Heart of Darkness

Characters

1. The protagonist of Heart of Darkness is a person named Charlie Marlow. Oddly, his name only appears once in the novel. Marlow is philosophical, independent-minded, and generally skeptical of those around him. He is also a master storyteller, eloquent and able to draw his listeners into his tale. Although Marlow shares many of his fellow Europeans’ prejudices, he has seen enough of the world and enough debased white men to make him skeptical of imperialism. An example of Marlow being independent-minded and philosophical is when he takes a trip up a river, as a break from working on ships. Marlow describes the trip as a journey back in time, to a “prehistoric earth.” This remark on how he regards colonized people as primitive, which is his philosophical viewpoint.

2. Of all the characters in the book, the only one with somewhat of a negative connotation is the character of the general manager (of the Company (the boating company)). He is the chief agent of the Company in its African territory, who runs the Central Station. He owes his success to a robust constitution that allows him to outlive all of his competitors. He is average in appearance and unremarkable in abilities, but he possesses a strange capacity to produce uneasiness in those around him, keeping everyone sufficiently alert (against their will) for him to exert his control over them. An example of the manager producing uneasiness in others is when he learns of Kurtz’s sick condition, he actually gets happy, because now he can have more control of the group as an individual. Kurtz was the unofficial leader, and soon, the manager could “move in.”

3. Kurtz, who is not the protagonist or antagonist is a very significant character in the book as Marlow and Kurtz essentially form a team as the novel progresses. He is the chief of the Inner Station and Marlow basically follows him. Kurtz is a man of many talents (he is a talented musician and painter). His abilities are nothing without his charisma and his ability to lead. Kurtz is a man who understands the power of words, and his writings present a complexity that obscures their horrifying message (his writings are often hard to understand, as they are complex in structure, often hiding the morbid message behind them). Although he remains a “puzzle,” e...

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...get over Kurtz and get on with her own life.

Etcetera

21. I would recommend this book for people to read because of how it explores the human condition (Conrad was big on this theme) and how each character is unique and recognizable within the context. Conrad pays much attention to detail and it is evident in Heart of Darkness. Conrad’s skills as an author are also evident in the intricate wording in the novel.

22. This novel really is not controversial. It tells merely of Conrad’s experiences during his travels and as a mechanic/sailor for ships in France. There is violence in it, but that does not make it controversial. There is also a part where there is a group of native cannibals, which can be looked at as controversial, but would not be extreme enough to create a cause for banning.

23. I think it is fair for a book to be banned as long as it is a committee or a board that makes the decision. One person cannot decide that some book needs to be banned, because that is biased. If a book was banned, people could still read it, because all they need to do is go to a public library and read it.