Justin+Sowers

Plot-

the story starts on a boat with the narrator retelling Marlow's story. Marlow first introduces himself, and gives a little insight to his childhood, and why he became a sailor. Marlow then starts to tell of his journey into the Congo. Marlow is on a steamboat that is on its way to the central station. When it stops, he gets of, and seeks the man in charge of the station, Kurtz. When going to look for Kurtz Marlow observes some of the natives he runs into, such as the six men in chains he indirectly refers to as animals. When Marlow firsts hears of Kurtz, he wants to find him even more. Kurtz's description intrigues Marlow, because it sounds like he and Kurtz might have a lot of things in common. Kurtz is ill when he is first introduced, and shortly begins to get worse. He seems to be slowly loosing his mind. Marlow and his crew then are tasked with taking Kurtz back to Europe, due to his illness. Kurtz however does not make it back to Europe and dies on the boat. Marlow soon becomes ill after Kurtz dies, and he is taken back to Europe where he heals. A year after Kurtz had passed, Marlow decides to pay a visit to Kurtz's fiance, and pay his respects, now that he had recovered from his illness. In the end Marlow couldn't bring himself to go int the details on Kurtz's death, and lies to her that his last word was her name.

Characters

Marlow-

this is the main character who is a sailor on a steam boat. As a young boy Marlow was captivated by the blank spaces on the map, and knew he always wanted to explore the uncharted. By the time he had grown most of those spaces had been filled except for areas like Africa, which is why he became a sailor to travel there.

Kurtz-

Kurtz is the man who runs the inner station in the Congo. He is very well known by Marlow, and others for his position, and achievements, such as obtaining ivory. When Kurtz is first introduced in the novel he is ill, and seems to be loosing touch. Probably due to the environment, and even possibly malaria. Kurtz dies from his sickness by the end of the novel, on a steamboat, when he is most out of his mind.

The narrator-

the reader never learns the narrators name, but he is the first person the reader is introduced to. The narrator is the person retelling Marlow story to the reader.

Quotations-

-“the horror! The horror!”

these were Kurtz's last words which he shouted at Marlow. My interpretation of this quote is that Kurtz was ultimately horrified by the tribal people, their society, and the environment. Throughout the story the tribal people are called names like savage, or the African workers on the boat are called cannibals. Considering that the overall tone of this novel was comparing the African people as savage cannibalistic beasts, I'd say that Kurtz was horrified of them, so horrified he made it clear that he was in his last dying words.

-“Exterminate the brutes”

this was written in a stack of papers Kurtz gave Marlow, before he died. What makes this quote significant, is that is was in a stack of papers with tactics, and ideas how to civilize the native African people. This again adds to the overall tone of the novel. The European settlers look own upon the natives, and see them as savages, and they need to civilize them to secure their interests there. “Exterminate the brutes” most likely indicates that Kurtz feels that it isn't even worth the effort trying to civilize the natives, and that it would be a lost cause.

-“A slight clinking... me turn my head. Six black men advanced in a file... They walked erect and slow... Black rags were wound round their loins... short ends behind waggled to and fro like tails. I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope... each had an iron collar on his neck...”

this is probably one of the most important quotes in the book. This quote pretty much compares the native African people with an animal. When Marlow describes the ends of the cloth wagging to and fro behind them, he is obviously comparing them to an animal. Especially with collars around their necks, Marlow is most likely referring to the group of native men as dogs. He also goes into detail about how malnourished, and how bad they looked. This quote speaks a lot about how the European settlers viewed the natives at first glance.

Suggestions for further reading.

“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is a story about and African tribe that was colonized by English settlers. The main character, Okonkwo, is one of the leaders in his tribe. The group of leaders is called the egwugwu. The book first starts of defining the basis of the tribe social structure, and religious beliefs, as the book progresses and as the settlers begin to take power over the tribe, and Christianize them, it shows the frustration that Okonkwo feels, at the degeneration of the tribes culture. This frustration ultimately leads to Okonkwo's death, when he commits suicide by hanging himself. This book is a very good book, and offers a good insight to the African peoples view of the colonization of Africa.

“An image of Africa” by Chinua Achebe is an essay criticizing Joseph Conrads' heart of darkness. Achebe points out how Conrad only offered the European side of the story over the colonization of Africa.