In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad portrays the colonization in Africa through Marlow, the young protagonist’s journey into the Congo and his confrontation with Kurtz, the most capable ivory collector. Of all the Europeans, Marlow alone is there for curiosity and therefore has neither profit to make nor a noble cause to fulfill, which gives him the ability to see what is happening to the land and its people and the mission to civilize Africa becomes an absurd lie. Conrad exposes the cruelty and greed of western civilization and its destructive power on both Europeans and Africans and throughout the journey unveils brutal truths about the world of lies that surrounds Marlow. But the lie is not simply confined to the ideas of colonization and
…show more content…
Marlow claims that he prefers to truthfulness,“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. Temperament, I suppose.” (Conrad 37) However Marlow intentionally involves himself in lies at least twice. In his conversation with the brickmaker, he learns that the brickmaker believes that he has influence in company and hopes Marlow to boost his credibility. Marlow does not deny his suspicion, instead he assures him that rivets are necessary for an input of good words. This lie works and the brickmaker writes for the supply of rivets to repair the steamer for the rescue mission. The second time is when he meets the Intended,who like Europeans wish to believe in the ability of men like Kurtz to bring civilization to the African, Marlow lies to her about his last words. “The last word he pronounced was—your name.’ … I could not tell her. It would have been too dark— too dark altogether….” (Conrad 93). Unlike the manager and the pilgrims that are unrepentant, Marlow is tortured with a sense of guilt. After the second lie he feels that“the house would collapse before I could escape, that the heavens would fall upon my head” (Conrad 93). But nothing happens because Marlow’s lies serves to protect others in extraordinary circumstances. This detestable act becomes the lesser evil as it is freeing the Intended and Marlow from the weight of reality that hard to digest as they would both rather remember the noble Kurtz they have created in their
Marlow claims that he prefers to truthfulness,“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. Temperament, I suppose.” (Conrad 37) However Marlow intentionally involves himself in lies at least twice. In his conversation with the brickmaker, he learns that the brickmaker believes that he has influence in company and hopes Marlow to boost his credibility. Marlow does not deny his suspicion, instead he assures him that rivets are necessary for an input of good words. This lie works and the brickmaker writes for the supply of rivets to repair the steamer for the rescue mission. The second time is when he meets the Intended,who like Europeans wish to believe in the ability of men like Kurtz to bring civilization to the African, Marlow lies to her about his last words. “The last word he pronounced was—your name.’ … I could not tell her. It would have been too dark— too dark altogether….” (Conrad 93). Unlike the manager and the pilgrims that are unrepentant, Marlow is tortured with a sense of guilt. After the second lie he feels that“the house would collapse before I could escape, that the heavens would fall upon my head” (Conrad 93). But nothing happens because Marlow’s lies serves to protect others in extraordinary circumstances. This detestable act becomes the lesser evil as it is freeing the Intended and Marlow from the weight of reality that hard to digest as they would both rather remember the noble Kurtz they have created in their