Heart of Darkness

Pg. 26

• The young agent is described as having a
“forked little beard and a hooked nose,” a
traditional description of Satan.

• He is the brickmaker, but there is no evidence
of brick-making – yet another example of
absurdity.

Pg. 27

• Note the attitudes the men had at the station.
They all seemed to hate one another because
they all wanted the same thing: an
appointment to a trading post.

• The brickmaker is friendly with Marlow, he
realizes, because he wanted information.

• The brickmaker becomes frustrated when he
doesn’t get what he wants from Marlow.

Pg. 27

• The painting by Kurtz:

• The “draped and blindfolded” woman “carrying a
lighted torch” resembles both Astraea, the Greek
goddess of justice, who was often depicted
blindfolded, and Libertas, the Roman goddess of
liberty, typically shown with a torch.

• This is symbolic of Europe’s attempt to bring the light
of civilization to places like Africa. (The black
background represents the uncivilized world.)

• The blindfold seems to indicate the ignorance and
naivete of colonization.

• The torchlight on her face is characterized as “sinister”
indicating the malevolent aspects of colonialism.

Pg. 27

• The fact that Kurtz created the painting more
than a year ago seems to show his beliefs
THEN that he is aware of the ethical
ambiguities of colonialism—that the bringing
of light to a dark place is not as simple as
those who believe in the “idea” make it out to
be.

Pg. 27-28

• Note the brickmaker’s description of Kurtz:

• “He is a prodigy…and emissary of pity, and
science, and progress, and devil knows what
else.”

• He seems to believe Kurtz will soon be rising
in authority in the Company.

• It is revealed that the brickmaker has been
reading the Company’s confidential
correspondence. (Remember the accountant’s
distrust of the Central Station?)

Pg. 28

• “this papier-mache’ Mephistopheles”
• The juxtaposition of papier-mache’ (an empty

construction) and Mephistopheles (a symbol
of Satan) is ironic.
• The brickmaker is (like the manager) hollow
inside.

Pg. 29

• “Could we handle that dumb thing, or would it
handle us?” (referring to the jungle) Marlow’s
question emphasizes the idea that man is
insignificant to the vastness of nature.

Pg. 29

• Marlow has heard that Kurtz is in the jungle, but
he cannot conceive of an image connected to
that fact. He says “I believed it in the same way
one…might believe there are inhabitants in the
planet Mars.”

• The metaphor emphasizes the unfamiliar, almost
alien nature of the jungle.

• Conrad creates further suspense and mystery by
having Marlow indirectly relate Kurtz to either an
“angel or a fiend,” leading the reader to wonder
which of the two Kurtz will turn out to be.

Pg. 29

• “There is a taint of death, a flavor of mortality
in lies.”

• Keep Marlow’s attitude about lies in mind as
you read the novel.

Pg. 29

• The paragraph at the bottom— “It had
become so pitch dark….” is spoken by the first
narrator. In fact, a few times on this page
(lines not enclosed in “…”) reverts back to the
original narrator.

Pg. 30

• Note Marlow’s extensive use of repetition
throughout his diatribe on the rivets.

• His ranting sums up the maddening
inefficiency of the Company.

Pg. 31

• “I don’t like work—no man does—but I like
what is in the work—the chance to find
yourself.”

• Marlow’s dedication to his work will become
an important theme throughout the novel, as
it will help him to find some semblance of
meaning and purpose amid the nightmarish
chaos that surrounds him.

Pg. 31

• “Instead of rivets there came an invasion, an
infliction, a visitation.” (Marlow is referring to
the Eldorado Exploring Expedition.)

• An “invasion” connotes something unwanted
from the outside. And “infliction” indicates a
disease. A “visitation” has the connotation of
someone in a position of superiority meeting
someone who is considered inferior. It is also
an appearance or manifestation of a
supernatural being.

Pg. 32

• The Eldorado Exploring Expedition is an allusion
to El Dorado, the mythical “Lost City of Gold.”

• Many 16th century explorers believed it was
located somewhere in South America.

• Marlow compares the foolish white men he
encounters to those early explorers who
recklessly risked their own lives and killed
countless natives during their quests for gold.

• The Expedition epitomizes many of the novel’s
major concepts, including greed, folly, stupidity,
immorality, cruelty, and futility.