Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness

Discussion Questions

1. The point of view is very complicated. An unnamed narrator is telling the

reader what Marlow said, and Marlow is telling us what everyone else said

in his story, so nothing is objectively related. In fact, Marlow rarely even

directly quotes Kurtz. Why does Conrad choose this point of view rather

than omniscient or 1st person with Marlow speaking directly to us?

2. None of the characters have names except Marlow and Kurtz. Why did

Conrad choose to do that?

3. Why do Marlow and the Russian consider Kurtz such a “remarkable man”?

4. What did Kurtz mean by ‘I’ll carry my ideas out yet—I will return. I’ll show

you what can be done’ (149). And then on p. 155 he claims, ‘I was on the

threshold of great things.’ What were his ideas? What were the great things?

5. What did Kurtz mean by his last words: “ ‘The horror! The horror!’ ”? (149).

6. What is Marlow’s attitude toward the wilderness? He says, “And outside, the

silent wilderness. . . struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or

truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion” (96).

And later he remarks, “And this silence of life did not in the least resemble a

peace. It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an

inscrutable intention. It looked at you with a vengeful aspect” (111).

7. What did Marlow mean when he says, “When you have to attend to things of

that sort [taking care of the steamer], to the mere incidents of the surface, the

reality—the reality, I tell you—fades. The inner truth is hidden—luckily,

luckily. But I felt it all the same; I felt often its mysterious stillness watching

me” (111).

8. What is the symbolism of the long, difficult journey on the Congo River to

the Inner Station?

9. What is the purpose of the last scene? Why does Marlow wait for over a

year to deliver the letters to Kurtz’s Intended? When the Intended says, ‘I

have survived,’ Marlow hears Kurtz’s last words (167). Why? Why does

Marlow lie to her about Kurtz’s last words?

10. Why are the agents whom the Manager brings with him to the Inner Station

called “Pilgrims”?

11. At the beginning and end of the book, the narrator describes Marlow as

looking like a Buddha. Why?

12. The scene on p.78, when he is signing up for his job with the Company—it

fascinated me. Marlow thinks of the knitting woman at the end of the book.

Any thoughts about the scene?

13. What is the significance of Marlow talking about the Romans’ reaction to

the native Britons in the beginning of the book? (72).

14. Is the book racist?

15. Marlow states that his story is not clear: “No, not very clear. And yet it

seemed to throw a kind of light” (75). What is the theme of the tale?