Marlow

Heart of Darkness Summary

Joseph Conrad's 1899 novel is primarily narrated by Charlie Marlow, a uniquely wise and talkative seaman, as he recounts his
experiences as a steamship captain on expedition through the expanses of the Congo River basin. Enthralled by the opportunity
to explore the wilds of this huge, winding river, Marlow signs on with a French trading company that claims several stations
along the Congo from which they export ivory. Many of the people he meets along the way serve as a reminder of the
consequences of human greed and suffering since so many are enticed by the opportunity for wealth, even at the expense of
themselves and others.

Perhaps the most driven and 'gifted' of these people is the mysterious Mr. Kurtz, a trade agent for the company who has
penetrated farther into the African wilderness than anyone before him. Marlow discovers that his primary assignment is to take
the steamship upriver in an attempt to find and retrieve this valuable company asset, or what may be left of him. Along the way
he is stunned to find that the rules of civilization seem to be reversed out in the bush: the Europeans who would attest the
highest level of social awareness often behave more savagely than any of the natives.

When Marlow at last reaches Mr. Kurtz, he is found to be in poor physical and mental condition. His physical ailments can be
accounted for by some exotic illness he has contracted; however, the most damaging aspect of the agent's condition is the
product of his own madness - his own unwavering desire for power and notoriety. Enfeebled by his ordeals and personal drives,
Mr. Kurtz dies during the trek back downriver, but not before Marlow realizes that even someone as supposedly remarkable as
the former agent still stands the chance of being lost to his own heart of darkness.

Marlow

Although Marlow appears in several of Conrad’s other works, it is important not to view him as merely a surrogate for the
author. Marlow is a complicated man who anticipates the figures of high modernism while also reflecting his Victorian
predecessors. Marlow is in many ways a traditional hero: tough, honest, an independent thinker, a capable man. Yet he is also
“broken” or “damaged,” like T. S. Eliot’s J. Alfred Prufrock or William Faulkner’s Quentin Compson. The world has defeated him
in some fundamental way, and he is weary, skeptical, and cynical. Marlow also mediates between the figure of the intellectual
and that of the “working tough.” While he is clearly intelligent, eloquent, and a natural philosopher, he is not saddled with the
angst of centuries’ worth of Western thought. At the same time, while he is highly skilled at what he does—he repairs and then
ably pilots his own ship—he is no mere manual laborer. Work, for him, is a distraction, a concrete alternative to the posturing
and excuse-making of those around him.

Marlow can also be read as an intermediary between the two extremes of Kurtz and the Company. He is moderate enough to
allow the reader to identify with him, yet open-minded enough to identify at least partially with either extreme. Thus, he acts as
a guide for the reader. Marlow’s intermediary position can be seen in his eventual illness and recovery. Unlike those who truly
confront or at least acknowledge Africa and the darkness within themselves, Marlow does not die, but unlike the Company
men, who focus only on money and advancement, Marlow suffers horribly. He is thus “contaminated” by his experiences and
memories, and, like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, destined, as purgation or penance, to repeat his story to all who will listen.

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Charlie Marlow is the novel's main character. He is a well-seasoned seaman who captains a riverboat steamer up the Congo
River into the heart of Africa.
He is a man who loves exploring uncharted areas, but he is transformed by his experience in the Congo and his encounters with
the enigmatic Kurtz. He comes to admire Kurtz and vows to protect Kurtz's memory and the message he espouses.

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Charlie Marlow a 32 year-old man who has "followed the sea." Marlow's story of his voyage up the Congo River constitutes
almost all of Conrad's novel. He pilots the steamboat sent to relieve Kurtz and is shocked by what he sees the European traders
have done to the natives.