We learned that Marlow’s main goal was to speak to Mr. Kurtz. During his travel through the Congo, Marlow learns more and more about the type of person Kurtz is. He states that he doesn’t even care about shaking Kurtz’s hand, all he wants to do is hear Kurtz’s voice. Kurtz is said to be a very talented speaker and he is the best Ivory collector in the company since he gets ivory through any means necessary. Kurtz is also described as being a very tall man even though Kurtz in german means short. Marlow becomes more and more interested in hearing this man Kurtz even though he learns all about what Kurtz has done to get all the ivory he has collected. Kurtz has destroyed many villages and has also kept many trophies as in dismembered body parts of the villagers from the villages he has destroyed in his search for ivory. When Marlow finally gets up the Congo he learns that Mr. Kurtz ha died. Even after hearing about all the horrors Kurtz had done he still walks up to his dead body and calls him a “remarkable man”. He viewed Kurtz as a remarkable man because whenever he had something to say he said it which shows something about Marlow’s character. All people he sees as “amazing” or “remarkable” are white men that do what they do, no one that actually does anything amazing is actually amazing to Marlow. Marlow never really heard Kurtz speak like I believe he wanted to. All he heard from Kurtz was “The horror! The horror!” I feel like Marlow travelled up the Congo for no true reason. He never officially heard the man speak like he heard in the stories. Conrad didn’t write about Marlow’s feelings towards Kurtz’s death but I feel like Marlow wasn’t too satisfied by just hearing a few words from such a “remarkable man” as Kurtz
Also morlow does describe the Black people as amazing but he doesn't do it knowingly. For example there were parts in the book where he mentions the amazing things this white man was capable of doing (if i am not mistaken it was navigating a bout) and he was saying it as an ordinary task, while the entire time he had a black person doing the same thing next to him. I think this was done to show how the racism ultimately blind their views of "less superior" people and it doesn't allow marlow to see true greatness even though its staring him in the face.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that Marlow was blinded by racism. He did not understand what was happening to the natives because he was so blindsided by how "great" Kurtz was. He didn't understand the concept of less superior which caused his abnormal feelings toward the black people.
DeleteAlso i agree that marlow wasnt satisfied but i do think he ended up getting the answer to his question because he learned that you cant have civilization without violence in a sense. This is because the company is enforcing their wants upon a group of people who dont want to do anything. Also i was a little confused on how kurtz last word affected marlow, how do you guys think it affected marlow, or what it showed him and how it tied in into the overall paint of the book.
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ReplyDeleteI feel that marlow's intention was to get an answer to his question. He needed hope that someone can help him, in this case Mr. Kurtz. But i feel that he got his answer when he saw Kurtz die. As he then realized that civilization's meaning is twisted.
ReplyDeleteI agree his intention was to get an answer to his question. He needed Kurtz to hlp him so he put on a brave front to show Kurtz he was capable of helping colonize. When Kurtz died, he understood the answer to his question.
DeleteI agree his intention was to get an answer to his question. He needed Kurtz to hlp him so he put on a brave front to show Kurtz he was capable of helping colonize. When Kurtz died, he understood the answer to his question.
DeleteI agree with the post. You brought up good points.
ReplyDeleteMarlow's goal was to meet Kurtz and adapt his ways of getting ivory from the Congo. He idolized Kurtz and never fully got to meet the "great man" so what were his true feelings?
ReplyDeleteI don't think Marlow was ready for Kurtz. He didn't realize who Kurtz really was and therefore was surprised when he met him. It shows the disconnect even between the people in their own company
ReplyDeleteI think Marlow thought of Kurtz as a gateway to finally understand imperialism, and if their was indeed another way.When kurtz dies, marlow finally understands the truth, and this becomes self enlightenment for the character and readers to understand along with marlow.
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