Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad ( ) Presented by Ice, Julie, Jenny, Vivian

Introduction Heard of Darkness was published in In 1890, the polish-born Conrad became a British citizen. He traveled to Asia, Australia, India, and Africa. Heart of darkness is based on Conrad’s firsthand experience of the Congo region of West Africa. Many critics consider the book a literary bridge between the 19th and 20th Centuries

Character List  Marlow: The protagonist of Heart of Darkness, Marlow is philosophical, independent-minded, and generally skeptical of those around him. He is also a master storyteller, eloquent and able to draw his listeners into his tale. Although Marlow shares many of his fellow Europeans’ prejudices, he has seen enough of the world and has encountered enough debased white men to make him skeptical of imperialism.  Kurtz: The chief of the Inner Station and the object of Marlow’s quest. Kurtz is a man who understands the power of words, and his writings are marked by an eloquence that obscures their horrifying message. Although he remains an enigma even to Marlow, Kurtz clearly exerts a powerful influence on the people in his life.

 General Manager : Marlow’s director supervisor, he is a hard, greedy man who values power and money above everything else. He is average in appearance and unremarkable in abilities, but he possesses a strange capacity to produce uneasiness in those around him, keeping everyone sufficiently unsettled for him to exert his control over them.  Brick maker: The so-called first agent; the Manager’s pet and spy. He never actually produces any bricks, as he is supposedly waiting for some essential element that is never delivered. He is petty and conniving and assumes that other people are, too.  Russian: Kurtz's devoted companion, he is an idealistic explorer. He is boyish in appearance and temperament, and he’s so young that it is uncertain whether or not he fully understands what he is doing in Africa.

 Chief Accountant: he is a top official in the main Station, who befriends Marlow when he first arrives in Africa. He is a cruel men. Marlow admires his work habits, but this admiration is terribly misguided toward his stunning, flawless appearance instead of personality.  Marlow’s aunt: She is the collection to the Company in which Marlow receives a position. She appears to be the only female contact that Marlow has in his life, and she fully supports Kipling’s “White Man’s Burden.”  Pilgrims: The bumbling, greedy agents of the Central Station. They all want to be appointed to a station so that they can trade for ivory and earn a commission, but none of them actually takes any effective steps toward achieving this goal.

 Helmsman: A young man from the coast trained by Marlow’s predecessor to pilot the steamer. He is a serviceable pilot, although Marlow never comes to view him as much more than a mechanical part of the boat. He is killed when the steamer is attacked by natives hiding on the riverbanks.  Cannibals: They are a specific sect of the native presence. Marlow is surprised at their tranquil manner and he seems to respect them.  Kurtz’s fiancée: S ymbol of a life that Kurtz completely leaves behind when he arrives on the Congo. She is pure and lives in a dream world built around whom she believes Kurtz is. Like Kurtz, she is an enigma: she never speaks to Marlow, and he never learns anything more about her.

The other passengers aboard the Thames ship  Director: The captain. From which Marlow tells the tale, he is loved by all. He is a good sailor, but now works on island.  Lawyer: He is called a good, virtuous fellow.  Accountant: who does nothing in our eyes except playing dominoes.  Narrator: An unnamed passenger on the ship, he provides a structure for Marlow’s story, and he is a stand-in for audience and participation.

Short Summary Marlow sits at the Thames River in the evening with several other people and begins telling the story about how he entered the dark continent out of nowhere. No one wants to listen but he continues anyway. Marlow expressed a desire to go to Africa and his Aunt got him a position as a captain of a steamboat of an ivory company. The previous captain Freslaven died in a scuffle with the natives and Marlow took his place.

Short Summary A few days later, Marlow travels to Africa and gets to the first station where he meets the accountant who keeps track of the funds in Kurtz’s company. Marlow continues down the river on his steamboat with a crew of several whites and about 20 to 30 blacks.

Short Summary As he travels down the river, Marlow comes across this shack where he picks up wood, and a note cautioning him to travel carefully. He continues down the river and becomes surrounded by savages in the fog.

Short Summary Marlow is attacked by the savages. Only Marlow’s helmsman died. Marlow shortly reaches the inner station where he is greeted by the Russian who has been nursing Kurtz through a grave illness; it was he who left the pile of wood and the message.

Short Summary Kurtz is very ill and needs to be taken back to England, but he does not want to go. In fact, he is the one who ordered the attack on the steamboat. Kurtz is worshipped by the natives and completely exploits them. Kurtz tries to escape to the natives but Marlow catches him and takes him back to the steamboat heading back for England. While still on the river, Kurtz said, “The horror, the horror,” then died.

Short Summary Marlow returns to England. He visits Kurtz’s intended who is still in mourning a year after Kurtz’s death. She still remembers Kurtz as the great man he was before he left. Marlow didn’t tell her what he had become before he died. When she pleads that Marlow repeat Kurtz’s last words to her, he can’t bear to shatter her illusions: “The last word he pronounced was--your name,” he lies.

Major Theme “Darkness”- the opposite of the progress and enlightenment “Heart of darkness”- the interior of the jungle, the Inner Station, Kurtz’s black heart, perhaps the heart of every human being

Symbols 1. “Darkness”-- a symbol of evil, hatred and fear a symbol of wild, elemental power. 2. “Ivory”-- corruption & viciousness 3. “The Jungle”-- Conrad describes the jungle as the origin of men, a symbol of mystery, a primal power

Works Cited kness.htm