Marlow and Kurtz as Doubles

A detailed Summary of Marlow and Kurtz as Doubles

Marlow and Kurtz as Doubles in Heart of Darkness

In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlow and Kurtz can be seen as a set of psychological doubles. Kurtz is what Marlow could have become if confronted with the same choices. Although Marlow could have easily succumbed to the darkness, he does not become like Kurtz because of what he sees when he gets to Africa. Marlow sees and hears of the harsh treatment forced upon the natives by the Europeans. Marlow understands that the Europeans are only in Africa for profit and to civilize the natives.

Marlow begins his journey in the Congo hoping to find great adventure. Marlow, like Kurtz, enters the Congo with good intentions Marlow calls the Congo "the biggest, the most blank, so to speak" place on the map, but he is remarkably drawn to it (1968). When Marlow first arrives in Africa he sees first hand the harsh treatment the Europeans have forced upon the natives. Marlow is walking to the company station and sees a line of chained natives and remarks, "I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots tied in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected together [...]"(1968). It finally becomes clear to Marlow what the Europeans are d

In Heart of Darkness Marlow realizes how easily he could have become like Kurtz when all moral restraints are no longer there. Every man has an evil side somewhere inside of them. When he is no longer confined he can turn away and do as he pleases as Kurtz has done. Even though Marlow finds out how easily he could have been more like Kurtz he does not. Throughout Marlow's journey he begins to see what many other people did not: that Europe was in Africa only for a profit and to civilize the natives of Africa.

Here Marlow calls the Europeans devils and mentions that he will soon meet another devil- Kurtz. This quote helps explain how the Europeans are in Africa only for imperialistic reasons. The devils that Marlow speaks about are in reference to the Europeans, in that Europeans in Africa produce devils, not goodness.

"I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire; but, by all stars! These were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils that swayed and drove men-men I tell you. But as I stood on this hillside, I foresaw that in the blinding sunshine of that land I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak eyed of a rapacious and pitiless folly. How insidious he could be too, I was only to find out several months later"(1968).

In the seventeen page pamphlet in which Kurtz writes that "We whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, mus

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Approximate Word count = 951
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English