A Visual First Impression

A Common Enemy

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Heart of Darkness, The Age of Wonder and King Leopold’s Ghost talk about slavery. The most obvious connection is this common theme. Further into this complex theme is human nature, human instinct and natural urge of behavior. WE discussed in class the aggressiveness of humans. Today that aggressiveness has a wrong connotation, goes against the law, is worthy of prison, unacceptable. But before we were “civilized” or “sivilized” as Huck Finn calls it, that violence within us, against each other, was comprehended, common among us. Freud argues that we are born this way. If you think about it, animals, the other living things that resemble humans the most, are in fact aggressive among themselves. They kill each other for survival, they fight for a female, they wrestle to prove their male superiority, etc.. Watch Animal Planet or National Geographic. Our inner self, the ID as Freud calls it, does tend to put down another human being.

I have not yet established Conrad’s opinion of slavery. I am sure he disagrees with the imperialistic ways of his time and is aware of the atrocities happening at the Congo for ivory, yet he also portrays the Africans as cannibals and untamed beasts. What I was surprised to find out was that the Africans, among themselves, before the Europeans came along, practiced slavery, “Some Congo basin peoples sacrificed slaves on special occasions, such as the ratification of a treaty between chiefdoms; (…) Some slaves might also be sacrificed to give a dead chief’s soul some company on its journey into the next world.” (Hochschild 10) The Europeans only imposed the trading of slaves, buying and selling people and their treatment of the slaves was even less harsh than that of the Africans. Some slaves could gain freedom and they supposedly had a monetary value. The Europeans then are not the ones to blame for the atrocious practice of slavery. It was part of the culture before they converted it into an industry. The difference was that when they came along they are the common threat for all the Africans, the common enemy, and as Freud discusses in one of his theories, a common adversary to hate. The Europeans’ fear of the African natives, and image of them as Conrad exposes them, was reciprocal, “The whites were thought to turn their captives’ flesh into salt meat, their brains into cheese, and their blood into the red wine Europeans drank.” (Hochschild 16) Makes me nauseous.

It all gets me thinking, what if the normal guys are those violent criminals we call mentally sick, and those that are wrong are the rest of us? I guess war does not only have political and economic reasons, but one of natural violent behavior of human nature. Have we become further and further away from our instincts? I guess so, and it is not wonder we are so thrilled with the topic, like Twain, Conrad, Freud and Hochschild are.

Banks and Marlow

In an expedition, in search of something, in a foreign country and living among natives that are completely different from them despite the fact that they are also human, Marlow and Banks are protagonist their respective novels. In which way do they differ?

Marlow comes from a middle class family in England while Banks comes from a high class family and inherited lots of money and properties at early age.

Banks is an educated and well known scientists and Marlow is only an explorer searching for adventure and for himself.

Marlow’s purpose on his voyage is developed while the journey goes. Banks’s purpose is clear and determined: scientific discoveries.

Banks’ relationship with the Natives is quite open and respectful, he tries to understand them and be friends with them. Marlow never really tried to relate with them and kept a distance most of the time, partly because of fear and partly because he did not understand them.

They share the enlightenment factor. Marlow real voyage is a self-reflection and discovery, full of metaphors and anagnorisis. Bank’s voyage will end up in the same revelations, apart from the botanical discoveries. As we have discussed earlier, in journeys what you really discover is yourself, regardless the social class, the destination, the means and the objective.

Metaphorical Romance

There’s gotta be a romance in every novel. Conrad’s is a little odd. Definitely it’s not the focus of the story, but it plays an important role at the end of the novel. It concludes it. “ ‘His last word-to live with,’ she insisted. ‘Don’t you understand I loved him-I loved him- I loved him!’ “I pulled myself together and spoke slowly.” ‘The last word he pronounced was-your name.’” (pg. 157) We know that’s not true. But she needed to hear that. A long time after Kurtz’s death and she was still mourning, painfully for him , Marlow decided to grant her the satisfaction to believe that Kurtz’s actual last word was her name. I found that interesting. Marlow doesn’t appear as a comprehensive or sentimental fellow, I would have expected him to just tell her his actual last words, but he didn’t. He felt sorry for her too. Why does she appear again in the end? She kinds of represents the legacy Kurtz left, emotionally after dying.

Conrad, through Marlow is trying to answer the QUESTions that I’ learned in 9th grade: Why are we here? Where are we going? Where did we come from? And above that, Who I am? Who are we? Marlow’s tale is a constant self-reflection. I might cover that in another blog. Referring back to the mistress, I think she is answering the where are we going question? In a rather different way. The lover’s constant remembrance of Kurtz is what is left of him. That is where he ends up when he dies, In her heart. I know it’s cheesy but it can make sense. It’s a romance with metaphorical background.

Entity: Kurtz

What if Conrad decided to personify the enlightenment and self-discovery that Marlow is after? What if one of the characters isn’t real but a representation of the voyage Marlow is having, through the Congo and through his mind? And what if this personification is a character that has had us intrigued since the first pages of the novel?

I am about to start reading chapter III and Conrad left me in suspense, “‘He is up there,’ he replied, with a toss of the head up the hill, and becoming gloomy all of a sudden.” (pg. 127) the harlequin refers to Mr. Kurtz. I’m starting to believe that Kurtz is a like a Buddha. Everybody talks about him like a superior being, amazed at his skills and his achievements. They look after him, as a role model. A few have said to Marlow, “I tell you,’ he cried, ‘this man has enlarged my mind.” (pg.128) When Kurtz is mentioned, it seems like if he were an entity. Marlow mentions his English and French lineages and adds that “All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz;” as if Kurtz were a product, that I, as much as Marlow, can’t wait to meet.
When Marlow remembers the report that Kurtz had written for the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs (which is a very weird society) he admires the “beautiful piece of writing.” and flatters it with these description: “The peroration was magnificent, (…). It gave me the notion of an exotic Immensity ruled by and august Benevolence.” (pg. 123) note that he capitalized “Immensity” and “Benevolence” which could be two words that describe Kurtz himself, if seen from the point of view I’m looking at him, as a personification. I mean, these two words also could fit in a description for an entity as Buddha. These words were not describing Kurtz but his report, which revealed his “unbounded power of eloquence-of words-of burning noble words.” Funny that Kurtz’s strongest skill involves words, right? Is Conrad trying to personify himself too?

The amazing report takes a 180 degree turn with its final four words: “Exterminated all brutes!” demonstrating Kurtz’s final insanity. Is this Marlow’s fate in the voyage? Maybe.

As for Kurtz’s real identity, I am positive he is not just a character, “Whatever he was, he was not common.” (pg. 124)

Quotes!

Quotes I’ve liked so far from Heart of Darkness:

“Their talk, however was the talk of sordid buccaneers: It was reckless without hardihood, greedy without audacity, and cruel without courage; there was not an atom for foresight or of serious intention in the whole batch of them, and they did not seem aware these things are wanted for the work of the world.” (pg. 99)

“I don’t like work-no man does-but I like what is in the work-the chance to find yourself. Your own reality-for yourself, not for others- what no other man can ever know.” (pg.97)

“There is a taint of death, a flavor of mortality in lies-which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world- what I want to forget.” (pg. 94)

“And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion.” (pg 89)

“Uneasiness. Not a definite mistrust-just uneasiness-nothing more. You have no idea how effective such a…a…faculty can be.” (pg.88)

“It had ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery-a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness.” (pg.71)

Note that most are reflective and self discoveries or confessions.
I will be posting more quotes as I find them.

Marlow's Suspected Purpose

Marlow has identified his real purpose on his voyage: to exploit the resources of the land, regardless the means to achieve it. And he does not like it. “It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind-as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness.” (pg. 69) He also mentions that he felt his role in the exploration was not what he expected to be and suspected he would end up just like the others. So this dream of discovering the world is replaced with killing and stealing to get ivory.

Imperialism I believe has been well covered for a long time. I remember doing a project on modern imperialism in Global Studies with Mr. O’Connor and how shocked I was at the statistics and facts I had really no idea of. If today’s imperialism is gross I imagine Marlow’s experience of it must have been slaughtering. This novel could, in between lines, be a critic of the reality behind the voyages along African’s rivers. In Marlow’s 100.page story, he constantly reflects upon his own reality and self and his position regarding what he started to realize. Even though he avoids disagreeing explicitly with the traders and pilgrims around him, he definitely opposed their actions.

“The word “ivory” rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through in all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! I’ve never seen anything so unreal in my life.” (pg 89)

Marlow talks pejoratively to this ambition and greed for ivory. He describes it as an “imbecile rapacity”, like a satisfaction for this stupid greed. I like his subtle but harsh judgment on it. It appears that all the boat’s members and all the people in charge and part of the exploitation were proud of their roles, including Marlow. But Marlow is proud of where he finds himself because of his ambition as a child, not for the monetary reward he could be granted. Conrad manages to takes us along in the journey. I ask myself, will Marlow do something against the imperialism taking place? Or will he simply be indifferent? I guess he will, otherwise he would not be the protagonist, right?

BOO-BOO

I walked in class and after a very brief discussion on the novel Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad I realized I had been reading the wrong novel.

But that's okay, I'll just have to start again and forget the hour I wasted reading the wrong novel.

Women-Boat

The narrator seems to hold a close, intimate relationship with his ship. Almost like a lover. The ship is personified as a woman. Instead of referring to the ship as “it” Joseph Conrad uses “she”. The ship is the narrator’s companion.

Eighteen months on a boat leaves no alternative but to bond with “her”. Conrad exposes the feelings of the captain, dealing with himself, with the people on board and the new discovery of anchored women-boat. This affection to the ships implies, obviously, their role in the novel. As the back cover of the book says “In the steaming jungles of the Congo or the vast reaches of the sea, it is the man’s capacity for good and for evil that is his enduring theme.” The “jungles of the Congo” have not been personified yet so I care more for the sea and with it the women-boats.

First of all why would a boat be feminine and not masculine? I would have classified a boat as masculine: tough, big, precise, and sharp-formed. A flower is feminine: delicate, imprecise, irregularly shaped, but not a boat. For the narrator it would make no sense to be so related to the ship if it were masculine, unless he were gay which is unusual. In his loneliness, as he stated twice in one page: “And then I was alone with my ship,” and “At that moment I was alone in her decks.” (p. 20) His desired companion must be feminine. And so far his crew and the new comer swimmer murderer have not fulfilled his desires.