Sunday, February 1, 2009
Marlow's desperate desire to meet Kurtz (part II)
Do you think the manager and his uncle were trying to plot something bad on Kurtz, after reading about how Marlow overheard the two men saying several things such as, “go ahead and have the trader hanged”, and the suggestion that the weather could solve all his problems; meaning that Kurtz could die of tropical disease? I also wonder why Marlow describes his trip upriver as a “prehistoric earth?” I am assuming it has something to do with how the European people perceived the “others.” However, I think Marlow’s ability to see beyond the European’s stereotypes towards the natives is surprising. For example, while heading upriver, Marlow sees a few natives beside the river. Marlow begins to compare these “savages” to Europeans. Marlow also thinks to himself, what’s so different about his fireman, compared to an uninformed, inexperienced European that does the same type of work… nothing. On another note, Do you believe that as a result of Marlow’s mistake stating that the natives constant cries did not imply “attack” was the reason for why the African Helmsman was injured? If Marlow warned the members aboard the steamship that the natives were planning to attack their steamboat, would they have been better prepared, or more alert? In my opinion, I think there were many factors that led to the confusion. Such as the ships inability to move fast, and the heavy fog, which distorted Marlow, and the members vision. This section of the book, clearly illustrates Marlow’s desire to meet Kurtz. For instance, when Helmsman’s dead bloody body fell to Marlow’s feet, instead of shedding a tear, or showing any sympathy, Marlow quickly removes his socks, and shoes, and throws them over board. Marlow’s only concern is whether or not Kurtz has been killed.
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Conrad’s narrative points to the notion of dreams juxtaposed with reality. This friction brings forth questions regarding the quality of the Marlow’s experience as he “penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness”(31). For instance, Marlow compares his travels upriver as if he were “traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world” or at the least, what he imagines that ancient world would appear like. That is, an earth “when vegetation rioted…and the big trees were kings”(30). Marlow’s tale is dreamlike. His descriptions of the “empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest” seem surreal, especially since they are framed by such details as the death of “all the donkeys” that “found what they deserved” as well as his grave account of feeling “bewitched and cut off” from civilization, which he associates with the experience of being lost and forlorn.
ReplyDeleteRegarding what you have stated, I believe Conrad’s language in this section suggests that the voyage upriver carries the quality of a “prehistoric earth”(31) in the sense that Marlow’s experience in traversing that river environment was far from reality, as he knew it. His surroundings directly affect him and sort of shape his reality into a consciousness that bear the feeling of a dream but are more of a hallucination in his wake. For example, in part II, Marlow becomes preoccupied with issues of primitive survival or simply getting work done and in doing so, his sense of reality diminishes. He claims, “I had to keep a lookout for the signs of dead wood we could cut up in the night for next day’s steaming. When you have to attend to things of that sort, to mere incidents of the surface, the reality…fades”(30). Marlow further comments on his memory of the environment with its “mysterious stillness watching [him]”(30). The text suggests that one’s surroundings affect individuals and the “stillness” relates to his mention of the stream that his steamer navigated as well as the “great silence”(30) of the forest.
In Marlow’s case, the exploration upriver produced for him, a dreamlike experience. Ironically, he contends that only in his “work” does one have “the chance to find yourself. Your own reality”(25). Retrospectively, in part I, Marlow tells the men that are listening to his story, “It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream—making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-like sensation…that notion of being captured by the incredible which is of the very essence of dreams….”(24). In this, Marlow communicates an idea of one being seized by a force that is nonhuman. This “incredible” force, which Marlow alludes to, is the harsh environment in which he explored. It is immaterial, yet conquers human beings with ease. Lastly, one of Marlow’s listeners senses the sheer unreality of his tale when he comments, “this narrative…seemed to shape itself without human lips”(24). Throughout Heart of Darkness, Conrad suggests the significant relationship between dreams, reality and the explorers’ experience. The author’s language brings to the surface the notion that environment and experience directly affects the human psyche. Furthermore, they alter consciousness and have an unfathomable yet immense presence.