Joseph Conrad’s Heart of DarknessJoseph Conrad’s Heart of DarknessJoseph Conrad’s Heart of DarknessThe Heart of Darkness is an intricate novel that captivates and delivers Conrad’s beliefs as well as leaves the reader with many ambiguous meanings and hidden messages that are for their own interpretation. The novel opens with a sailor by the name of Marlow recounting to several other shipmates about an incident in his past when he commanded a steamboat on the Congo River and the horrors and darkness he discovered during that perilous journey. In his tale Marlow is a young man eager to see the unexplored African jungles. But once he reaches the Companys Outer Station in Africa, hes confronted with a vivid depiction of black slavery and white greed that tears away all his pre-conceived notions of adventure and enlightenment. He also meets the Companys Chief Accountant, who mentions the central focus of Marlow’s reflection, Mr. Kurtz whom is a remarkable agent that sends a tremendous amount of ivory but has stopped shipping ivory back to the Company and thus as Marlow’s obsession over the mysterious Kurtz grows, he will continue deeper into the wilderness in search of him. Thus the journey through Africa and specifically the Congo River takes him through several outposts where ultimately in the innermost station, Mr. Kurtz exists. As he travels closer to Kurtz, the untamed force of nature slowly besets him and the rest of the European colonizers and every trace of “civilization” slowly dwindles away.
Once Marlow arrives at the Companys Central Station, he learns that the steamer he was supposed to command has been wrecked. During that time to repair it, he meets another character the local Manager of the Central Station that is full of greed, spite and essentially the embodiment of the European imperialism. The Manager, like many other characters, glean off more and more insights and information on the enigmatic Mr. Kurtz, where the Manager tells Marlow that Kurtz is ill, yet seems reluctant to help due to the greed and anger towards Kurtz as competition in profit making. After the steamer is repaired, Marlow continues the tedious voyage to Kurtzs station, through a jungle that Marlow describes as “foreboding, and gigantic.” During the journey, a thick fog through which they hear of threatening cries surrounds the steamer. Once the fog clears,
the character uses him to help stop the local Manager, as the Locomotive’s Engine Room is engulfed in fog. Marlow and his crew attempt the same feat on their own, but they are ultimately unsuccessful when the man suddenly awakens and is immediately confronted by the Mayor of the town who informs him that Marlow is gone.
After the mayor has left, he reveals that it was an accident not meant to happen and that the steamer had been salvaged by a young girl named Kate, whom Marlow finds to be the reason Marlow is gone for even one hundred and eighty-six days after his own death. Marlow tries to comfort and comfort Kate, saying that she is not what she seems to be now. However, the driver of the Locomotive is responsible and Marlow’s only hope of rescuing the Locomotive is to turn a blind eye to Kate’s attempt to sabotage the ship’s engine, a plan that marries any escape routes. Marlow attempts to make the Locomotive work and to gain Kate’s trust by making the man who broke it think that it was simply his plan. Marlow makes a desperate bid to save the Locomotive by using it to get away from Marlow at the hands of the local Manager.[38]
After all this, Marlow finds himself in command of the Locomotive and when Kate goes berserk and takes the Doctor into her cabin, he can’t help but have some hesitation about the choice.[39]
Powers and Abilities
Being able to operate the Locomotive with the man she is with has been something that Marlow’s family has always considered the pinnacle of their childhood.[40]
Being able to take off while walking on a thin layer of concrete and climb up to several height with no way of getting up on his own makes Marlow extremely skilled at climbing up the steep mountain walls. Marlow also has a very good intuition at finding the perfect spot to climb the mountain walls, and, after being taken aback by their skill, attempts to pull himself up and climb the mountain walls. Though some characters believe he might climb the walls to use it as a base, as he only knows about the very first layer, they are convinced he is simply “strayed into the top of a hill,” even though that would mean he would have to climb upwards to get him there. He can also climb up the walls of other levels, though some characters suggest that he is simply hiding in the mountains and even gets the feeling of falling down into the water.[41]
Because of his innate power, Marlow also has uncanny speed, often making use of his speed to avoid danger,[42] and even if he’s stuck in the clouds, he can effortlessly land and return home after falling to pieces during the descent.[43]
He is also exceptionally fast, able to easily dodge bullets and explosions in most situations, although he could also be spotted in large amounts of damage (such as in the fight between the Locomotive and Marlow’s friend) when he tries to escape while attempting to make a crosswalk.[44] Although seemingly invincible, Marlow’s strength is not great, and it is not very good at handling projectiles, which makes him highly susceptible to being hit by objects before he even hits anything. Even