The characterization of Marlow and Kurtz begins with the physical appearance and then moves on to the psychological and/or emotional makeup of the two characters. Marlow is the protagonist of the story, who ventures to Africa looking to sail a steamboat, but finds much more. Kurtz is the unique victim of colonization; the wilderness captures him and he turns his back on all customs and people that were a part of him. Marlow and Kurtz are two opposite examples of the human condition. There are many similarities and many differences between the two of them that will be discussed in this paper.

I will start with the physical details about Marlow and Kurtz. The only physical description of Marlow is this: "Marlow sat cross-legged right aft, leaning against the mizzen-mast. He had sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion, a straight back, and ascetic aspect, and, with his arms dropped, the palms of his hands outwards, resembled an idol"(Conrad1615). As William Bysshe Stein has pointed out, Marlow is here s

Marlow was a professional seaman and the captain of the Congo Rive Steamboat. He seems to possess a good work ethic: working hard is a means of achieving sanity. Marlow dislikes lies and therefore tells only two of them, both in extraordinary circumstances. In the middle of the story, Marlow interrupts himself to say, "You know I hate, detest, and can't bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appalls me. There is a taint of death, a flavor of mortality in lies- which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world-what I want to forget. It makes me miserable and sick, like biting something rotten would do"(1633). Marlow never vocalized a lie; he simply allowed others to continue to believe an untruth. First, the brick-maker thought Marlow was more influential than he actually was, and Marlow allowed him to continue to believe this. Secondly, the intended thought her fiance was a good man so Marlow allowed her to continue to believe this also.

For Marlow, the journey up the Congo becomes a pil

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Approximate Word count = 702
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)