Monday, November 26, 2012
Heart of Darkness
I thought Heart of Darkness was very difficult to understand, but it was an interesting story and worth the confusion. One thing I was not clear on in the book that Coach Crook answered today was that there are two mistresses. I was also confused as to why Marlow still took a fond interest in Kurtz once he found out that Kurtz was evil. Marlow states that he hates lies, yet he is not appalled by far worse done by Kurtz. Kurtz is so intent on killing all the brutes, yet Marlow is not shocked or discouraged at all. I actually think the best part of Heart of Darkness for me was the fact that the cannibals were portrayed as allies with restraint, whereas the natives were portrayed as scary savages. It's small, but I thought it was cool how he just simply gave the word "cannibals", which is not a words to describe someone you want to be friends with,a somewhat positive connotation without even trying hard. Overall, I thought the book was really interesting!
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You've nailed one of the key ideas in the story: who exactly are the "savages" in the book? Is everything, including evil and good, relative? What is Marlow's continued fascination with Kurtz; why does he remain "faithful" to him to the end by lying? The caretaker of Kurtz's memory? Two quotations may help: "the fascination of the abomination" and "having a choice of two nightmares." Let's see if we address your concerns.
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