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 - 2
One day, Marlow was lying on the station and heard two
men conversing, with each other; they were the leader of EEE, and the manager.
Manager was telling his uncle that he is not happy with the arrival of Mr.
Kurtz on that region. The Uncle replied that the climate of the region may
affect Kurtz and it may cause his death. If Kurtz die, manager's problem would
get solved.
The uncle asked that whether Mr. Kurtz was alone at
the station or not, manager replied that yes he was alone but previously there
was an assistant with him but he sent his assistant with a message that he does
not need any assistant. Now, Mr. Kurtz was sending a high quality of ivory with
considerable quantity.
Marlow begun to think about Kurtz and thought about
his nature and personality, he thought that Mr. Kurtz is a good and an honest
kind of a person who is devoted to his work alone. As Uncle also said,
"He
should not allowed his position to be weakened"
Manager said that Kurtz has capability to make each
company station as a 'light house' which can illuminate the road for natives to
lead and can prove a good sign for the better future of the natives.
From manager's talk, Marlow come to know that almost
all people who came to this part from Europe died very fast. After few days EEE
departed from the station and went somewhere for business. After some time news
came that all donkeys have died, but what happened to men that nobody knows.
Marlow initially did not like even the mention about
Mr. Kurtz but now his interest in Mr. Kurtz has aroused. The steamer got
repaired and the journey begun. Over the river the manager has also accompanied
Marlow in this journey and there were three or four other white men on the
steamer.
Marlow then was meditating upon the situation and he
felt that mind of man was capable of anything and the mind of man contain all
the past and future and also joy, fear sorrow and such other feelings.
According to Marlow,
"Thinking
man is an intelligent man, who can face any situation and threats"
And what people need is a strong belief, man should
believe in himself by doing this he can overcome any difficult situation.
After sometime when they were sailing upon the river,
Marlow and his companion saw a hut. On the river bank they got down from the
steamer and went inside the hut on a wooden board they read words,
"Hurry
up! Approach cautiously"
Marlow did not understand what that warning meant. It
was not clear there in the hut Marlow found a book, it was a book containing
guidance for sea man and the author of that book had a name of
"Towson" or perhaps "Tower". Marlow decided to keep that
book at that time the manager said that the man who must be living there has
now gone to somewhere, where nobody could find him. And they left the hut.
Now, they just had to cover eight miles from Mr.
Kurtz's station and Marlow wanted to complete the journey without delay, but it
was almost getting dark and that's why they decided to continue the journey
next day. Next day when they were few miles away from the company station there
was an attack tribes, they were throwing arrows from behind the trees, the
white men started firing guns at the attackers, but arrows were still coming.
Marlow has thought about another method to stop them and then he pulled the
string of the steamer whistle. The sound was completely new for them and it
created panic among them. Marlow kept doing that, after few minutes all the
movement stopped.
When attacks stopped, the manager told Marlow that by
now, Mr. Kurtz also must have been killed by the same tribes. When Marlow heard
this, he got disappointed, he felt as if,
"He has
missed his destiny in life"
Marlow stopped his narration for a while and then
started telling his story again. Marlow come to know that Mr. Kurtz is alive
and he also talked about a girl whom Mr. Kurtz wanted to marry. This girl could
be described as his "Intended" but ivory was his chief interest.
Marlow then spoke the words which Mr. Kurtz repeatedly speak,
"My
intended, My ivory, My Station, My river, My everything"
Indeed Mr. Kurtz talked as if everything around him
belong to him, but what Marlow thought that what Mr. Kurtz belong to...
Marlow's
opinion was that Mr. Kurtz belongs to,
"Power
of Darkness"
Then, Marlow told his listeners that Mr. Kurtz was
partly educated in England. Mr. Kurtz's mother was half English and his father
was half French, and therefore Mr. Kurtz has combined culture of all the
European countries. Mr. Kurtz was according to Marlow, an 'Uncommon' man.
Marlow was getting interested in Kurtz and now he had become a faithful friend
of him.
The steamer has now reached to the inner station; a
white man was waving his hand. As soon as Marlow got down from the steamer, he
told the white man that the steamer had been attacked by the natives. The white
man said that he knew about the attack and everything will be all right.
Then the whiteman started talking with Marlow, from
his talk, Marlow came to know that, the man was Russian. And he was the same
man who was living in the hut where Marlow and the manager went. Marlow then
put out a book which he had taken from the hut. When Russian saw the book, he
got excited. The Russian then inform Marlow that he had run away from school
and home at the early age and had been wandering. He was the son of priest but
he quarrelled with his father, he was hardily 25 years old at this time. Marlow
has given a book to him and the Russian has informed Marlow that the tribes man
who had attacked Marlow's steamer were not really harass white people. Russian
said that,
"The tribes
of this region did not want Mr. Kurtz to leave them and therefore they had
attacked the steamer."
Because they thought that the steamer had come to take
away Mr. Kurtz from that place. For Mr. Kurtz they can kill anyone. At last he
added that he personally wants Mr. Kurtz to leave the region and go back to
Europe. Mr. Kurtz was ill from many days and his condition was very bad.
Russian pointed out a building and said that Mr. Kurtz is ill and is living in
this building. He also added that natives had become his subservient.
When Marlow saw the building, he saw the heads and
skulls of human being hang there. Russian said that those heads were of those
men who had rebelled against Mr. Kurtz and his authority.
A group of white man came and they were carrying
stretcher on which Mr. Kurtz was lying. As soon as the black natives came to
know that they are here to take away Mr. Kurtz they arrived and stopped white
men. When Russian saw this natives fully armed and ready to fight, he told
Marlow that an attack of the natives could be only prevented by Mr. Kurtz.
When Russian had just completed that sentence, Marlow
saw Mr. Kurtz raised in the stretcher to say something, this was the first time
Marlow saw Mr. Kurtz. Marlow knew that "Kurtz" was a German word
which meant "short". When Marlow saw Mr. Kurtz he realized that his
name was apt for him. As soon as Mr. Kurtz has completed his speech, natives
started to disperse in the forest.
The white man placed the stretcher into the steamer
and there Marlow personally met Mr. Kurtz. He praised Marlow and said he was
glad to meet Marlow.
After sometime a native woman arrived there, she
stayed for a while and then she walked away into forest. Russian told Marlow
that she is deeply interested in Mr. Kurtz and she tried her best to keep Mr.
Kurtz here.
On the steamer, Mr. Kurtz said that he will come back
and carry away all his plans. After hearing this Manager said that if Mr. Kurtz
would not be here then the ivory business would suffer.
There were only two men on the boat, who was in favour
of Mr. Kurtz and they were Marlow and Russian. Russian said that according to
him, Mr. Kurtz was,
"An
immortal being"
Russian has given important information that the
attackers were sent by Mr. Kurtz, because he did not want to go anywhere by
leaving his station. Mr. Kurtz hated the idea of being removed from that
region. Russian informed Marlow that Mr. Kurtz was a very good poet and its a
great delight to here Mr. Kurtz reciting e poetry.
At the night Mr. Kurtz left the steamer without
informing anyone. Marlow came to know that Mr. Kurtz was not on the boat. He
went into the forest to search him. He found Mr. Kurtz, who was trying to go as
far as he could. He was not having enough energy to walk and at last Marlow
lifted him up on his back to the steamer.
On the next day, there was another attack by natives
and there were almost 2000 people looking at the ship, they were going to
attack the ship but this time Marlow has again blow the whistle of the ship and
the sound made natives to disperse in the forest, but the woman was still
standing there.
While sailing, Mr. Kurtz was talking about his life
career and his intended. he kept talking about the woman whom he wanted to
marry. One morning, Mr. Kurtz gave a packed of papers and a photograph. Mr.
Kurtz said that the paper contains his ideas and the photograph was of the
woman whom he wanted to marry. One evening, Mr. Kurtz said that he is waiting
for his death and then he cried out and said,
"The
horror! The Horror!"
Then Marlow left the room and after a little while,
the servant came and said that,
"Mistah
Kurtz - the dead"
Next day white men buried Mr. Kurtz's dead body, and according
to Marlow, they did not give Mr. Kurtz a decent burial.
Marlow was not
sad because now he was very much loyal to Mr. Kurtz and his memories. As per
Marlow, Mr. Kurtz has summed up his experiences of life and the world was exact
the same as per his judgements, "The Horror!" As per him,
"His was
an impenetrable"
And Marlow knew that if they lose Mr. Kurtz,
"It
would be an incalculable loss."
For Marlow the last two words of Mr. Kurtz suggests
the hatred in men.
Now, Marlow's business in the Congo was over and he
returned of Brussels. Marlow met so many people who wanted to have papers which
were given by Mr. Kurtz. Marlow thought he would give the papers to the woman
in a photograph.
Marlow met a girl whom Mr. Kurtz wanted to marry and a
year already had passed, the girl was still mourning over Mr. Kurtz's death,
she said Marlow,
"What a
lost to me, I have been very happy, very fortunate, and very proud and now I am
Unhappy.
She told Marlow that how much she loved Mr. Kurtz and
then she asked about the last words of Mr. Kurtz. Marlow was aware with his
last words but he lied to the woman, and said that, his last words were your
name. On hearing this, the girl again started weeping. Marlow knew that the lie
which he had told would remain always a source of comfort and joy to that girl.
Marlow then had ended his narrative and at that time,
the tide had also return.
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