As I journey deeper into The Heart Of Darkness I find myself immersed in nature. Marlow is experiencing the wild that I imagine, and have heard, Africa is home to. Not only does he live in a completely different time period but he had never seen what Africa was like. Unlike our modern civilization Marlow could not turn on the TV and do some pre-trip studying. When I try to look for the message behind the nature I find that Conrad is probably referring to the people. Not only is the terrain savage but so are the natives: "She was savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent; there was something ominous and stately in her deliberate progress. And the hush that had fallen suddenly upon the whole sorrowful land, the immense wilderness, the colossal body of the fecund and mysterious life seemed to look at her, pensive, as though it had been looking at the image of its own tenebrous and passionate soul" (113). The woman Marlow describes is clearly wild. It is as if Conrad was able to grab nature and compress it into one person. These descriptions as well as a variety of messages have intrigued me.
Marlow’s condescension has also caught my attention. Although it is not his fault, he can’t help but feel as if his race was separate and superior to all others. This is all very normal, especially for the time period, but what is not normal is his good will. The reader can see that the main character is an adventurous man that always keeps the high ground. We can see a specific example when he offered a biscuit to the starving workers. These contrasts have made me think about Conrad himself.
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