Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Excerpt from 3rd RR
The idea that Kurtz wanted to stay in the Congo in the forest with the natives relates to when he crawled into the forest from the steamer to go back to the natives. I think that that really showed that he wanted to stay because it took him so much physical effort since he was crawling on all fours and he doesn’t seem like the kind of man who would do something like that if it weren’t important. During this scene, Marlow talk about how he followed Kurtz into the forest towards the fire made by the natives and that he wanted to beat him up. I think that the relationship between Kurtz and Marlow is complicated and child like on Marlow’s part. First of all, their relationship is very one-sided seeing as Marlow was obsessed with Kurtz before they ever even met and Kurtz had never heard of him. Marlow had great admiration towards him and could not wait to meet him but once he heard about how he conversed and was ‘liked’ by the natives, he became angry that Kurtz did not live up to his standards. It was like a child meeting his idol for the first time and him not living up to his expectations and the perception that they had of the idol. And also in a childish way, Marlow became angry with this and wanted some sort of revenge for Kurtz not being like Marlow had expected so he became violent with him or at least wanted to.
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Your point is particularly interesting, the point about the Marlow-Kurtz relationship being fundamentally one-sided. I also do think that this is the case, Marlow knowing and admiring Kurtz before Kurtz is ever aware of Marlow's existence. However, I do not think that the latter is disappointed in what he sees because his newfound 'idol' does not reach his standards or because he converses with the natives. I would rather think that Marlow is disappointed because, despite everything said about Kurtz's greatness, he seems quite pitiful in his sickness. I think the reader was supposed to have the same impression of Kurtz as Marlow before their meeting, and personally, I saw him as a man who, despite sickness and opposition from the other traders, could overcome it all with spirit and originality, which appears to not be the case. Marlow clings so fervently to the picture of Kurtz he created in his mind: the brave man canoeing down the river, alone but most courageous. When he doesn't see this, I think it's feasible to understand that disappointment should stem from such a disparity between what he imagines and what he sees. Perhaps it is a little childish on Marlow's part, putting Kurtz up on a pedestal too soon and not accepting the consequences in setting his standards too high. But perhaps he needed someone to look up to in this wilderness he found himself in, a model after which he could base his own character while trying to survive. Then, perhaps, it is not so childish, but part of human nature.
ReplyDeleteAs for seeking a form of revenge against Kurtz for not being everything Marlow wanted him to be and more, I do agree that this is slightly childish, though the violent aspect of this violence may not be. The violence stems from the anger, and the anger is irrational, but maybe Marlow's anger is more comprehensible that way. After all, he is in the heart of darkness.