“Your success in Europe is ensured in any case.” (111)

The men aboard the Company steamer have no intent to colonize the Congolese. They really are only concerned with what the citizens of “civilization” – that is, Europe – think of them when they return. They feel as though they have to do something novel to assure this fame and that anything already done is pointless and beneath them. As Marlow so blatantly puts it: “The glamour’s off,” (42).As Conrad explains through the novel, places like the North Pole have already been visited, so if he was to visit it there would be no real gain. The Congo, however, is uncharted territory and thus worthy of exploration. With the declaration that Europe will view them as a success, their goals have been accomplished – they left home as nobodies and can now return heroes.

Marlow & Kurtz

Marlow and Kurtz, which they spend a great deal of time together, remain an enigma to each other due to their extreme differences. They are so different, in fact, that they are foils of each other. Marlow is, in many ways, a traditional protagonist – he eventually develops to champion the greater good rather than the selfishness of those by whom he is employed. Kurtz, the antagonist, is a direct contrast to Marlow. Conrad portrays him as a static character, unchanging despite his experiences. On multiple occasions, Marlow even calls him “hollow” – this can be interpreted as that he has no soul, conscience, or morals to impede his actions. Marlow is one individual no matter who he encounters, while Kurtz seems to shift his personality based on who he is around. His Intended sees him as a great humanitarian, his cousin thinks of him as an incredible musician, and the journalist finds him to be an amazing politician and leader. Kurtz finds Marlow’s distaste for his brutality confusing and yet, in his final moments, he seems to finally realize Marlow’s point of view as his last words lead the reader to believe he sees “the horror” he has created.

“He opened his arms wide, staring at me with his little blue eyes that were perfectly round.” (97)

By describing the Russian in this manner, the imagery created by Conrad is that of a grateful young child. Much like a child, the Russian also seems wiser in this moment than before, as he is no longer seemingly conflicted or comical and instead more of an intellectual, now that circumstances have “enlarged [his] mind” (97). There are apparent parallels between his body language and his eyes – his arms all encompassing and his eyes like miniature versions of the earth, home to all these men know. With this scene, the Russian ceases to be a form of comic relief and instead becomes a significant character as his opinions now seem educated and logical, as opposed to immature and improbable.

“. . . Government of Tambov. . . ” (96)

Tambov was, at the time of Conrad’s writing, one of 12 administrative districts in Russia (see map at left). It makes sense that the sailor babbling and introducing himself as from Tambov says that he is the son of an arch-priest, because the region is, at the time of the novella, a seat of the Russian Orthodox Church. While it is unlikely that Marlow himself is of the Russian Orthodox Church, since he is not from Russia, he and the rest of the crew are at least moderately religious in nature, so this connection with the church of another’s homeland is fitting.

Source:

"Tambov, Russia (Government)." 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica - Free Online. Web. 24 Aug. 2009. http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Tambov,_Russia_(Government).

Picture Credits:

Tambov. Digital image. RussiaTrek.com. RussiaTrek.com. Web. 24 Aug. 2009. http://www.russiatrek.com.

“He looked like a harlequin.” (95)

A harlequin is defined as a comedian or buffoon. Conrad uses his appearance in the novella much like that of a court jester – to infuse comedy into an otherwise tense, dry situation. The sight of the harlequin from the boat marks as shift in Marlow’s perception of Africa, as it no longer seems like a literally “dark continent” – it now has a more colorful flair, literally and figuratively.

Source:

"Harlequin - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 24 Aug. 2009. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harlequin.

“These little things make all the great difference.” (91)

The poet Robert Frost wrote in “The Road Not Taken”:
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.” (lines 18-20)

Marlow learns this firsthand as he discovers that small, mundane things around him are important, so important that their importance is only truly felt after they are gone. While it may not be apparent the impact they make, much like Frost’s speaker not knowing how important his choice of road is, it is only later in time that the impact is felt. Marlow realizes this when he discovers that without light, darkness is all-consuming – never having realized this before, since light had always been all around him. This plays on the central conflict of Conrad's novella: the timeless struggle between light and darkness.

Source:

"The Road Not Taken." Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Web. 24 Aug. 2009. http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15717.

“. . . fusillade . . .” (87)

A fusillade is defined as “[a] discharge from a number of firearms, fired simultaneously or in rapid succession.” It is this sort of attack that the men of the Nellie come under, causing physical and mental damage as they realize the opposition and dangers they face. Because the shots are from a band of people with a common goal – to rid the area of outsiders – that have obviously coordinated, Conrad is making the point that the fusillade is a more significant threat than a single disgruntled shooter alone could ever be.

Source:

"Fusillade - Definition of Fusillade by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 24 Aug. 2009. www.thefreedictionary.com/fusillade.