Day 2

Heart of Darkness Lesson Plan

Discussion of Thought Questions

  1. 1

    How does the nightmarish situation of the station mesh with Marlow's need for order and logic?

    Although Marlow has seen things which defy his notions of logic, one of the driving forces behind his story is an attempted explanation of this unreality, which encroaches upon his ideas about reason. This is pitted against the host culture, which may be seen in opposition to Marlow’s mechanistic, imperialist mindset. In Marlow’s world, spirituality is the domain of the manipulated, as again when he mocks the hired native who watches his steam-engine by imagining the man to be worshiping it.

  2. 2

    Why doesn't Marlow seem to empathize with any of the pilgrims or the manager?

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