Brooke Wilcox
English 105
Professor Timmons
September 23, 2010
Marlow’s Struggle with Racism and Cultural Relativism
Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness is a novella concerning a man on a journey who ends up finding his true self. Marlow’s curiosity of Kurtz becomes a fascination of the abomination, and along the way, the reader is able to see Marlow’s true personality through the way he treats the minorities. Also the reader is able to see how morals and good judgment can be lost, and the importance of being able to keep it together. Although Marlow was at times extremely racist by contemporary standards, using derogatory remarks; he was also willing and able to engage in a kind of cultural relativism, which he sees from an African perspective. Early in the novella Conrad writes of how Marlow shows racism towards the minorities, and it sets the tone for the rest of the novella.
“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.” (7)
After Marlow acquires a job as a captain on a steamboat in the ivory business, he hears of a man named Kurtz. Kurtz is spoken of very highly in the novella, almost like he is a higher power. Marlow asks the manager who Kurtz is and becomes more and more fascinated.
“ ‘Who is this Mr. Kurtz?’ ‘He is an emissary of pity, and science, and progress, and devil knows what else’.” (25)
Marlow and the others on the steamboat set out for Africa, where Kurtz has escaped from reality and life morals. During this time, Marlow’s curiosity increases.The fact that Marlow is willing and able to engage in a kind of cultural relativism, is surprising due to the fact that he seems so permanently racist. Marlow is an interesting character because as soon as he meets Kurtz for the first time, the reader begins to see a change in him.
Cultural relativism matters because through the eyes of the Africans, Kurtz is the most powerful, intelligent man they know. He was able to make the tribes follow him like he was their chief. Marlow was able to notice through the Africans that what Kurtz was doing was wrong. He may even have noticed the way he had been referring to them wasn’t exactly the nicest thing either.
“I looked at him, lost in astonishment. There he was before me in motley as though he had absconded from a troupe of mimes, enthusiastic, fabulous. His very existence was improbable, inexplicable, and altogether bewildering.” (54)
Marlow comes to realize that Kurtz had raided the country in search for Ivory and has indeed turned into a savage. This is when the reader is able to see that Marlow still has his morals intact, and that he knows the difference between right and wrong.
“ ‘To speak plainly, he raided the country’. ‘Why! He’s mad,’ I said.” (56) The reader is able to see that Marlow doesn’t agree with Kurtz’s lack of morals and that even though he may be racist at times, he doesn’t value Kurtz’s savage-like ways.
The reason why Marlow is racist by contemporary standards, is because in today’s society, it is politically incorrect to use racial slurs. The use of them may have been just as hurtful in 1899 when The Heart of Darkness was first published, the only difference is that in today’s society, most people understand the harshness and the meanings behind the words. Today, heads turn in shock when they hear the word n***** coming from someone who is not black. Obviously Conrad did not think of this as an issue with Marlow’s character.
“A n***** was being beaten near by. They said he had caused the fire in some way; be that as it may, he was screeching most horribly.” (23)
The reason why this is considered racist, is not only because Marlow refers to the man using a derogatory word, but the word is being used with such innocence. The sentence is incredibly violent, yet Marlow addresses it in an innocent, nonchalant tone. It makes the reader feel as if the man isn’t even human. This happens multiple times in the novella.
“He was neither civil nor uncivil. He was quiet. He allowed his ‘boy-an overfed young negro from the coast-to treat the white men, under his very eyes, with provoking insolence’.” (22)
Marlow has aggressive feelings over the fact that a man would allow his negro servant to address him with “provoking insolence”, but in reality it just proves that Marlow does not consider this boy to be in equilibrium with him. Marlow continues to
use racist slurs and derogatory remarks throughout the novella. He doesn’t just demonstrate racism to the Africans, but to other minorities as well.
“He was there below me and, upon my word, to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat walking on his hind legs.” (36)
This quote was one of the most offensive quotes coming from Marlow. He introduced the “savage” as a dog, with only the training that he used to start the boilers for knowledge. Marlow characterized him this way because he did not consider this savage to be human-like, no matter how untrue that may be.
Early in the novella, Marlow met with the manager of the company in order to get his job on the steamboat. He had to walk a great while before he reached the manager, and once he got there, he expressed to the reader how the manager was different and unfriendly towards him. He uses details in a certain way that makes the reader assume that the manager didn’t ask him to sit down because of the way he looked, not because of his personality.
“My first interview with the manager was curious. He did not ask me to sit down after my twenty-mile walk that morning. He was commonplace in complexion, in features, in manners, and in voice.” (21)
Marlow kept referring to other characters as if they weren’t humans. It was almost like his personal form of racism. He speaks about the pilgrims, and how they aren’t actually human-like, yet they are humans.
“It was unearthly and the men were…No they were not inhuman. Well, you know that was the worst of it-this suspicion of their not being inhuman.” (36)
Another example of racism in The Heart of Darkness is when Marlow spoke about the pilgrims.
“You should have seen the pilgrims stare! They had no heart to grin or even to revile me.” (43)
Marlow continues to refer to different people as not being human. The pilgrims were on the steamboat to help Marlow keep a look out. They were there for Marlow’s assistance, and he still couldn’t refer to them as his peers or co-workers. They were all non-human, minorities.
In the end of the novella, after the death of Kurtz, Marlow went to see Kurtz’s “intended”. As Marlow explained her lover’s death, he showed that he could be sentimental, which was pretty much unheard of. She wanted to know what his last words were, and Marlow told her that it was her name. In reality, Kurtz’s last words were “The horror! The horror!” (69). The question is why didn’t Marlow just tell her the truth? After reading the entire novella with very little acts of sympathy or sentiment coming from Marlow, it is interesting to know that he did something to protect the woman, or keep her from getting upset. After Marlow saw Africa and after he met Kurtz, he was a changed person. He came back to civilization despising the arrogance of people, and he still had his morals intact.
The novella Heart of Darkness was an intriguing piece of literature that was incredibly challenging and full of meaning. Through Joseph Conrad’s work, the reader was able to see the different ways Marlow used racial slurs and other derogatory remarks. Even though Marlow spent most of his time being disrespectful to the minorities, there were times that he showed that he never lost his morals or sense of good judgment. This is so important because it proves that his kind of cultural relativism was real. He was able to see through the Africans perspective and understand that Kurtz was wrong.
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Ed. Paul B. Armstrong. New York, W.W. Norton: 2005
