Character analysis of Marlow - Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Marlow has the qualities and characteristics of a typical hero, as he is brave, tough, capable, open minded and honest. However, he does not take action like a typical hero would. He witnesses the natives being treated harshly and unfairly but he merely observes the treatment and does not act upon it. However, he does frown upon the white people's greed and violence, which shows that he is moral and not completely racist.

"It was reckless without hardihood, greedy without audacity, and cruel without courage."

He even admits that he is only an observer. He is a moral guide for the readers of the book.

Marlow also identified himself to Kurtz, which makes his search more of an obsession. Kurtz become a powerful attraction. He is a reflection of Kurtz, and we see what Marlow could become from looking at Kurtz. One of the differences is that Kurtz falls into the darkness, and Marlow narrowly escapes it. Nonetheless, it has affected him forever and he shares his experiences at the Congo whenever he can.

Marlow also has unfavourable traits such as his sexist view of women. He sees them as the weaker sex and believes that they should be kept safe from the harsh factors of reality. This can be scene from the scene where Marlow visits Kurtz's intended. Marlow feels that she will be destroyed if she learns the truth about him so he lies to her.

Marlow sees Kurtz as a hero who had shown him the limits of the mortal spirit. Kurtz could be seen as Marlow's alter ego. He believes that Kurtz will tell him things that he has never known. It feels as if more is known about Kurtz than is known about Marlow, even though Kurtz is a bit more than a voice.

Even though Marlow journeys to find Kurtz, what he really is trying to find is the heart of darkness. He undoubtedly does find it, but he finds it within himself. This new wisdom has made him look differently towards his civilized society. He claims that they will never ever know what true strength is. He also comments that civilized societies are ignorant and the change that he has gone through will never let him converse with these people normally ever again.