Marlow throws the helmsman’s corpse overboard so cannibals won’t fight over his body. When they finally arrive at Inner Station, they meet a boyish man (Kurtz’s disciple) dressed like a harlequin—his clothes are all colorful with different patches. He doesn’t get a name, either, so we just call him the harlequin.

What happens in chapter 2 of Heart of Darkness?

Marlow throws the helmsman’s corpse overboard so cannibals won’t fight over his body. When they finally arrive at Inner Station, they meet a boyish man (Kurtz’s disciple) dressed like a harlequin—his clothes are all colorful with different patches. He doesn’t get a name, either, so we just call him the harlequin.

How do you quote Heart of Darkness?

How to cite “Heart of darkness” by Joseph Conrad

  1. APA. Conrad, J. (2007). Heart of darkness (R. Hampson & O. Knowles, Eds.).
  2. Chicago. Conrad, Joseph. 2007. Heart of Darkness. Edited by Robert Hampson and Owen Knowles.
  3. MLA. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Edited by Robert Hampson and Owen Knowles, Penguin Classics, 2007.

What are Kurtz’s final words?

What do Kurtz’s last words mean? Kurtz’s last words—“The horror! The horror!”—can be interpreted in various ways.

How was Kurtz a gifted creature?

The point was that he was someone with special gifts, and one of those gifts was his ability to talk, his ability to turn words into illuminating beams of light or deceitful shadows from the heart of darkness.

Who says try to be civil Marlow?

half a crown a tumble?” One of the men on the Nellie warns Marlow to “try to be civil.” Marlow responds, “I beg your pardon.

What does Marlow learn when he overhears the manager and his uncle?

What does Marlow learn when he overhears the manager and his uncle? What new image of Kurtz is suggested? Note the mixture of idealistic beliefs and rumors. He learns that Kurtz is ill and that he is guarded by the people who are around him.

What does the heart of darkness symbolize?

The literal meaning of the phrase “heart of darkness” is the inmost region of the dry country known as Congo; but symbolically it means the inmost region of a man’s mind or soul. So the incursion into the heart of darkness also means a descent by Marlow into the depths of his own soul.

What is the theme of Heart of Darkness?

Overview. The main themes of Heart of Darkness include darkness, alienation and loneliness, and chaos and order. Darkness: Marlow sees “darkness” in the practices of imperialism, though the book maintains the racist implication that it is the uncivilized land and people that led to Europeans’ corruption.

How does the heart of darkness end?

Kurtz dies on the journey back up the river but not before revealing to Marlow the terrifying glimpse of human evil he’d been exposed to. “The horror! The horror!” he tells Marlow before dying. Marlow almost dies as well, but he makes it back to the sepulchral city to recuperate.

Why does Kurtz say the horror?

Simply, it conveys what the West did during colonization in the name of progress, and under the guise of civilizing the natives. Darkness prevails when he dies, symbolizing that his actions were evil. Thus, it is Kurtz’s realization of the bitter and absolute truth of his life.

What does the Harlequin symbolize in Heart of Darkness?

The Russian sailor as a Harlequin thus is an archetype for Marlow’s descent into the heart of darkness, a psychic dissolution and disintegration symbolized by the distinct colors on the costume he wears, but where Marlow returns home transformed, the Russian sailor remains behind, slipping back into the darkness.

Who is the helmsman in Heart of Darkness?

Helmsman. A young man from the coast trained by Marlow’s predecessor to pilot the steamer. He is a serviceable pilot, although Marlow never comes to view him as much more than a mechanical part of the boat. He is killed when the steamer is attacked by natives hiding on the riverbanks.