Black Heart
In the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the seaman Marlow tells a big lie to Kurtz's Intended. To Marlow "[there] is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies - which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world - what I want to forget". He hates and detests those who lie but lowers himself to doing it himself at the end of the novel. There are many reasons why he does this. Unlike the lies the Manager and the Brickmaker might tell to further their own selfish agendas, Marlow's one lie serves to protect Kurtz and his Intended as well as to prevent the jungle's darkness and evil from complicating the situation one last time. Marlow lies because he knows that the truth would cause more pain and complication than it is worth. He is ready to put this experience behind him and to move on with his life and he makes it easier for himself and the Intended by telling a lie. At the end of the Heart of Darkness, Marlow betrays his morals by telling a huge lie to Kurtz's Intended in order to protect the Intended from the painful truth, to prevent the darkness of the jungle from having a prolonged effect, and to continue his own loyalty to Kurtz and protect Kurtz's reputation that Marlow feels
Even though Marlow despises lying, he feels that telling a small lie is better than allowing the complications and realizations that the truth would bring. He maintains a stable situation in regards to the emotional state of the Intended and protects Kurtz. Marlow helps himself by completing the last task he must accomplish out of duty to Kurtz and finally will be able to put the entire experience behind himself. In order to accomplish these positive outcomes, he must tell a lie in order to avoid the worst outcomes. Marlow himself states, "It seemed to me that the house would collapse before I could escape, that the heavens would fall upon my head. But nothing happened. The heavens do not fall for such a trifle. Would they have fallen, I wonder, if I had rendered Kurtz that justice which was due"? Marlow sees that through an insignificant lie he keeps the worst from occurring. Due to this, the situation remains stable and many people can finally put this experience behind themselves and move on. Marlow lies to protect the Intended, to prevent the darkness of the jungle from having a prolonged hold, and finally to protect Kurtz's reputation from the humiliation that would be caused by the exposure of the truth. The first reason that Marlow lies is to protect the Intended's vision of Kurtz. She insists that she knew him the best and that Kurtz needed her. The Intended states, "I - I alone know how to mourn for him as he deserves". She also tells that she "believed in him more that any one on earth - more than his own mother, more than - himself. He needed me! Me"! Obviously Kurtz was very important to her. She mourns for over a year and still holds him as an idol. To her Kurtz was a great man who "drew
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Approximate Word count = 1165
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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