Heart of Darkness - blog #2

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~beep boop let's start

Imagery

The imagery in general was actually very interesting because Conrad employed a Hemingway-esque sort of thought (then again, Hemingway probably employed a Conrad-esque style in his work) in his work. Instead of describing the scenery to let you imagine how it felt, he described the feeling so that you could imagine the environment. I really love this type of writing because it's a style that helps me imagine so much more effectively. However, I think this is just something for me because not everyone likes to feel instead of see.

I liked, specifically, this small part where they say, "As to me, I seemed to see Kurtz for the first time. It was a distinct glimpse: the dugout, four paddling savages, and the lone white man turning his back suddenly on the headquarters, on relief, on thoughts of home--perhaps; setting his face towards the depths of the wilderness, towards his empty and desolate station." (28)

I like this because it's not only a description of the scenery (although it doesn't support my previous theory), but it's a huge bump of symbolism. It shows that Kurtz has sort of become one with the wilderness and the "heart of darkness." He's not really a "proper white man" anymore and he will probably do whatever it takes to survive. He has literally and figuratively turned his back on the white society trying to be all imperialistic on the African community.

This is kind of confirmed with the information that we get later about Kurtz from like everyone ever that says that he's turned to the side of the natives. Then again, the narrator is pretty unreliable so I'm not sure exactly what to think. It could just be a romanticized version of the man from our very romantic narrator.

Another piece I liked with more symbolism that i'm not quite sure I can even discern is when the narrator is talking about those guys talking outside the boat and one has the dolphin flipper of a hand and then they talk about them walking away in the setting sun and: "They swore aloud together--out of sheer fright, I believe--then pretending not to know anything of my existence, turned back to the station. The sun was low; and leaning forward side by side, they seemed to be tugging painfully uphill their two ridiculous shadows of unequal length that trailed behind them slowly over the tall grass without bending a single blade." (29)

I definitely feel like the unequal shadows mean something, perhaps in the context of the pair being unequal but otherwise I'm not sure. It just seemed like an important moment.

One more. "Going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of the sunshine." (30)

I like that description because it brings you a feeling by a description of something else you know (prehistoric times or what have you) and then also brings you a setting by describing a feeling (sluggish air). There's another moment way later (not sure on where) that he talks about the air being muggy and I think it's the part with the fog but it really let me be a part of the scene.

The River/Natives

The river, as in many stories involving these natural wonders, seems to be a character in itself. It has many human qualities, like you described, with the "hidden evil" and it having a "heart." and so on. Their entire trip along the river has kind of been fraught with bad omens and bad luck and I, personally, would have taken all these misgivings as a sign that you probably shouldn't be making your way down a river you describe as evil I mean come on.

But in general, there are contrasting images of the evil of the river and the beauty of the river. Most of the evil is described in the way that it is untapped and raw. It's just like the natives. I suppose it's kind of an allegory for them in a way?

I especially liked this description "The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there--there you could look at a thing monstrous and free." (32) The basic theme of everything involving the river and the land is that it is raw and new and yet old as anything. It's the oldest thing here. While everything else (all the colored parts of the map) is filled in with human development, these blank areas (untamed areas of no color) are strange and old and unearthly because earth is human and this is no such thing.

The natives are portrayed as the first men that are strange and tribal and terrifying. Finally, they are the prevailing people in the region and their drum beats chase out the white men and terrify them. I think this is very important because it shows that this area is unconquered.
I mean, later we do see some mistreatment and some shaming/racist. They basically say all the people shooting arrows are dumb and the only thing that was wrong with the helmsman getting shot was that Marlow was grossed out and had to change his shoes.

Also, they kind of make fun of the hippo meat and the cannibals and they also comPLETELY mistreat the cannibals. They give them pieces of wire so that they can go get food at the stations, but it's impossible because the stations either don't exist or the natives are hostile. And then Marlow basically doesn't care that they don't have food and kind of just drops of the idea and is glad they have the "restraint" not to eat the crew.

And there is a comparison of black and white reactions on page 36. It talks about how the natives and how the whites react to how the situation is unfolding and how they are all alike in that they're strangers to this part of the land.

On Belief

First of all, I think the "belief" section you're referring to is a section that I did not understand in the slightest and that's why I'm having so much trouble trying to figure out what to say here.

The only "belief" that I found was a bit of existentialism on page 35 where Marlow says "...but before I could come to any conclusion it occurred to me that my speech or my silence, indeed any action of mine, would be a mere futility. What did it matter what anyone knew or ignored? What did it matter who was manager? One gets sometimes such a flash of insight. The essentials of this affair lay deep under the surface, beyond my reach, and beyond my power of meddling." (35)

Basically, there were like two passages that I didn't understand and I think this was one of them so I'd like to forward this discussion to number one on the list for class discussion.


Other Important Stuff

• I noticed a lot of information on sound and Marlow describing people, especially Kurtz, in terms of sound. Like, specifically, Kurtz is described by Marlow as a voice. I think there are probably some cool connections with that and the constant sound of silence Conrad likes to describe. This could be a really cool essay topic, and I'm sure others have written on it at some point.

• this line: "you can't breathe dead hippo waking, sleeping, and eating, and at the same time keep your precarious grip on existence." (37) I find it really hilarious

• Marlow appears to notice at one point that he is totally obsessing over Kurtz and that he kind of just risked some people's lives just to see him. I believe he kind of rethinks what exact choices he's making with that. This is when the helmsman is killed and Marlow is kind of trying to distract himself from the horror by comically throwing his shoes overboard, but he's also rethinking and wondering why he ever thought Kurtz was more important than human life. However then later he starts freaking out and going back on the decision but I MIGHT NOT GET TO TALK TO KURTZ OMFG WAT DO I DO

• on page 44, I liked it when he talked about how there was a difference between your humanity in the wilderness and your humanity in the discovered world. (of course then we learn a lot more about Kurtz too)

• Also, lbr, I loved the eccentric little Russian dude. Show me any Russian little cutie in mismatched clothes and I will immediately fall in love with the character. Doesn't matter who. I romanticize them. Speaking of him, we should also talk about the little book that's the manual that Marlow thinks has ciphers in it, but really it's just Russian. 

Heart of Darkness

New book!

Characters

As we first begin, there is a strange writing format used. The writer introduces a sort of preface with the men on the boat (Nellie) at the beginning, and then he has one of the men tell a story through all the text. It's a little awkward and I feel kind of bad for him since he has to do all the quotations and things. But it's also an interesting mode because then we can see the character telling the story's thoughts. I kind of like it, actually. Then again, this format does leave out a lot of important details and only tells about Charlie's view.

Speaking of which, characccctterssss.

Another character was Fresleven. He was the previous captain of the steamboat that Marlow is to captain. How ominous is it that he died and now Marlow is supposed to captain this same ship? Like, literally everything is trying to keep Marlow off that boat. The boat also needs rivets and is falling apart. Something wants Marlow to stay off that boat. It's probably the universe. (Also Fresleven sounds pretty freaking dumb to fight over two hens. So let's just pretend his stupidity never happened and he is happily alive piloting a different steamboat.)

Then we have the two women which I marked in my book as the fates. They are pretty much knitting away and introducing people to this crazy world.

Next is the freaking weird doctor who measures Marlow's head and is super creepy and Marlow is like wtf is up with this man. I know something is up with this dude, like there's obviously symbolism, but I'm not sure exactly what it is. Thoughts?

We talked about the accountant below.

The brickmaker is pretty much my favorite character at this point. Like, I hate him, but I also think he's hilarious. He's the classic worker who's aspiring to be a manager. Literally the only reason he's staying in this job is to be a manager. He doesn't even have the material to make bricks and he pretty much just sits around scheming all day. He also reads private correspondences and thinks that Marlow has something special about him (but Marlow has no idea what this is about until he thinks hard and remembers his aunt). 

and then lastly Eldorado Exploring Expedition came in at the very end of part 1. Their main goal is "to tear treasure out of the bowels of the land...,with no more moral purpose...than there is in burglars breaking into a safe." (pg. 27) They sounded really annoying and they were just taking things from the land and they were kind of disgusting to me. I know they're supposed to be, but maybe we'll hear more about them later.

Basically everyone so far is out for themselves. There isn't anyone there who is there only to serve others except for the natives. And they are being forced to do so. Everyone is just mining the land and the people.

Marlow

Charlie Marlow is the narrator of the story (after that first dude on the ship). He's super interested in Africa. This is because he's an explorer and got an urge to go to Africa and pilot a steamboat. So his aunt pulled some strings--without telling Marlow exactly what she did--and he got to go. However, once he got there, everything wasn't exactly how he'd pictured it. He's pretty idealistic and he also thinks that he knows just about everything. He's always judging the other characters--either in good ways or bad--and he believes himself to be the sole source of adventure and exploration in this group. He literally calls others coming in "infestations." He's also pretty gosh darn racist. He comments on the natives as if they aren't people, uses language he shouldn't (although that was apparently common), and is generally wary of the natives. He's also super sexist and oppressive to to the native culture.

Exhibit A:

• "His starched collars and got-up shirt fronts were achievements of character. He had been out nearly three years; and, later, I could not help asking him how he managed to sport such linen. He had just the faintest blush, and said modestly, 'I've been teaching one of the native women about the station. It was difficult. She had a distaste for the work.' Thus this man had truly accomplished something." (pg. 15)

Exhibit B:

• On page 10 there is this paragraph that talks about how women have stupid ideas and "how out of touch with truth they are." 

Exhibit C:

• "Moreover, I respected the fellow. Yes; I respected his collars, his vast cuffs, his brushed hair. His appearance was certainly that of a hairdresser's dummy; but in the great demoralization of the land he kept up his appearance. That's backbone." (pg. 15)

I mean, does your appearance really matter so much to you that you'll cause demoralization just to keep up a facade of your prim and proper self in a land that is decidedly not prim and proper? What kind of bass ackwards logic is that?

Marlow's journey is also pretty interesting. He's constantly trekking through Africa on dirt roads and with people to carry all of his things. he thinks he's "on an adventure." He doesn't realize that his adventure is at the expense of others. [also I feel like the staves represent something, but I'm not sure exactly what?] Also, anytime any native person dies every white person regards it as gross or a good thing. Specifically, there was one point in which they see this white guy on the side of the road and a couple of miles away they also see a native with a shot through his forehead. Marlow says he was upset because he had to step over him. Siiiigh. 

But overall, the journey is filled with death and dryness and it's like he's journeying into a land of death and despair. Which he is. I also find it interesting that the only cool place is the shade trees where the natives go to die. 

And the Buddha thing has Marlow as a symbol of a god or a higher being. He's also imposing his wisdom on others on the ship and Buddha is a symbol of wisdom. 

Important Lines

• "The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretence but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea--something you can set up, and bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to...." (4) commentary on imperialism
• There is a juxtaposition on pages 14-15 that show the shaded area with all the natives. It then moves, on page 15, onto a white lit, dry area that has only white people in dominant positions. The descriptions of each are as would be expected.
• And then there was also this really strange line that I don't know if it's just the language translating weirdly (the 1800s, man) or if Marlow has something going on. But, at one point, on page 21, Marlow is talking to the brickmaker and says "It was very pretty to see how he baffled himself..."
• There are really great pieces of conversation throughout the novel. Conrad is wonderful at typical conversation.
• About the brickmaker: "...this paper-mache Mephistopheles, and it seemed to me that if I tried I could poke my forefinger through him, and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe." (23)

Beautiful Lines

• "We looked at the venerable stream not in the vivid flush of a short day that comes and departs forever, but in the august light of abiding memories." (2)
• "Light came out of this river since..." (3)
• "...Afterwards he arose and went out--and the wilderness without a sound took him into its bosom again." (20)
• "Beyond the fence the forest stood up spectrally in the moonlight, and through the dim stir, through the faint sounds of that lamentable courtyard, the silence of the land went home to one's very heart--its mystery, its greatness, the amazing reality of its concealed life." (23) Conrad talks about silence a lot as a sound and I really like that. All of his descriptions are really realistic and I feel like I'm experiencing it.
• "I listened, I listened on the watch for the sentence, for the word, that would give me the clue to the faint uneasiness inspired by this narrative that seemed to shape itself without human lips in the heavy night air of the river." (24)