Heart of Darkness and the Poisonwood Bible

Both Heart of Darkness and The Poisonwood Bible deal with white men leaving their white civilization to venture into what they view as black savagery. Kurtz, Nathan Price, and Marlow leave their respective white societies, to dwell among the black savages. Their white standards and principles are useless in the unstructured black society. Marlow is able to resist the pull of the madness, but Kurtz and Nathan are pulled in. They refuse to adapt themselves to the black civilization, preferring to retain their white methods, which made it easier for them be lured by the madness.

The two novels deal with the contrast between civilization and savagery. Kurtz, the character being sought by Marlow in Heart of Darkness, has deteriorated so far the he is no better than the savages he lives amongst. Ma

On his deathbed, Kurtz’s last words, “‘The horror! The horror!’” (p. 118), allude to his savagery and all the horrible things he has done. Kurtz was a brilliant man who went to Africa with high hopes, but he was lured into the wilderness and discovered the horror in the darkness that he finds within himself.

Marlow, however, was able mostly to suppress the savagery within him by concentrating on his work, while he journeyed into the savage wilderness. Marlow had very strong principles, and a strong sense of what he thought was right and wrong. “You know I hate, detest, and can’t bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appals me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies - which is exactly what I hate and detest in th world - what I want to forget. It makes me miserable and sick, like biting something rotten would do.” (p. 44). He is a cynical observer of the corruption of his fellow man. “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.” (p. 9). He had been described to the company as a brilliant person, yet he knew that it was an embellishment. “I had been represented to the wife of the high dignitary, and goodness know to how many more people besides, as an exceptional and gifted creature - a piece of good fortune for the Company - a man you don’t get hold of every day. Good heavens!” (p. 18). Marlow tries to hold onto his principles and views throughout his journey into the jungle.

Kurtz lived among the savages. This brought out the savagery within, and reduced him to an insane man. From the very first mention of him, the reader understands that Kurtz is a brilliant man, who is well respected. “...he said he was a first-class agent...’He is a very remarkable person.’” (p. 29). “‘Oho, he will go far, very far,’ he began again. ‘He will be a somebody in the Administration before long. They, above - the Council in Europe, you know - mean him to be.’” (p. 30). “‘He is a prodigy,’ he said at last. ‘He is an emissary of pity and science and progress, and devil knows what else.’” (p. 41). Kurtz is respected in the outer world; he was specially recommended for his position. Kurtz is described glowingly by all who know him, and that paints the picture of a genius, the personification of a civilized man.

Slowly, a few hints are revealed about Kurtz. “The ‘scoundrel’ had reported that the ‘man’ had been very ill - had recovered imperfectly.” (p. 53). A few hints about his character are also revealed. “The dugout, four paddling savages, and the lone white man turning his back suddenly on the headquarters, on relief, on thoughts of home - perhaps; setting his face towards the depths of the wilderness, towards his empty and desolate station.” (p. 53). Kurtz seems to be a man of strong beliefs, yet he is living in a place where those things don’t matter, and it is extremely difficult to hold on to ones beliefs.

Finally, Marlow realizes that the savagery comes from within him. “But when actually confronting him I seemed to come to my senses, I saw the danger in its right proportion.” (p. 110). By acknowledging the madness, Marlow had enough restraint to resist the madness within himself, through his work and his ideals.

Some topics in this essay:
Ultimately Kurtz, Council Europe, Jesus Bangala”, Despite Marlow, Congolese Nathan, Holy Father’”, Nathan Price, , Congolese It’s, Nathan Congo, madness marlow, power congolese, nathan price, civilization savagery, brought savagery, savagery kurtz, lower “he, descent madness, hate detest, leaving civilization,