Daniel Kontorovich

Heart of Darkness Paragraphs Part B

Marlow begins his description of the European city by stating that he travelled there To show myself to my employers, and sign the contract a clear parallelism to Joseph Conrads own trips to Brussels, Belgium in November 1889 and February 1890. Conrad was interviewed at the Socit Anonyme du Haut-Congos company headquarters in Brussels with a view to a captaincy of one of the companys ships on the River Congo. His appointment as captain was confirmed in April and he left for Africa in May and his observations of Brussels mirror Marlows depiction of the unnamed European city. Marlow states that this city Always makes me think of a whited sepulchre making a biblical allusion to Matthew 23:27 in which Jesus reprimands the scribes and Pharisees for being hypocrites, looking like beautiful white tombs on the outside but within are full of bones of dead men. This metaphor highlights Marlows belief in the hypocrisy of empire as the grand and beautiful city of Brussels is inhabited by rapacious and sinister humans. The companys offices were the biggest thing in town Marlow observes, describing the people he meets as full of it and only focused on making no end of coin by trade. He blatantly reveals the avaricious nature and intentions of European colonisers who were able to freely exploit the resources and treasure of discovered lands without taking into account the lives of the natives that lived there. Marlow illustrates A narrow and deserted street in deep shadowa dead silenceimposing carriage archways using this dark and ominous imagery to capture the sinisterness that engulfs the European city and its population, further emphasising his belief of the corruption within empire. In the offices, Marlow sees Two women, one fat and the other slimknitting black wool a mythical allusion to the two Greek Fates, Clotho and Lachesis, who spin and measure out the thread of each life before the third Fate, Atropos, cuts it. This portrayal serves as portentous foreshadowing of Marlows fate as he journeys through the heart of darkness, creating a malevolent and deathly atmosphere.

As he enters the sanctuary, Marlow meets The great man himself a short, emphatic sentence highlighting the importance of this man and another parallelism to Conrads own experience of his interviews with General Staff Major Albert Thys, personal assistant to King Leopold II and the managing director of the previously mentioned Socit Anonyme du Haut-Congo, the company that Conrad journeyed for. Marlow describes the man as having His grip on the handle-end of ever so many millions highlighting the greedy European priority of monetary gain in their colonies and the corruption that was associated with the heads of the trading companies. Marlow however also contrastingly describes the man as An impression of pale plumpnessfive feet six again pointing out the hypocrisy of colonialism as such a small and unhealthy man was able to create an all-powerful and voracious company and reap the spoils of distant lands without paying any attention to the well-being of the native people. Marlow then states that There was something ominous in the atmosphere. It was just as though I had been let into some conspiracysomething not quite right summarising his entire experience in the European city as visit to a dark and nefarious place underlined by secrets and falsities, again highlighting the pretence and duplicity of empire. Marlow again mentions the two women, stating, I thought of these two, guarding the door of Darkness, knitting black wool as for a black pall making another mythical allusion to Virgils Aeneid (Book VI) in which the priestess Cumaen Sibyl guards the door to the Underworld into which Aeneas will venture. This reflects Marlows own venture into the darkness as he passes the two guards who are further painted in deathly imagery as they are described knitting a black coffin cover. Marlow then exclaims Morituri te salutant meaning Those who are about to die salute you making a classical allusion to this traditional salutation to the Roman emperor by gladiators entering the arena. Marlow bids farewell to the world as he prepares for his suicidal journey into the darkness as he begins to accept his fate of possible death. After visiting the doctor and receiving the menacing suggestion, The changes take place inside, you know describing the inner disintegration of the mind in the wilderness, Marlow is left with the ill-omened farewell, Du calme, du calme. Adieu. meaning stay calm in French, as he is cleared to begin his journey to the heart of darkness. Through the use of dark and deathly imagery and allusion, Marlow portrays the European city as a cesspit of sinfulness and deceptiveness as it is a construction of the hypocritical empire that inhabits it. Marlow begins to expose the evil nature and intentions of the European colonisers and he portrays their rapaciousness and neglect towards the natives of conquered lands, foreshadowing the perilous journey through both the colonies and the wilderness that lies ahead of him.