Heart+of+Darkness

Heart of Darkness

Marlow, a sailor, sails up the Congo River to meet Kutz. Marlow is a riverboat captain. Marlow eventually ends up in Central Station where he must wait as his steamboat is repaired. During this time, he hears more rumors about Kurtz that bespoke of a bad reputation and him beocming ill. Eventually he finds the parts he needs to fix his ship and heads up the river with a bunch of cannibals, Marlow eventually runs into Kurtz. Kurtz had taken over the natives and made them view him as a god. Kurtz becomes very ill and eventually dies, he gives a letter to Marlow to return to England with that tells them to "exterminate" the natives. Marlow eventually returns home and goes to see Kurtz's Intended. Marlow doesn't tell the fiance about Kurtz's last words being "the horror!" Marlow- he is very confused about where his loyalties lie, whether to his home country or to the natives. Confused about himself. Kurtz- he is an ordinary man who takes power in a place over the natives and goes crazy with it, beheading natives and eventually dying himself from illness. Kurtz's Intended- wakes up Marlow to the reality of humanity Last part of 19th century, Congo and England It is about coloniasm and how barbaic they were at that time, believing natives were lesser beings. It is about the struggle Marlow faces between the divide of home and the natives. He struggles with trying to figure out how he will proceed in the future and ultimately saves the natives from extermination but has to deal with the reality of how badly his country treats those who are considered less than them.
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