Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Reaction to Death
What do you make of Marlow's reaction to the Helsman's death? And what about Marlow's fear that Kurtz, too, is dead? I'm leaving this fairly open ended, but I DO think it's important for you to reference the text. While some of you have SUPERB answers, others have rather vague responses (these don't receive full credit!).
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Marlow probably is sort of disinterested that Helsman had died right in front of him. Marlow changes his socks and shoes which were covered in Helsman's blood. Marlow throws the bloodied pair of shoes overboard in disappointment and frustration. Instead of mourning it shows an inclination to frustration because Marlow's first reaction was to change his socks and shoes and to think about Kurtz instead of his friend that just died."I flung one shoe overboard, and became aware that that was exactly what I had been looking forward too-a talk with Kurtz. "Marlow is disheartened because he expects Kurtz to be dead too. This is ironic to me because he has never really met Kurtz yet and had only heard about him from others. Because Marlow had never met Kurtz in person he could speculate and "dream" about how great this man was however, because he expected Kurtz to have died he feels disappointed that he never got to meet this fantasy, or legend.
ReplyDeleteI really like the quote you picked from the book, I thought it perfectly explained the point you were trying to make with refernece to how Marlow was reacting.
DeleteIt is odd how Marlow goes from removing blood from himself to thinking about Kurtz instead of the dead helmsman. Nice response
DeleteI agree with this. Marlow didnt seem too interested in the helmsman and his obsession with meeting Kurtz is evident.
DeleteYour quote was perfect to describe Marlow's reaction to the death. I agree that Marlow's reaction was very odd even though he knew more about helmsman than he did about Kurtz. Nice point of view.
DeleteI like how you pointed out the irony of Marlow's disappointment. I totally agree that Marlow's expectations may not be met because he has such high expectations that could be argued to the point of illusion, fantasy, or unreality.
DeleteWhat you pointed out about Marlow's reaction to the helmsman's death is interesting because I took it in a different route. I thought Marlow was more emotionless about it rather than disinterested.
DeleteWhat Marlow discovers only after Helmsman's death is an essential human tie that binds him to his men, a tie that has been forged during the journey up the Congo, a tie that cannot be easily broken or forgotten. He comes across as very frustrated and almost surprised as to why something like this would happen. "I missed my late helmsman awfully,-I missed him even while his body was still lying in the pilot house". In the book, it states that Marlow is also worried that Kurtz could be dead too and even though he never met Kurtz personally, he had heard SO much about him that it felt as if he knew him. Marlow is scared he not only lost one friend, but two.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit confused of where the quote you found is located, about the helmsman, and I understand that Marlow knows a lot about Kurtz from what he has heard but I never really thought of Kurtz being considered a friend to Marlow. Interesting take on the novel.
DeleteI like your illusion of this tie between Marlow and all he experienced and how you mentioned he was scared of losing two people, one physically and one emotionally, even if he hadn't met Kurtz yet.
DeleteI agree with Ange. Your symbol of the bond as being a tie was very interesting. Your point that he has a metaphorical bond between Kurtz and him as well was interesting. I didn't think of that.
DeleteI'm with Aaron. I don't know where you got that quote from. Perhaps you read too far? However, your idea about Kurtz is spot on. His fear of loss is so great that he almost has an anxiety attack.
DeleteI like your idea of a bond between Marlow and Kurtz. However I don't think he actually forms a bond with Kurtz at all; he has an obsession with Kurtz and he wants to, essentially, talk with him, and hear his voice.
DeleteEven though Marlow appears to not care about the helmsman's death by the way he removes his shoes/socks and doesn't share any emotion of sadness with the reader, I think he doesn't react because the death has not really sunk in yet. During deadly situations, the human body pumps adrenaline to help the chance of survival, and I beleive Marlow's mind was racing too fast to truely compehend that someone had just died when all he was thinking about was surviving the attack and stearing the boat away from danger.Also Marlow still does show that he cares in the way that he "had to make an effort to free [his] eyes from [the helmsman's] gaze," when he was dying, but he mostly combines his sorrow towards the helmsman's death with his thoughts of Kurtz. The grief of seeing someone perish has caused Marlow to be reminded of the realities of life and all of its dangers, and he starts to feel sadness for Kurtz through the death, giving up his personal belief that Kurtz could ever survive in this environment and leaving himself to mourn losing someone who he sees as a "gift" to the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the death hasn't sunken in and he didn't have time to digest it. I also agree with your combination of sorrow with the helsman and Kurtz.
DeleteI like your thought on the helmsman's death. Either Marlow didnt care or he was in some sort of shock. He could have been masking his sadness or just completely blocking it out.
DeleteI think that Marlow did care about the death, of some sort, but safely steering the wheel away and Mr. Kurtz's life had more importance than the dead Helsman. He says himself ,"To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks." He did not have the reaction someone like I would have had if someone was killed and their pool of blood was soaking my feet, but I thought it was only appropriate of him to calmly keep steering and maintain focused. Concerning Kurtz, Marlow seems a bit obsessed. It's as if he had fallen into the spell everyone else was in also, which necessarily can't be blamed on him since he had only heard of grand stories of this "legend," but the fact that Kurtz was the first thing he thought of after the Helsman died is partly pathetic. He notes this too as he "couldn't have been more disgusted if I had travelled all this way for the sole purpose of talking with Mr. Kurtz." But then Marlow goes on to further explain how rather than Kurtz as a whole, he wanted to hear only his voice. Not just physically, but Kurtz's gift of expression, bewildering, illuminating...the flow from his dark heart. Marlow once again states, "I couldn't have felt more of lonely desolation somehow, had I been robbed of a belief or had missed my destiny in life..." It seems that by meeting Kurtz, Marlow would've gained something for himself that he desperately needed, perhaps clarification or insight. He believes he had lost that opportunity so therefore is upset.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying that he somewhat cared about the death of Helsman however, the quote you chose doesn't really agree to your statement. If I had experienced death and any of my clothing were bloodied I would want to get rid of it too. But, I agree 100 percent on how Marlow is somewhat obsessed with Kurtz and that he is upset because he has lost the chance to clarify his insights about Kurtz.
DeleteI agree that it is interesting how Marlow focused specifically on Kurtz's voice. Is it because Marlow is actually pursuing some sort of a deeper wisdom that he wishes to hear from Kurtz? If that is the case, it is ironic that he pursues Kurtz's "wisdom" and "gift of expression" yet acts apathetically towards the graphic death of one's colleague. Conrad seems to be mocking him.
DeleteI feel as though Marlow was overwhelmed by the entire situation and just wanted to detach himself from the scene for a minute
DeleteI thought Marlow's reaction to his death was somewhat careless. He says,"To tell you the trust, I was morbidly anxious to change my socks." A man has just died because of him and all he can think of is to change his socks? Marlow is either in extreme shock and cant acknowledge the death or he simply does not care enough. I also feel like Marlow is somewhat depressed when he believes Kurtz has died. The book goes very far in depth on his thoughts which leads me to believe that this strongly affected him. "Now I will never hear him," is what he thought to himself and it shows that Marlow is entranced by Kurtz's ability to speak. He describes Kurtz's words as bewildering and illuminating. Once he realizes that he may never hear Kurtz's brilliance, he feels deprived and saddened.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Marlow feels depressed at Kurtz's death and how his death ruined all chances of getting to know Kurtz's brilliance and insight to Marlow's destiny.
DeleteI agree that with the possibility of Kurtz's death, Marlow becomes depressed and numb because he will never meet the man that he has heard such brilliant things about.
DeleteYeah, good insight! It seems to me Marlow's priorities have flipped... It's funny how he says all that about Kurtz when he has never had a personal encounter/connection with him. He's basically a stranger to him.
DeleteI like the quote you included because it really shows how insensitive Marlow was about the death.
DeleteI like the quote you used about the socks! I also like that you pointed out that it was his fault (partially, because he was steering) and he seems to not care even though he caused it! This shows Marlow's real characteristics and I would not have seen them if you didn't point them out! Thanks!
DeleteMarlow first and foremost reacted in an apathetic manner towards the death of the helmsman. However it is no surprise that he acted this way, as he foreshadows the contempt he feels towards the helmsman while describing the helmsman's appearace before the ship is attacked. Marlow says, "He was the most unstable kind of fool I had ever seen. He steered with no end of a swagger while you were by;", and he addresses the helmsman as "that fool" and "fool-nigger". As for Kurtz's "death", Marlow is utterly upset. He shows that he is upset because Kurtz's "being a gifted creature" has ended and the "illuminating, the most exalted and the most contemptible, the pulsating stream of light, or the deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness" is now extinct in the dark depths of the Congo and his journey. Moreover, Marlow seems more depressed that the death of Kurtz will hurt the finding of his "destiny". This reflects the greediness Marlow has throughout the journey, as the sole purpose of meeting Kurtz was for the benefit of his own good. Marlow's greediness resembles the imperial colonists when they ventured and explored the African continent for the sole purpose of collecting raw materials to keep the European economy circulating.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with his apathetic manner towards the death of Helmsman. The quote you used to show his apathetic feelings toward Helmsaman. It is interesting to think that you feel this is reflecting the greediness of Marlow.
DeleteI agree that his attitude was apathy towards the death of the Helsman. I like how you brought up the point of Marlow's contempt towards the Helsman before his death; I never really though about that before.
DeleteYes, and Marlow thinks that helmsman is useless/incompetent/good-for-nothing.. therefore, his death isn't that big of a deal to Marlow. He probably thinks of it as a positive event..
DeleteI agree with your comment about Marlow being apathetic towards the death! I like how you compared the journey and him thinking kurtz was dead to jealously.
DeleteMarlow's reaction towards Helmsman's death was disgustingly apathetic. Instead of grieving over the death of a colleague, he cares more about "changing [his] socks and shoes" and becomes angry that Kurtz might be dead as well. Such apathy contrasts sharply with his horror at the sight of dying native Congolese people earlier. It seems as if Marlow's character has changed after entering the jungle, as if all of his bad personality traits have become more prominent in the "primal" and "uncivilized" setting as he travels (metaphorically) deeper into his heart.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it's possible that instead of openly expressing his shock, he does so instead by immediately disposing of the shoes? Maybe the changing of the socks and shoes wasn't as trivial as it appears and is instead Marlow's way of coping with the death.
DeleteThat's actually the interpretation I also took, Tyler. I mentioned in my response that Marlow is still young and very sheltered. The boat is still in the middle of a crisis when the helmsman dies, and Marlow doesn't really have the opportunity to properly mourn or even completely process the helmsman's death. It seems disgusting and apathetic to us because likely none of us have had to go through the shock of someone dying at our very feet, but Marlow is described as "morbidly anxious" and is in the early stages of shock, so I'm not sure if we can take this incident and immediately call it apathy before finishing the scene.
DeleteMarlow was sort of passive in Helmsman's passing, as if it almost didn't effect him personally, or his life in general. Even though he actually knew Helmsman, his response to his death makes it seem as if they were almost strangers. Marlow greatly emphasizes his despise for Helmsman throughout the story up to this point, so it is no surprise that he is not full of sorrow. However, i feel that it is ironic that even though Marlow did not personally know Kurtz, he finds great sorrow and worry in the possibility that he could be dead. I feel this is because he has developed a bond in wanting to meet Kurtz so badly that he truly feels as if Kurtz has influenced his life.
ReplyDeleteI, too, find it ironic that Marlow is more disturbed at the thought of the death of someone whom he has not even met than the death of Helmsman right in front of him. He seems to be almost idolizing Kurtz, the same way that some people idolize intellectuals, politicians, or entertainers they have not even met. I wonder whether Marlow's obsession with Kurtz has to do with the novelty of meeting a highly lauded European "forebearer of civilization" or with his desire to learn about some sort of a higher truth from the wise and gifted Kurtz.
DeleteI really like your ideas here. It is really ironic how Marlow is worried about the death of someone he never met, while he doesn't even grieve for the person he did know. I also agree with you that he might be more worried about Kurtz because of the connection that he felt he had with Kurtz. I am curious about why he did not show the slightest amount of grief for someone he knew, whether or not he liked him.
DeleteI like that you say he reacts to his friend's death as if he's almost a stranger, but shows great sorrow for just the possibility of the death of someone that he doesn't know. I think it's ironic that he's not even sure of the death and he still shows greater concern for it! I think this is because Kurtz, to Marlow, is the last hope for humanity and he does not want to lose that possibility.
DeleteMarlow's reaction to the Helsman's was on the verge of apathy. The death in itself did have an awful quality to it that made him unable to look away: "had to make an effort to free [his] eyes from [the helmsman's] gaze." However, his focus was not towards any empathy for the Helsman but instead he was focused on the effect the Helsman's death would have upon him. In Marlow's selfish nature, all he can think about is how the boat will be steered now and all the other effects of the gruesome event taking place before him. He even goes so far to be more concerned about the blood the Helsman is getting on his clothes than to be concerned about all the pain the Helsman is enduring: "To tell you the trust, I was morbidly anxious to change my socks." Then on top of all the other selfish thoughts going through Marlow's head, he begins to contemplate how horrible it would be if Kurtz was dead and all his efforts to meet him were worthless.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree with you here, Marlow was being selfish and thinking only of how he would be effected. He does not care about Helsman at all, instead he just wants to get to Kurtz. In addition, I agree that Marlow is worried that his efforts would be wasted if Kurtz was dead, but I also think that he worries because he felt such a strong connection with Kurtz (although he has never met him...) that he does not want to have that actual connection face to face.
DeleteI agree with the fact that you said how Marlow was contemplating what would happen to Kurtz if he was dead because then all of Marlow's efforts to meet him would be "worthless." This just reinforces his selfish nature.
DeleteMarlow’s reaction to Helmsman’s death was frustrated, because he felt that his death was almost in the way of his meeting with Kurtz, and now that he believes that Kurtz could be dead he feels that Helmsman’s death kept his from meeting who seems to be the most important person Marlow could have ever met. You see his frustration when Marlow says, “He was the most unstable kind of fool I had ever seen. He steered with no end of a swagger while you were by.” He calls Helmsman a “fool nigger” also which tells you that he has very little respect for him. However, he is saddened by Kurtz’s death because he idolized his characteristics that everyone told him about.
ReplyDeleteI disagree, I don't think the helmsman's death prevents him from meeting Kurtz whatsoever. It is a separate event with no bearing on whether or not Marlow will meet Kurtz.
DeleteI disagree as well. I think if anything the helmsman's death will bring him closer to Kurtz, considering that all he can think about is getting to Kurtz. I think his frustration lies more in the fact that the darkness of the region is changing him to be more like the others, so he feels he is superior to the others. The helmsman didn't do anything necessarily wrong, in fact he fought against his own people for these white men. I just feel as if the helmsman's death shows that anyone who starts out with morals and values will ultimately change, and this is what he will find to happen to Kurtz when he reaches him.
DeleteI disagree with how you think Marlow responded to the helmsman's death involving Kurtz and his interaction. But I really like how you thought that deeply into it and it made me question if youre right!
DeleteMarlow annoyed me in these few pages; he held a snooty/curt attitude towards the helmsman. Marlow didn't make much of helmsman's death, either, expressing the least bit of grief for the man: ""He's dead,' murmured the fellow immensely impressed. 'No doubt about it,'said I" (42)... Marlow was just "morbidly anxious to change [his] socks and shoes." The death of poor helmsman is treated like an event of little importance. He shrugs it off. Perhaps Marlow's heart has been tainted by the darkness of this river he has been traveling on. As for Kurtz, Marlow shows an antithetic reaction: "There was a sense of extreme disappointment, as though I had found out I had been striving after something altogther without a substance...his ability to talk...gift of expression...illuminating, the most exalted" (42-43). Marlow is devastated that he cannot meet this god, this hero. He puts Kurtz on a pedestal, and he is deeply affected by the possibility of Kurtz's death. This further proves my point that Marlow has been affected by the deep heart of darkness and morphing into one of the Europeans (ie Marlow's poor treatment of helmsman and racism: "He was the most unstable kind of fool I had ever seen" (40).
ReplyDeleteI agree with hoe Marlow was annoying. The way he presented himself makes it seem as if he should care and grieve over this man, but he doesn't grieve in the slightest. I like the idea of Marlow's heart being tainted by the darkness of the river. Great insight!
DeleteThomas Wilson
ReplyDeleteI cant work this fancy technology soil just putting my name here, I tried to do stuff with the url and it just deleted my whole post. So :
The helmsman's death was far more shocking to Marlow than I think we realize, the way he reacts to the blood and his dead gaze is all reminiscent of someone who's just seen something terrifying. He got away from it and tried to dispose of everything he had that was relayed to it, he ditches his bloody shoes. He doesn't mourn for the fellow though, which we can attribute to his disliking of said helmsman. The death is just soemthing he wants nothing do do with. This scares him though, what if kurtz suffers the same fate? This new revelation freaks Marlow out big time. Kurtz has been the focus of his time in Africa for months, if hes dead, what then? Hes so freaked out by this, hes ready to smoke to Cal himself down, as we see at the end of tonibts passage. Thank you and goodnight
Never mind guys :p I got it
DeleteI feel like Marlow’s reaction to the death is very impersonal. He showed more emotion when he thought Kurtz, a man he has never met, might possibly be dead and that he would therefore never hear him speak: “I will never hear that chap [Kurtz] speak after all,’ – and my sorrow had a startling extravagance of emotion” (159) vs. right after the black man dies from his spear wound: “The luster of inquiring glance faded swiftly into vacant glassiness.’ Can you steer?’ I asked the agent eagerly” (156). Notice how he immediately changes the topic once the native had died – no sorrow, pity, or any other appropriate emotions. Marlow’s fear that Kurtz is dead is logical, considering Marlow himself was almost just killed and he’s all the way out at sea, not even sharing the land with the hostile natives, as Kurtz is. As a reader, it is illogical to think that Kurtz would end up being dead, for that would eliminate a crucial element of the plot.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's illogical for Kurtz to be dead. The entire novel up until this point has been building up to Marlow's encounter with Kurtz.
DeleteI agree that Marlow's reaction was impersonal and that it is rediculous that he did not feel more saddness towards the hemsman's death becaus he knew him longer than Kurtz, whom he has nvever met.
DeleteI never considered how Marlow may be using Kurtz to channel his feelings about death. You made a good point that Marlow's near death experience could be why he is frightened by the idea of Kurtz's death.
DeleteI think that Marlow was heartless when it came to Helsman’s death. He did not seem to care that someone he knew died. Instead he worries about the blood on him and the thought that Kurtz might be dead. I find his fear ironic because he seems to care about this man (that he has never met) more than he cares about anyone else. I also find it funny that he is so concerned about who will steer the ship. “‘Can you steer?’ I asked the agent eagerly” (Conrad 46). I am curious to see what he will do if Kurtz is dead. Will he be sad because he never got to meet the person he found a connect with, or will he be upset because it was a wasted journey?
ReplyDeleteI think that part of the reason he cared so much about who was going to steer the boat was so that they could get to the station safely and not wreck the boat. I do agree that Marlow was heartless when it came to the Helsman's death because like you said, all he cared about was the blood on his shoes. He should have cared more that his crew member just died.
DeleteWhen you mentioned the blood on him, it made me thing of how in Macbeth, the woman feels like she has blood on her hands and tries to get it off. In the case, Marlow has the mans blood on himself and wants to rid himself of the responisbilty for the mans death (he picked the side of the river). For this reason, he does not actually care about the dead man himself.
DeleteMarlow does not express any sympathy towards the death of the helmsman. Instead of grieving over the loss of his main man, Marlow concerns himself with changing his shoes and socks. He says, "I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks". In contrast to the Marlow's passive reaction to the helmsman's death, Marlow reacts with "extreme disappointment" upon hearing that Kurtz may be dead. I find this very ironic. Marlow doesn't grieve at all over the death of his helmsman, a man who he knows and has spent significant time with; however, he is extremely upset at the thought of Kurtz, a man he doesn't even know, being dead. Marlow realizes that meeting Kurtz was everything he was looking forward to. Kurtz represented hope to Marlow, a light in the darkness. Now that he is supposedly dead, Marlow has no hope.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your connection with Kurtz and being the light because I agree that Marlow is holding onto Kurtz as hope for this whole trip. Kurtz is the only thing that Marlow is focused on at this point. I really like your connection between Kurtz and Marlow's hope because I never really thought of Kurtz like that.
DeleteI agree ! it's hard to even imagine how someone could be so uncaring about a man who had just been murdered infront of him. It's almost insanity.
DeleteI was honestly shocked by the way Marlow reacted. The entire book so far presented Marlow as this person that was above the actions of all the other white men, that he was not there for desire or greed and was sickened by the conditioned of the people. In this passage though, he treats the helmsman as if he is below him. In a quite literal sense, the helmsman is below him when he is dying on the ground and Marlow is looking down on him. Instead of helping him (like I thought he would) he just ignores him and continues steering. Marlow says, "To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks (pg 42)." It seems he has obtained this "materialistic" mindset as the others have and only cares about his appearance and his comfort. In my opinion, the helmsman represents Africa. When Marlow looks away it is as if he is turning his back on the region. Marlow continues and says, "I flung one shoe overboard.... (43)" I connected this as if he abandoning his stance or his driving reason to be in the Congo to be more like all the others. In connection to Kurtz, this seems to be the only person he cares about. A man has literally died at his feet, and all Marlow can think about is how he wants to speak with this man and how much of a gift he is. "The other shoe went flying unto the devil-god of that river. I thought, by Jove! it's all over. We are too late; he has vanished (pg 43)." He gets rid of the last piece of the helmsman and fears that Kurtz is dead and the great "gift" is now gone. His real fear though, should be how he is turning into the greedy Europeans, the same people who, until this point, as detested so.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I thought Marlow would help the helmsman, instead of ignoring him entirely. I think this demonstrates that the Congo is changing Marlow, just as it changed the other white men. I like the connection you made to Marlow throwing his shoe overboard, and him becoming like the other greedy European men.
DeleteI completely agree! I couldn't believe that Marlow just shrugged off Helsman's death so readily, and what's more, he stole the man's shoes! I like how you noticed Marlow's shift of focus on his trip to the Congo from being a helpful man, to a selfish explorer only caring about meeting Kurtz.
DeleteI agree. Right after the helmsman took his last breath, Marlow immediately asked the agent next to him if he could take over his job. He's more concerned about Kurtz than his own crew member's death. I like the connection you made!! It was really insightful. I think his reaction to the helmsman's death is blatantly showing a turn in Marlow's motives for exploring the Congo.
Delete“To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my socks and shoes.” The fact that Marlow even felt the need to say this after watching a man drop dead at his feet shows how he has changed. The darkness is enveloping him. He shows no remorse at the death of Helsman. The darkness has already begun to change him. When Marlow entered the Congo, he was virtuous. He was mocked for how virtuous he was. What kind of virtuous man can watch a man drop to his feet dead, and then feel the need to take the dead man’s socks and shoes? Furthermore, the idea of Kurtz’ death hurts Marlow deep, deep down into his very being. He had an epiphany that Kurtz had become Marlow’s reason for his trek to the Congo. The thought of all this time, effort, and pain wasted sends Marlow into a depression that causes him to throw the shoes he just took from his fallen friend into the river. He says, “I flung one shoe overboard, and became aware that was exactly what I had been looking forward to—a talk with Kurtz.” Though he doesn’t specifically say that Kurtz is the reason that he came to the Congo, the reader can infer that after learning of Kurtz, meeting Kurtz became Marlow’s new goal. This can be backed up by his lack virtue displayed in part 2.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the quote you used, I found it funny that he was caring more about changing his shoes and socks when someone just died. It shows that his priorities weren't on the man who died.
DeleteI also agree. Marlow is becoming more like the Europeans. He has become shallow and become more interested in meeting Kurtz than Africans dying. This also shows that he may be becoming more racist and desensitized (the darkness engulfing him).
DeleteMarlow had no sympathy when the Helsman died. I thought it was somewhat rude especially since they have been staying on a ship together and were somewhat of friends. All Marlow could care about was the blood that was on his shoes instead of the fact that one of his crew members died. However, I can see why Marlow didn't show much sympathy at first for the Helsman when he died. Marlow said "I had to make an effort to free my eyes from his gaze and attend to the steering." I agree with Marlow on this because he has other people to worry about on the ship rather than mourn the death of one lost crew member. When he begins to think of Kurtz and how he is probably dead, it makes him go somewhat crazy and he loses focus of his real purpose for the trip. He acts like he has nothing else to live for which I thought was dumb since he has never met the guy. He was more upset about the thought of Kurtz being dead than he was on the fact that his crew member was actually dead.
ReplyDeleteI too agree that it is abusrd to think that he would go crazy in thinking someone he hasn't even met is dead, then not reacting at all when someone is murdered infront of him.
DeleteCompletely agree with you on how you thought the way Marlow reacted was rude! Although a man had just died in front of him, all he could care about was the blood on his shoes and Kurtz.
DeleteMarlow's reaction to Helsman's death was sickingly plain. He was more eager to wipe off the blood on his socks and shoes than the fact that a man had just been murdered before his eyes.“To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my socks and shoes.” This shows that Marlow is slowly becomming more and more like the Europeans, senseless and uncaring. “The luster of inquiring glance faded swiftly into vacant glassiness.’ Can you steer?". Marlow seems so uncaring about the even that just happened that he even changes the subject. Marlow is suprised and doubting that Kurtz can still be alive. He sees this "savagery" all around him and ponders how Kurtz could possibly be alive. He is scared because he feels that Kurtz is the only man he can relate to.
ReplyDeleteright! Isn't that so ironic? At first in part I, you see that Marlow has so much compassion toward those in the Phantom of Darkness; however on the steamboat, he yells impossible commands, gets angry, and cannot care less about the Helmsman who is Congolese.
DeleteI agree that his reaction shows his transformation into one of the Europeans. His reaction to death is very different here than it was by the river at the first station. He was more shocked at how the natives seemed to be shadows rather than people. Now, he shrugs death off like it's no big deal.
DeleteI feel like they're two very different kinds of situations, though. Yes, it should have been more upsetting to Marlow that the helmsman died, but Marlow's job is make sure that the boat goes across safely which obviously isn't happening which thereby puts him under an immense amount of stress. I didn't think that Marlow really had time to process the helmsman's death. If he had gotten upset and started sobbing over the helmsman and the ship went down and even more people died, wouldn't we blame him for getting overly emotional over a character he barely knows?
DeleteI agree, he is starting to think just like the Europeans that came. He doesn't care about the death of the helmsman, and he is too preoccupied with meeting Kurtz. This may also be because the helmsman is black, showing some racism.
DeleteMarlow's reaction to Helsman's death was one of being very disinterested and uncaring towards Helsman. He was more concerned with what happened to Kurtz rather than mourning over the death of a man he actually knew. Up until now in the book, Marlow seemed like a decent guy who wanted to learn and explore but now, my impression of him has changed immensely. In this day and age, we would call him "fake" because he didn't even care that someone died; he cared more about the blood that got on him. Marlow is also questioning what will happen to him as he goes further and further into the "heart of darkness." Will he be attacked? Will Kurtz be attacked?
ReplyDeleteWe haven't met Kurtz, yet, but I know what you mean. The dynamics in Marlow's character has made him very much unpleasant going from a compassionate brother to a selfish European man. I feel as though he's transforming more and more into that stereotypical European colonizer that he once bashed.
DeleteMarlow did not show any sympathy toward the helmsman. He witnessed him dying, then immediately after his last breath, Marlow asked the agent "Can you steer (Conrad 61)?" He was more concerned about being short a helmsman than that someone on his crew was killed. Also, Marlow states, "To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks (Conrad 62)," showing that the Congo has begun to desensitize him and his attitude toward death. At the bank of the river back at the first station, he was shocked at the black shadows that inhabited the area. Now, he shrugs off death like it's no big deal, but only when death comes for the natives. When he finds out that Kurtz might be dead also,he becomes crushed. "I couldn't have felt more of lonely desolation somehow, had I been robbed of a belief or had missed my entire destiny in life (Conrad 62)..." It's surprising how he cares for a man that he has never met more than a member of his crew.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with you on how you said that the "Congo has begun to desensitize him". I feel like as Marlow is going deeper into the Congo (heart of darkness), hes also slowly becoming more dark himself.
DeleteI actually saw some racism toward the helmsman from Marlow when he called the helmsman "the fool nigger" in anger, so I saw how when the helmsman was murdered, Marlow had a small response. The possibility of Kurtz's death does shock and disappoint Marlow. He felt a sorrow has a "startling extravagance of emotion." Marlow had a deeper connection to Kurtz because he thought that maybe he could find some light in himself when he met Kurtz. He epitomized Kurtz as himself. It's ironic that Marlow felt more pain when Kurtz "died" instead of when the Helmsman died because Marlow never met Kurtz, yet he watched the Helmsman die at his own feet. It shows how he cares about the Congolese.
ReplyDeleteI like how you point ot that Marlow obviously esteems Kurts more than a "fool nigger" because he doesn't care if Helsman dies.
DeleteI find it interesting of how you related racism as affecting Marlow's reaction to Helmsman's death. I also liked how you said that Marlow wished to "find light in himself when he met Kurtz"; however, this expectation may not be met and the voyage may be a waste.
DeleteI definitely agree--despite Marlow's possible respect for the people, it is clear that he values an intellectual capacity over actual morality.
DeleteIn the story, marlow eagerly says, "can you steer?" it shows that right now Marlow is mainly focused on someone steering the ship instead of the man that just died. Marlow seems to show no emotion while the helmsman is dying. Also, the he says "I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks." That statement shows that he doesnt have any emotions towards the death except disgust, making him want to change his sheos. He fears that Kurtz is dead too and thinks that the journey is a waste. He came on the journey just to meet Kurtz and would be disappointed if he couldnt meet him.
ReplyDeleteMarlow has a weird reaction to death. When Helsman dies before his very eyes, Marlow is unaffected and can only think about changing his shoes: “To tell the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks.” (Conrad 62). However, when Marlow learns that Kurtz, a man he has never even met, might be dead, Marlow freaks out: “He has vanished… The gift has vanished…I will never hear that chap speak after all” (Conrad 62). This reaction shows a distortion in Marlow’s emotion and logic because he considers the life and supposed extraordinary qualities of a man he has never met over the life of a man he has risked his life with. He values his “destiny” (Kurtz) more than the steps it takes to get there (Helsman). One can also take into account Helsman’s name. Helsman, like the boatman in Greek mythology, escorts Marlow to the gates of hell (or the heart of darkness), and leaves him (or dies) there to venture the rest of the way on his own. Marlow does not react to the death of Helsman because he is just a tool, an assistant, to help him on his quest into the underworld to see Kurtz. If Kurtz dies, however, his quest loses purpose and becomes insignificant and worthless.
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DeleteNice connection to Greek mythology. It seems Conrad was very particular in titling the character as the helmsman for a purposeful reason.
DeleteI can't say I am completely surprised at Marlow's reaction to Helmsman's death. I spoke earlier in class today about the predisposition of the white man in a foreign setting. While I intially mentioned the ingrained societal bias, if one considers the mental process of a man who has just seen another die in front of him, his reaction may not be normal or expected. While an obvious connection is Marlow undervalueing the lives of the Congolese, and therefore representing the over-arching theme of White/European supremacy, the thing to take note of is the biggest question in Marlow's mind. Will he ever hear Kurtz? While Kurtz is presented as somewhat of an enigma, his value is never accurately appraised until he is Marlow's focus at a time that could very well be his death. "There was a sense of extreme disappointment, as though I had found out I had been striving after something altogther without a substance..." This shows that Marlow was intrinsically motivated by his future encounter with Kurtz, and also hints at the goal of the "journey" he's on. Kurtz, in many ways, symbolizes the power of good that remains in the Congo, and this creates an undertone of salvation and redemption upon this meeting that causes a great loss of hope when the opportunity is assumed to be gone. While there is a chance Kurtz is dead, I doubt he will be; his role is already paramount to the plot and one I foresee as essential to the journey Marlow has set upon.
ReplyDeleteMarlow's reaction to Helmsman's death may seem indifferent, uncaring, or insensitive by the way he takes off his shoes and socks and throws them away into the water. However, I think it is because he is in shock of the sudden death that has happened right in front of his eyes in which psychology really plays a big part in this situation. For one, Marlow is so so shocked by the death scene that his mind denies it or retreats from it since it can not handle it at the moment. Since Marlow is also worrying about Helmsman's death being related to perhaps Kurtz's death, his mind is in a state of wanting to reject the idea and is therefore in a fit full of frustration and disappointment. Marlow's fear of Kurtz's death reveals how much he cares more about someone he doesn't really know (and hasn't even met) than someone who died right in front of him (tangible). This further shows how Marlow is seeking for something/someone with an idealized expectation that may not be met in the end.
ReplyDeleteMarlow's reaction to Helmsman's death was very shocking to say the least. This scene alone proves how much his personality and mindset has altered as he has been in the Congo. Marlow began his voyage as a respectable wholesome person and is now beginning to lose sight of what is really important. On page fourty-two, he says, "To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks." The mere fact that Marlow is more concerned over his feet than the news of someone's death shows how selfish and materialistic he has slowly turned into. The heart of darkness is beginning to take its final toll on him. When Marlow hears the news that Kurtz may be dead, he becomes somewhat dissappointed because he will never be able to discover the mysteries surrounding him.
ReplyDeleteI disagree that Hemsman's death did not affect him at all. The reason I saw for him changing shoes is the simple fact that the Helmsman's blood had drenched them, and the thought disturbed him somehow. Perhaps he wishes to deny that a savage gave his life to protect a ship of white invaders, and by getting rid of the proof that it truly happened, he may be able to successfully rid it of his mind. I think it may have been an enlightening moment. Scratch that, it *was* an enlightening moment; it caused him to realize the pure futility of his real goal. I do agree with the second half of your post, that the heart of darkness is beginning to take hold, how it's tricks and deceptions are burying the purity of his exploration motives (not for greed or conquering but curiosity) and instead coaxing out slight madness and an obsession with an unimportant goal.
DeleteMarlow's reaction to the helmsman's death does not seem all too unprecedented. We can see his feelings of resentment towards this man early on as he refers to him as "that fool helmsman". With no regard for his safety, Marlow orders him around and does not seem all too concerned with his death, but more concerned with steering. "I had to make an effort to free my eyes from his gaze and attend to the steering". This contrasts greatly with Marlow's reaction to Kurtz' supposed death. Marlow feels cheated that he has come all this way and may not even reach Mr. Kurtz. This reveals the extent to which Kurtz has been glorified in Marlow's perspective. "...his words—the gift of expression, the bewildering, the illuminating, the most exalted and the most contemptible, the pulsating stream of light". He places Kurtz on a pedestal built from expectations which portrays Kurtz as almost a religious figure to be revered. The juxtaposition of Marlow's reactions to the two deaths reveal a darkness in Marlow's character, showing him to be cold, uncaring, and self-interested.
ReplyDeleteI like how you refer to the quote where Marlow degrades the helmsman; it really shows how Marlow is connecting the Africans to his feelings, but still thinking of them as lower when they die.
DeleteI found this similar to what I thought about the predisposition of whites in the Congo. Marlow enters with an air of superiority from the get-go.
DeleteI was pretty shocked by how emotionless Marlow was to Helsman’s death. I thought he would have reacted with more shock and care for some reason, but he didn’t. He took off his shoes and socks and threw them away after being soaked in Helsman’s blood like it was nothing. I found his fear ironic because although Helsman had just died right in front of him, his biggest worry was whether or not Kurtz was dead also. Marlow states, “There was a sense of extreme disappointment , as though I had found I had been striving for something altogether without a substance.” Marlow has this fear of that Kurtz is dead because all this time, one of his biggest goals was to meet Kurtz and figure out who he is. Because Marlow has yet to have met Kurtz, I feel like that’s why he has a fear that Kurtz is dead also. Marlow has created an illusion of Kurtz in his mind with the bits and pieces of information that he has heard from other people and if he’s dead, then he’ll never know if that illusion he created fits the reality.
ReplyDeleteIt's true Marlow may never discover the truth of the Kurtz enigma, but we cannot forget that Marlow is only assuming Kurtz to have perished. It's still possible that Kurtz is alive. I disagree slightly, that perhaps Marlow did care about Helsman's death, though he may not realize it just yet. I can't provide any solid textual evidence beyond the general pattern of Marlow's eventual enlightenment that causes him to see the world in a new perspective. He may look back upon his event and feel something, realizing that Helsman's death was a noble one; despite being of a similar 'savage' clan, he gave up his life to protect the steamboat. He has already realized how foolish his only drive (meeting Kurtz) was, already starting to see some semblance of truth.
DeleteMarlow is shocked of Helsman's death. He just has not fully acknowledge the situation. Marlow later states how much Helsman meant to him, "I missed my late helsman awfully - I missed him even while his body was still lying in the pilot house...I had him at my back - a help - an instrument. It was kind of partnership. He steered for me - I had to look after him." Marlow clearly cares and mourns for Helsman.
DeleteI disagree with many people who believed Marlow to be callous and hardened against the Helmsman's death, but that the event truly disturbed him. A savage, someone incapable of morals, had sacrificed himself in an attempt to protect the steamboat. This goes against all of Marlow's prior beliefs about savage thought capacity, and therefore he tosses the shoes, covered with proof of the sacrifice, in an attempt to deny the death that defies his conditioning. To distract himself, he hypothesizes that Marlow's dead, and lets out all his emotions and frustrations in one burst. I believed Marlow's reaction to Kurtz's supposed death to be a disturbing display of histrionics. In the jungle of mist and magic, anything is possible; Kurtz may yet be alive at his station, or lost within the heart, but not physically dead (but this doesn't exclude that he may have fallen into madness). Yet it is also likely that he indeed has died, maybe attempting to cross the threshold guarded by dense white fog and arrow wielding savages. Marlow ponders if the tips of the arrows or poisoned, but that they likely couldn't kill a cat. Kurtz however is ill, and whatever toxin present in the arrow might've been lethal in his handicapped state. Despite being disturbed at how attached he'd grown to a mirage, I understood the morbid hypothesis to be a Buddha-enlightening moment for Marlow. He recognizes the futility of his long-term goal, how the jungle has drawn him away from what mattered before to his still boyish, naive heart. The jungle used its tricks to draw him into a trap, likely confident that he wouldn't survive the "ribcage" attached to the river-spine that envelops the heart of darkness. I also took this recognition of meaningless goal to be related to our annotation about finding symbols to the futility of European colonization in Africa: they first set out in the name of exploration, like Marlow, but the allure of the jungle's riches drew them away from a noble goal, an aspiration now lost entirely. But now that he has realized his goal was pointless, will the jungle's protective spell wear off entirely or will his weakness and inner turmoil make him more prone to madness and deception?
ReplyDeletewow we are one of the few that do not think he is indifferent about the helmsman's death! and your connection to the Buddha enlightening moment is really insightful! i would have never gotten that.
DeleteI like the idea that Marlow is less concerned with the actual mess the blood makes than the fact that the blood represents something he wished to prevent.
DeleteI highly doubt he was trying to distract himself. Kurtz is an enigma that is pursued the entire story, and if the goal no longer exists, then their "journey" is pointless. From a psychological standpoint, this shock and apparent indifference wouldn't be too unlikely.
DeleteMarlow seems emotionless, at first, to the helmsman’s death because he does not know how to react to the death: he had never really had someone of some importance to him die. This emotionless Marlow can be illustrated in the quotes, “I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks.” However, later on, he does feel sad because of the helmsman’s death: “I missed my late helmsman awfully. To include, because of the helmsman’s death, he is reminded of Kurtz, who he thinks can and is dead – he just spent an entire journey to talk to Kurtz and hear his voice, but he might not be able to: “And, by the way, I suppose Mr. Kurtz is dead as well. In this moment, he feels anger because all he wants to do is speak with the man, but he fears Kurtz’s death: “I couldn’t have been more disgusted if I had traveled all this way for the sole purpose of talking with Mr. Kurtz.”
ReplyDeleteI certainly would not call Marlow's reaction to the Helsman's death unemotional or cold. Perhaps he puts these up as fronts, but Marlow is a sheltered Westerner who has never had to deal with people dying at his very feet (and being human, he no doubt feels a large amount of survivor's guilt- he tries to cover this by calling the helmsman a fool), and people in general have a tendency to do stupid things when they are in shock to avoid having to directly deal with the situation. Note the diction Conrad uses- Marlow is "morbidly anxious" to change into different footwear. By focusing on his bloodied socks/shoes, Marlow creates a distraction so that he doesn't have to think about death. Taking it a step further, Marlow wishes to wash his hands clean of the situation in order to take away the blame (Pontius Pilate). Marlow's fear that Kurtz is also dead serves as another distraction from the helmsman's fate. Additionally, as many have previously noted, Kurtz is a figure of light and hope inside of a Africa full of Europeans with "dark" convitions for Marlow; if Kurtz is dead, so is Marlow's chance at finding someone with the same moral convictions as him. In a different interpretation, if Kurtz isn't actually dead, then the helmsman changes into a Christ-life figure who died so that Marlow could reach Kurtz (who then metaphorically becomes God/salvation).
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a really interesting point about Marlow not being insensitive to the Helsman's death, but merely putting up a front to preserve his sanity. I didn't think about this possibility at all while I was reading and although I personally find his indifference and apathy appalling, understand where you're coming from!
DeleteWhen the helmsman dies, Marlow reacts as if he doesn't care at all. The Helmsman's death is of less importance than Marlow changing his socks. This shows that Marlow is beginning to become more like his European counterparts. Like them, Marlow is beginning to become desensitized towards the deaths that are occurring. Marlow states, "To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks" (Conrad 38). Also, when a man states, "He is dead", Marlow replies, "No doubt about it" (Conrad 39). This shows how casual Marlow has become with the death of the helmsman. This also portrays Marlow's racism; He doesn't care for the helmsman because he is black, although Mr.Kurtz is white. Marlow's reaction also symbolizes how Europeans exploited Africa. The Europeans came to this continent in order to get raw materials and exploit its people no matter what the cost was. Similarly, Marlow's sole after learning about Kurtz was to go and meet him. Marlow states, " ...that was exactly what I had been looking forward too - a talk with Mr.Kurtz" (Conrad 39). Marlow doesn't care about who is hurt or what happens to the blacks because he has to meet Kurtz.
ReplyDeleteI like your comment about Marlow becoming just as desensitized to the deaths around him as the Europeans there prior to his arrival. I made a similar comment in my response saying that I believed that this exposed some of the savageness within him.
DeleteWhile reading lasts night's homework, I was amazed and even a little disgusted by Marlow's reaction to the Helmsman's death. Understandably, his European background and the ideals that have been instilled in him from birth can be blamed for his perception that Africans are savages, however, I personally do not believe that there is any reason he should have been so apathetic to the death of a crew member. Pragmatically, this was probably the most reasonable solution seeing as the steamboat was under attack, but the fact that Marlow not only failed to show remorse but even scolded the dying man for not steering is appalling and perfectly displays the "savageness" in Marlow. I also found it extremely interesting that what he feared most about Kurtz dying was that he would never get to hear him talk and discuss with him. From the beginning of the story, I have also been interested in seeing for myself what this enigma of a man would be like, however, I have mostly been concerned with physical appearances, so it was quite interesting to see the value Marlow places on Kurtz' voice.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of Marlow wanting to talk to Kurtz was linked to Kurtz voice at all, like you i only focused on appearance. I wonder how Conrad will continue this?!
DeleteI think it was very true, like you pointed out that Marlow reacted the way he did mainly because that was the way he had been taught his whole life.
DeleteI disagree with many of the responses above, because I don't feel Marlow is indifferent about the death rather he is shocked and stunned. This shocked me as the reader, because i thought as the journey continued Marlow's heart would become "darker" like the rest of the Europeans. I also thought he did not care for natives only how the hearts of the Europeans were slowly deteriorating. If Marlow was indifferent than why did he mourn the death of the Helmsman? He changed his socks and shoes after the Helmsman's death. Although he does scold the deceased Helmsman for not steering he does go on to say he "missed late Helmsman awfully."
ReplyDeleteI feel like Marlow has an obsession with Kurtz. I, too, am curious to meet this mysterious Kurtz, but Marlow fears that he won't be able to talk to Kurtz because he is dead because his illness might have escalated. I found it really interesting and kind that Marlow would say, "I am not prepared to affirm the fellow was exactly worth the life we lost in getting to him." Meaning he does not know if the Helmsman's death was worth this voyage to meet Kurtz.
I agree that Marlow may not have been entirely indifferent, just reacting to the situation.
DeleteI agree. I think he has not hit reality yet. So much has happened that he needs time to process it.
DeleteYou might have a point, but you cannot hide the fact that his actions after the ongoing events (death of the Helmsman) run contrary to that of man who might actually care and feel sympathy.
DeleteMarlow shows very little concern for the dead African at his feet. In fact, he seems more concerned about removing his blood soaked shoes and socks, even declaring "To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks"(Conrad 42). While the pilgrim stands seems shocked and slightly disturbed by the dying helmsman, Marlow regards his death with an emotion bordering on apathy. One could regard Marlow's reaction in two ways. Either Marlow simply does not care about the helmsman because he is an African, therefore not truly an equal human in his eyes. However, such a reaction could also indicate that, although Marlow probably does not care as strongly for an African's death as he would a European's, he simply attempted to keep a cool head in a crisis. Marlow stays surprisingly calm throughout the entire attack and after the helmsman's death, his primary concern is to ensure that someone can steer the boat and get everyone through the jungle relatively safely.
ReplyDeleteMarlow does not worry about the health and safety of the actual Kurtz, but for the idea of Kurtz. Marlow still has not met the man, and he seems most concerned that he may never speak to this Kurtz, this voice as he has imagined Kurtz. Marlow shows concern for the idea of Kurtz which has been formed inside his head through others, and he is very disappointed that he may "never hear him" (Conrad 43). Marlow desires to speak to Kurtz because he has heard that Kurtz has the "ability to talk, his words -- the gift of expression, the bewildering, the illuminating...". These descriptions give Kurtz a sort of mystical quality, causing Marlow to become almost enamored with the idea of speaking to this brilliant man.
I don’t think Marlow really cares about Helsman’s death. He speaks about the death in a relaxed manner and is more concerned about the fact that his socks are bloody than about the man being dead. He shows this when he says, “to tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks.” Marlow’s fear shows that he is scared that he has come all of this way for no reason. This shows some of the futility of the Europeans being in Africa, because it is a waste of time if he is not there. He says, “I couldn’t have been more disgusted if I had travelled all this way for the sole purpose of talking with Mr. Kurtz.” He would be very disappointed if he came this entire way to achieve something and did not even get the chance to do it. I also believe that Kurtz is Marlow’s last hope for humanity here in Africa, and the fact that he thinks Kurtz is dead is like his last hope for humanity not being there. I feel like this is ironic because he has not met Kurtz yet, but Kurtz is a character that Marlow has built up to be great. The fact that he has built him up so much may lead to further disappointment in the future.
ReplyDeleteMarlow does not treat the helmsman's death in the same regard he treats the potential death of Kurtz. When the fellow says "he is dead" in reference to the helmsman and Marlow starts "tugging like mad at the shoe-laces" it shows how he is more concerned with forgetting what just took place in front of him than anything else. He wants to get rid of the memory through getting rid of the shoes and socks that are covered with the helmsman's blood. This treaction is the complete opposite reaction to the one Marlow has when he hears Kurtz is probably dead. He acts similar to the way someone would if they heard a friend had died. He ponders the things he will never get to do with Kurtz, like hear him speak or shake his hand. He begins to feel a sense of loneliness once he believes Kurtz is dead, yet he never shows any sign of remorse toward the helmsman who he watched die. He had been holding onto the idea of Kurtz so his idea of hope is now lost. Although it may be unintended, Marlow puts the white man over the Africans by respecting Kurtz and not caring about the black man. He cares more for the man who "collected, bartered, and stole more ivory than all other agents put together," than the man who did an honest job and was treated poorly for doing so.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Marlow places the death of the Kurtz over the helmsman, but this is not simply for the race involved. Kurtz is a representation of salvation for the white man in his eyes, so he will obviously regard this is a higher light than the inconsequential Africa.
DeleteMarlow is a European male who clearly has predispositions about the Congolese people. I was, however, initially wary to identify him as a "racist." I saw some characteristics within that showed him as a moral man who could change and who was disgusted by the treatment of the African people. The more I read, however, the more I began to lean towards a new opinion: that Marlow only cares about what happens to the African people in its relation to the effect on the white man's soul. Therefore, when Marlow hardly even acknowledged the Helsman's death and immediately fell back into his strange obsession with Kurtz, I was unsurprised. Marlow is so fixated on the idea of a man with a high intellectual capacity that nothing else matters.
ReplyDeleteYes, Marlow does show some respect for the character of the African people. However, he shows far more interest in the intellectual capacity of Kurtz, which is also something we see in our society today. Marlow describes Kurtz as a “gifted creature” with the “gift of expression.” These are important concepts to Marlow—far more important than morality. Intelligence is something we often value highly. Marlow may be, more than a racist, an elitist. He shows the same contempt for the many of the Europeans in Africa as he does the Africans. What Marlow is searching for is giftedness, and that is something that he hopes to find in Kurtz. The only issue is that giftedness often corrupts, and Marlow may find that he is not pleased with what Kurtz is, despite his abilities.
I agree with your notion that Marlow only cares in connection to the white man's soul. However, I would still be wary to label him racist as he is simply a product of his times and cannot help the European lens of superiority through which he was raised.
DeletePersonally, I feel that Africa and the Congo is slowly changing Marlow. This is very obvious when the helmsman dies because of his nonchalance towards his death. Before his trip to Africa, Marlow is written as a character who is more compassionate and "human" than the other Europeans, but now he is beginning to change. Conrad writes on page 42 "There was a sense of extreme disappointment, as though I had found out I had been striving after something altogether without a substance." This shows how Marlow was much more concerned with the death of a man he had never met rather than the death of a man who he had spent days on a boat with sailing up the river. I understand Marlow's opinion that if Kurtz is dead, his trip to the Inner Station is for not, but I also think that it is extremely important that he feels emotions towards someone who died that he personally knew.
ReplyDeletemy response was very similar to yours. I agree with your assumption that the Congo is slowly changing Marlow.
DeleteYou are so right. It reminds me of the activity we did, whereby we discussed the question of whether moving into a foreign environment will cause one to change. Well in this case we see Marlow changing.
DeleteThe shocking thing about Marlow's reaction to the helmsman's death would be his overall lack of emotion. He is "morbidly anxious to change his shoes and socks." instead of displaying grief over the loss of one of his companions. Instead, Marlow starts worrying about the possible death of Kurtz. After Marlow's little speech about his "extreme disappointment" from the thought, the reader can very easily draw the conclusion that Marlow has a deep emotional attachment to a person that he has never even met before, which is rather crazy. Marlow even goes so far as to claim he feels like he "missed [his] destiny in life". These feelings are rather "absurd" considering all the other possibilities that could be out there, but instead he is focusing on the one unknown person he possibly won't meet.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's the interesting part about this journey. The fact that Marlow is doggedly pursuing a man who he has never even met nor much knows anything about his character or ideals. Perhaps there should be more of a backstory explaining this.
DeleteThe death of the helmsman demonstrates to the reader the manner in which Africa is changing him slowly. While he demonstrates that he is still susceptible to the grief of the man's death through his "effort to free his eyes from the helmsman's gaze," his quick turn around to becoming "anxious to change his shoes and socks" highlights the lack of empathy in his connection to the man. He is witnessing the death of a man, yet all he can think of is himself and his pursuit to discover Kurtz. His worry at the death of Kurtz while a dead man lies before him adds to the notion that his morality is shrinking. Nevertheless, it also highlights the importance of Kurtz to Marlow due to the fact that his supposed death has a deeper impact that the reality of death before him. Kurtz represents salvation for the white man upon this continent, so as long as he still exists, the death of an African is inconsequential. Kurtz is the figure that must live on regardless in Marlow's mind.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea that Kurtz can be both evil and hopeful to Marlow. Evil because his imagined death causes Marlow to become selfish and remain emotionless toward the helmsman's death. Hopeful because Kurtz is the only reason for Marlow's trip and his only excitement.
DeleteMarlow's response in Helsman's death appears natural but absurd; rather than mourning his comrade, Marlow changes his socks and shoes. His action can demonstrate lack of emotion, however, it shows the shock that Marlow is experiencing. He has not yet truly realized the situation. Moreover, Marlow did care about Helsman and considered him a friend. With respect, Marlow released Helman’s body down into the river and spared him from becoming dinner for the cannibals. In the meantime, Marlow speculates that Kurtz may be dead and feels an intense disappointment at the thought. I think Marlow feels like everything that has happened is a dream – an illusion. The death of Helsman was difficult enough for Marlow to bear, but the thought of Kurtz possibly dead, destroys him.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The idea of Kurtz and the various characteristics associated with him serve to cause Marlow to almost go into shock as with the possible death of Kurtz, so to does the ideology of him also.
DeleteWe learn more about Marlow through his reaction to the helmsman's death. His nonchalance about the helmsman's death in reality and his disappointment about his imagined death of Kurtz show how selfish Marlow is. Moreover, we can also assume that the Congo has finally drawn Marlow into the Heart of Darkness by changing him into this selfish man. Nevertheless, for Marlow, it is completely reasonable to cry over Kurtz's imagined death while remaining emotionless toward the helmsman's death. The reason for this is that if Kurtz was to die before he met him, Marlow's purpose for the trip would have been meaningless. Therefore, although in our eyes, Marlow may be perceived as a selfish man, Marlow himself has his reasons for behaving in such a manner.
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ReplyDeleteThe idea of a European showing any sympathy towards the death of an African is an absurd idea. Africans were not viewed as equals to the Europeans. They were called savages and all sorts of derogatory terms. Marlow's reaction towards the death of Helmsman, a black man, does not come as surprise to we the readers. Marlow was not entirely sympathetic with the conditions of the black people. He had his own interior motives and like most Europeans, had a hunger for power. Another death of a black man, no matter how important that black man was, should not shake him or cause him to really feel sympathetic. In frustration towards the interruption to his journey, he just tosses the blood socked shoes into the water (Helmsman's body was also tossed overboard). With the death of Helmsman, Marlow gets this burden that Kurtz might be dead and immediately and shows complete sympathy and regret towards the idea. Questions that pop would be: Was he killed by the natives or by the illness?
ReplyDeleteMarlow's reaction to the Helmsman death, though surprising at first, was to be expected as once again just as in any other part of the book Marlow's thoughts drift towards Kurtz saying,"I am not prepared to affirm the fellow was exactly worth the life we lost [meaning the helmsman] in getting to him'(conrad 50). We almost get a sense of Marlow's own heart being corrupted as they reach the heart of darkness that is Kurtz and that his growing infatuation with Kurtz has seemingly superseded any prior moral code. Additionally, instead of mourning the Helmsmans death for even a second, Msrlow quickly thinks of Kurtz being already dead. Further confirming as Kurtz, though indirectly, as corrupted Marlow slowly.
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