Heart Of The Ideal (Heart Of Darkness)
...world as he journeys down the Congo River; he learns more about himself than anyone or anything else. Marlow makes three journeys, to the first station, to the central station, and to the inner station. During each journey Marlow learns something about himself and his ideal. Each of the characters Marlow meets, at each station, is a shadow of the lessons Marlow learns. First, he meets the Accountant who is only concerned with the surface reality. Second, he meets the Manager who is concerned with maintaining his position by manipulating others. Third, he meets Kurtz—an idealist who has perverted the ideal—whom Marlow is being sent to save. Marlow identifies with Kurtz more than with the first two men because Kurtz is honest, and Marlow claims that his ideal is not to tell a lie. Marlow is an idealist also, and for this reason he identifies with Kurtz. Finally, Marlow too finds himself falling short of his ideal. At the end of the story it will be discovered who the true hero of the ideal is.
The first character Marlow meets, on his journey, is the Accountant. As Marlow is walking to the first company station he encounters a chain-gang. Because Marlow is "not very particularly tender" he "turned and descended to the left. [His] idea was to let that chain-gang get out of sight before [he] climbed the hill." In avoiding the sight of the chain-gang Marlow finds himself in a worse condition. Seeking refuge from the truth and the light, Marlow steps into the shade. As soon as Marlow steps into the shade he finds himself in "the gloomy circle of some Inferno." In an attempt to escape the truth he discovers the truth. Marlow finds people who "were dying slowly" who were "shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom." Having seen enough of these horrible visions, Marlow hurriedly escaped "towards the station." As Marlow comes close to...
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