Towson's Book R+R 2

Marlow, who refers to himself as "not particularly tender", does quite often show his disgust periodically for his surroundings, yet indeed does not seem particularly emotive or passionate during the length of his trip (of which he doubts the purpose). However, upon finding the "dirty soft" confines of the book within the hut, it is as though he is reborn. He is filled with fierce pride and happiness at the image of the simple book on navigation, feeling as though he has once again come into contact with mankind, with civilization as he knows it. The worn quality of the book and the stains this brutal wilderness has inflicted on it does not remove the spell that has been cast on Marlow.

He even notes what he believes to be a cipher and once again marvels at human ingenuity (this later is revealed to be Russian). This is revelatory of Marlow's deep yearning for his own civilization, his own culture where he can bask in the evident sense of things, in the rewarding realm of logic and literacy. As he mentions before, he feels as though he were living in a dream, out of touch with reality as long as he is in the Congo. Any mark of his own society, whether the accountant's glossed appearance or this withered book, sparks his fervent admiration and nostalgia.