1. HEART OF DARKNESS PART III Bastante English III

2. PART III Marlow is astonished by the Russian, he’s the only white man in colonial Africa not looking for money or power – he instead is looking for “space to breathe in” “If the absolutely pure, uncalculating, unpractical spirit of adventure had ever ruled a human being, it ruled this…youth” (Winston about the Russian) The Russian tells Marlow that Kurtz “talked of everything” Kurtz is a god to the natives – they help him raid the jungle for ivory – first evidence for Marlow that shows Kurtz abandoning his morals, also emphasizes the power of his speech How does one talk of nothing when talking of everything?  Unfocused on one thing, so a little bit of everything is not much (white/nothingness = a combination of all the colors coming together)

3. PART III (CONT’D) The Russian tells Marlow that Kurtz has been through too much to be judged as other men are judged. “He hated all this and somehow couldn’t get away” That is a good disclaimer to what Marlow sees next – spiked human heads surrounding the building where Kurtz is staying Emphasizes that even the eloquent, magnificently talented Kurtz is hollow and corrupt at the core The Russian doesn’t understand why Marlow is so upset with Kurtz – he can’t see past his eloquence Kurtz is carried out of the house on a stretcher by the pilgrims – “an animated image of death carved out of ivory” What does Kurtz look like in this moment?  A god

4. PART III (CONT’D) Kurtz’s mistress’s comes to see Kurtz – a “savage and superb” African woman – representative of the darkness that comes from within the jungle (betraying his Intended) Kurtz and the General Manager get into an argument because the General Manager cares more about the ivory than he does about Kurtz – Kurtz, as most Europeans do, thinks of himself very highly while the GM cares greatly about wealth The GM tells Marlow and the Russian that Kurtz was bad for the Company, as if to justify his coming death What does Marlow like more about Kurtz than he does about the General Manager?  He doesn’t lie – even though he is monstrous, he doesn’t put on a show

5. PART III (CONT’D) The Russian exits for fear of his life from the General Manager and his men He tells Marlow that it was Kurtz who ordered the attack Later, Marlow finds Kurtz crawling in the jungle in the middle of the night. Marlow forces Kurtz to battle his own soul, saying “You will be lost, utterly lost.” Kurtz ultimately chooses civilization and returns to the ship to leave the jungle As they are getting ready to depart, the natives come to the shore and the pilgrims begin shooting – pointless gunfire is a product of their colonialist greed and the savage desire to hurt and dominate As they travel downstream, the General Manager is pleased. Why?  Kurtz will be dead soon and the GM will be secure in his position without having to do a thing

6. PART III (CONT’D) The ship breaks down and Kurtz worries he won’t live to see Europe. He tells Marlow to hide his papers so the GM won’t get to them Kurtz cries out “the horror! The horror!” and then dies – there is no answer to the hollowness of civilization Marlow was looking for, only despair, only horror Marlow becomes jealous of Kurtz as he himself begins falling ill – he can’t think of any last words and Kurtz always had something to say Marlow returns to Europe where he is nursed back to health but his mind is still unsoothable (the dangers of the jungle last forever in the mind) Why would people in Europe see Marlow as being petty and silly?  They can’t see the hollowness of their own civilization because they’re inside of it – they can’t see the horror

7. PART III (END) A man from the Company comes to retrieve Kurtz’s papers and Marlow gives him On the Suppression of Savage Customs but tears off the page that says “all brutes torn off” – he still wants to protect his reputation Kurtz’s cousin and a reporter come by to talk to Marlow – they both say similar things, that Kurtz was very talented – “he could electrify the crowd,” but that had little to do with anything below the surface Marlow goes to see Kurtz’s Intended and gives her the last of his letters – she continues mourning and wearing black even a year after he has died, she is ignorant to Kurtz’s true nature Marlow tells her that Kurtz’s last words were her name. He couldn’t bring himself to show her the harsh reality The novel ends with the narrator looking off into the distance, saying that the Thames seems to lead to the “uttermost ends of the earth…into the heart of an immense darkness”