only gives some to the Company, and the rest to Kurtz' cousin, to be published. He meets Kurtz' fiancee, who never really knew Kurtz, and Marlow can't force himself to tell her Kurtz' last words ("the horror, the horror"), but says that they were her name. This displays how Marlow has learned that, although he hates lying, the truth is'nt always right. Ego nd Superegoe now more prevelent.

Marlow wakes up at night to find Kurtz trying to escape. Kurtz is locked in the cabin to prevent any future attempts.

Inner Station

This realization is confirmed when, as Kurtz is carried on a stretcher towards the steamer by the pilgrims, hordes of African natives gather to see their "god among men" once more before he leaves. Marlow blows the ships horn to scare them off.

The Russian tells Marlow that the attack was staged by natives who feared that the ship had come upriver to take Kurtz away from them, which is true. The pilgrims go into the camp to retrieve Kurtz. Marlow realizes the power and persuasiveness of Kurtz. Everyone is bent to his will. He now realizes the validity of Kurtz reputation.

Marlow then returns to the story. Nearing Kurt'z station and fearing that he would perish (death from either illness or native attacks), Marlow encounters a fellow European, a Russian, who is infatuated with Kurtz.

Marlow, who is recounting this tale to his shipmates, takes a moment to discuss Kurtz. He speaks of the possession Kurtz felt for everything. Kurtz saw his fiancee as 'my intended', the Congo River as 'my river', his profits as 'my ivory', and the inner station as 'my station'. This kind resembles one of the stages of development where kids think they own everything.

While traveling down the coast of Africa, Marlow notices a French ship blindly firing into the wilderness in their apparent war against the natives. This confuses Marlow and in one of the first times he begans to question his surrondings.

It soon becomes apparent that Kurtz will die, and Marlow gets the same fever that claimed Kurtz. Marlow remembers only the body being buried on the shore.

Important Quote:

"The horror-the horror..."

no matter how much Kurtz had, he died alone and in his own evil way.

Without warning, the ship is hit by harmless twigs that at first look like arrows. Reacting rashly, the pilgrims open fire on the shoreline with their rifles. Marlow's self-appointed first mate, an African native, is impaled in the stomach by a spear and killed. The fact that the natives shot at twigs shows the pent up fear and uncertainty, and the fog depicts this literally.

After Marlow repairs the steamboat, he makes a journey upriver with some white men and local natives. On Marlow's final day at the central station, he learns from a bricklayer that Kurtz is truly an extraordinary man; one who is in the Company's favor, for his ivory intake as well as for his uncanny ability to influence those around him to his power, even the natives.

Central Station

Important Quote:

"The word 'ivory' rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it." This quote shows how much the lust for ivory has consumed his peers.

He also learns that the ship he was promised is not functional and needs a lot of work. After the extremely long process that got him here, Marlow gets a little upset. Conrad could be hinting here that one should not always get their hopes up.

It takes three months to repair the steamboat, and during this time, Marlow conjectures that the steamboat was sabotaged to keep him from reaching Kurtz.

Once Marlow reaches the centrial station he witnesses a slave literally drop dead. In addition, this is when he first learns of the man called Kurtz.

Marlow quickly begins to slightly admire the man through listening to everybody's descriptions and stories about him. He developed a man crush.

Reality first hits Marlow when he reaches the outer post and witnesses the "workers" and the general horrid scene. From here on he begans his transition.

Outer Station

by Daniel Grannis