Characters:
Marlow: Main narrator, captain of steamer up the Congo River
Kurtz: Manager of the Inner Station
General Manager: Company employee, manager of the Central Station
Unnamed listener: Narrator of frame story
Section – 1
1. Marlow’s early life and new employment
2. Marlow’s trip to the Mouth of the Congo and arrival in Africa
3. Marlow’s time at the Middle station
2. Marlow’s trip to the Mouth of the Congo and
arrival in Africa
After a few
minutes Marlow embraced his aunt and left to Africa, After more than 13 days,
Marlow saw the mouth of big river namely 'The Congo river'. Still Marlow had to
continue his journey for 200 miles more. Marlow aborted the steamer and the
captain of the steamer became quite friendly with Marlow. The captain told
Marlow that a Swede hang himself there on that place, because probably he found
that place unbearable. Then the steamer reached to a rocky cliff, here Marlow
get down and started walking towards the houses. On his way, he saw a lot of
mostly naked, and miserable in their appearance people moving like ants.
After
that in the distance he saw the company station. Here he supposed to stay for
some time. Being there he found a path which lade upon the hill and some men
were blasting rock with gun powder, Marlow thought that they are blasting rock
because of a railway line was to be built there, but it was not clear for Marlow
why those men were blasting the rocks did not stand in the way of building
railway line and the blasting rocks seems to Marlow completely aimless.
Marlow then heard a strange sound, he turned his head
and he saw six black men walking in a row, there were baskets full of earth on
their hands, each of the man had an iron collar around their neck, and they all
were linked together with a steel chain. These men were criminals who had
broken the laws. They all passed from there without looking at Marlow, for
Marlow they seemed like unhappy savages. Behind those six men, a guard was
following them with rifle in his hand. When Marlow saw that men he got a very
strange and disgusted feeling even though Marlow had already experienced and
seen violence and passion of every kind in his life and this was just "The
Chain-gang". He felt that those men were treated like 'Wild beasts'.
Marlow walked for a while and took rest under the
shade of tree. At there, also Marlow could able to heard the sound of blasting
rocks, which was still continue. Marlow saw those men when they all came near
to the place where Marlow was. Marlow felt that all these men were dying slowly,
they were not criminals or the member of any tribe, but they were dying because
of starvation and disease. They were lying in the shade of tree.
Marlow then started walking towards the company
station where he met a white man who was neatly dressed up, that man was
company's chief accountant. All the company's accounts were maintained in that
station. When Marlow saw him, he felt amazement because his cloths were neat
and clean. Marlow then come to know that he was working there for last three
years and was very devoted to his work.
Marlow had to stay at that station for 10 days; Marlow
has given a hut in which he stayed for 10 days. The atmosphere was too hot in
and outside of the hut. One day the chief accountant told Marlow that when he
would go to centre of the company, he would meet the man named Mr. Kurtz.
Marlow asked about him and Chief accountant started praising Kurtz and his
abilities. He also said that he is a remarkable man and at this point of time
he is in-charge of trading post. He is holding an important position in the
company.
During Marlow stayed there, he withstands so many
incidents that indeed shake his mind. One day a caravan came and all people
from that caravan were talking about "Ivory." Chief accountant could
not bear the voice of people and he mentioned that,
"Someday
Mr. Kurtz would rise to a high position in the administration of the
company"
The accountant also asked Marlow to convey to Mr.
Kurtz a message that everything at that station was in good condition and said,
"Mr.
Kurtz was the best agent he had, an exceptional man, of the greatest importance
to the company"
Marlow now had to complete the journey on foots. He
had to cover 200 miles distance in 15 days and again he saw Congo in his path
to 'The Central station of the company". Here Marlow saw the number of
white men who were carrying long sticks in their hands one of them stopped and
talked with Marlow in friendly manner. Marlow introduced himself to the man and
that man informed Marlow that "the steamer" on which he had to come
to Congo has gone down in the river, hearing this Marlow was shocked and also
worried that what he would do without the steamer. The man assured Marlow that
they can repair the steamer, but first Marlow has to pull out the steamer to
repair it.
Marlow then had the meeting with the manager of the
central station, he was a bit rude and was working there from his youth
onwards, the men who were working under him certainly carried his orders but
nobody love and respect him. All were carrying out his orders only due to
responsibility. According to Marlow, the manager was not talented and
enthusiastic and he also come to know that he got this position not because he
is talented but,
"He had
never fallen ill"
From the day he started working in this company, he
has maintained his health well, and how, that was a secret. Because it happens
once in a year that everybody at that station fall ill because of any disease
but the manager never has affected by such things.
According to the manager people who want to come to
Africa should be a Superhuman. The secret of his health was a kind of Darkness
into which nobody could peep. This man could be described neither as polite nor
as impolite. This man had a Negro boy attended, who was the only one to give respect
to this man and this boy kept himself isolated from everybody else.
Then Manager told Marlow regarding the station, that
the situation of that station is getting serious because there are rumours that
the most important station of the company was in great danger because its chief
And again Manager has also started praising Mr. Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz was ill,
Marlow felt irritated after hearing the name of Mr. Kurtz.
The manager then asked Marlow that how many days it
would take to pull out the steamer. Marlow replied probably it would take more
than a month to pull out the steamer and to repair it. The next day Marlow saw
some man and he was curious to know that what they were doing at the station.
He saw that they were aimlessly moving near station with sticks, but there was
a common word which Marlow heard and it was 'ivory'. Everybody was uttering
this word all the time, Marlow thought those man were offering their prayers to
ivory, the constant repetition of that word showed how greedy they were because
'ivory' was the thing for which they were in search of.
Marlow was witnessing various things that were
happening around him. One evening a shed full of cotton caught fire and
everything in shed burnt to ashes. A Negro was beaten horribly on the charge of
burning the shed. He was groaning badly out of pain.
Marlow then heard two men talking regarding the
accident of the fire, one of them was the manager of central station, and the
other man was an agent of the company. When the manager left Marlow and that man
engaged in a talk, that man took Marlow to his room, which was in the main
building of the station, that man lighted a candle. Marlow then realised that
man was privileged to light up the candle, because only the manager was
permitted to light up the candle in his room.
Marlow then come to know that he
was a brick maker, but Marlow was surprised because there was not any fragment
of brick in the company station. The man told him that he is there for last one
year and is waiting to make bricks but he was not able to make any brick
because he did not have required material. Marlow was not able to understand
that what he was doing there if he has not any work to do, then he realised
that every man at the station
"had been waiting for something".
After some time, Marlow realised that the man wanted
to have some information about the company's board of directions in Europe, and
Marlow did know nothing about that. Marlow has noticed an unusual painting on
the wall, of a blindfold woman with a torch. When Marlow asked about that, the
brick maker revealed that the painting was painted by Mr. Kurtz.
The brick maker told Marlow that Kurtz is a genius. He
has sent as a special representative of Western ideals by company's directors
and bound for quick advancement. He also reveals that he has seen confidential
correspondence dealing with Marlow's appointment from which he has constructed
that Marlow is also a favourite of the administration. They go outside and the
brick maker tried to get himself into Marlow's good list.
The brick maker then complemented Marlow by saying
that Marlow was a member the new fraternity of the people who represent value.
There were some people who have sent Mr. Kurtz and the same have sent Marlow.
Marlow thought that brick maker is good for nothing and is a hollow man. Marlow
was standing beside the steamer which has pulled out of the river.
The brick maker continued talking with Marlow because
he thought that Marlow had a lot of influence with higher officials of the
company in Brussels. Marlow was not ready to allow brick maker to have the
wrong influence about him. As per Marlow,
"Any
kind of false would seem to Marlow smell of death"
The Brick maker admired Kurtz and said that he is the
universal genius. Brick maker was helping the manager in his work as his
secretary. Brick maker wanted him to be useful in some way to the manager and
wanted to have the confidence of Manager.
Marlow was in need of "rivets" (bolt - pin)
to repair the steamer but those were not available at that place. Marlow told
Brick maker to write a letter to the official to send him the rivets, but the
Brick maker said that he could not write any letter on his own responsibility.
Marlow has spent so much labour and pain upon the
wreck of a steamer and therefore he started loving it and started feeling it as
his friend, Marlow was not fond of this kind of work but as he has started
working he thought that he is changing from inside. He found that he can work
like this and he got an opportunity to find reality of himself.
When Marlow climbed up to the deck of the wrecked, he
saw a man who was Boiler Maker, a widower, and was having six young children.
Marlow told him that the rivets would arrive in the three weeks.
Rivets did not came but instead of that some people
arrived at the station, they were the members of "Eldorado Exploring
Expedition" these people came in three groups. During the next three
weeks, each group was headed by a donkey carrying a white man, these people
brought with them lots of tents, tin boxes and other tools.
The leader of this expedition was looking like a
butcher (killer - meat seller). His eyes had cunning look, he had a fat belly,
for some days he was suppose to stay there. This man was talking with nobody
except his nephew - the manager.
For Section 1 - Click here
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