We were within thirty yards from the nearest fire. A black figure stood up, strode on long black legs, waving long black arms, across the glow. It had horns-antelope horns, I think-on its head. Some sorcerer, some witch-man, no doubt: it looked fiend-like enough. ‘Do you know what you are doing?’ I whispered. ‘Perfectly,’ he answered, raising his voice for that single word: it sounded to me far off and yet loud, like a hail through a speaking-trumpet. If he makes a row we are lost, I thought to myself. This clearly was not a case for fisticuffs, even apart from the very natural aversion I had to beat that Shadow-this wandering and tormented thing. ‘You will be lost,’ I said-‘utterly lost.’ One gets sometimes such a flash of inspiration, you know. I did say the right thing, though indeed he could not have been more irretrievably lost than he was at this very moment, when the foundations of our intimacy were being laid-to endure-to endure-even to the end-even beyond.” (Conrad
, 79-80)
This selection takes place when Kurtz leaves the ship and attempts to crawl back to the natives. Marlow follows Kurtz’s trail and finds him within a short distance from a group of natives.
To me, the excerpt represents the darkness as described by the book. The native sorcerer, who was described using the word ‘black’ several times, represents the darkness that Kurtz had fallen to and yearned to return to. This is further demonstrated with the phrase “…I had to beat that Shadow”, describing the Shadow that has fallen over Kurtz’s soul.
Marlow also called Kurtz “lost”, which could be taken as his soul is on the brink between the light of the civilized world, and the dark that was seen to be the natives. I also felt that the phrase “to endure”, though not literally meant as such, can be seen as Marlow himself trying to endure the darkness.
1. Why would Kurtz want to return to the native tribesmen when there was so much to look forward to back home?
2. What could Kurtz’s battle with his inner darkness represent?
In response to question one, I would argue that Kurtz saw very little awaiting him in England. Conrad foreshadows this earlier in the novel when the doctor that inspects Marlow comments on the inevitable psychological change that those in Marlow's and Kurtz's profession undergo. Kurtz had established his own empire (of sorts) and thus was compelled to remain. Marlow even describes Kurtz as Jupiter from Roman mythology (though in a somewhat backhanded manner), alluding to his position of power among the natives of the Congo. I would be in no great hurry to leave my "godly domain," would you?
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that at every point in Kurtz's life it appears he had great plans. His finance mentioned that he had vast plans even back when he was in england; when Marlow convinces Kurtz to leave Africa Kurtz laments about the fact that he had "immense plans". So perhaps we can say that the old Kurtz had had ambitions while he was in society, the new Kurtz has shifted his priorities to newer and more appealing ideas. In other words, the trappings and rewards of civilization simply pale beside his more primial instincts.
ReplyDeleteI think Kurtz's internal battle with his inner darkness represents the struggle of civilized people when they come to the land of 'uncivilized' people in their opinion. They don't know if they should react in a civilized manner with those people or dehumanize them and treat them in a savage manner.
ReplyDeleteRobert, I think that is a very good point. Kurtz had a desire to remain with the natives because he held such a position of power there. It was in Africa that he was admired and had influence. These "plans" that are allude to are immaterial, and it could be, perhaps, that Kurtz did not have the confidence or the will power to live up to everyone's expectations because he was struggling so much inside. I believe that Kurtz's struggle is a representation of a person's internal struggle with what is "civilized". Kurtz's idea of being civilized is to look down upon others and to exert power on them.
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