Heart of Darkness | Ingress to the Heart of Darkness

In the following excerpt, Walter F. Wright suggests that the scene in which Marlow conceals the nature of Kurtz's death ‘‘is really a study of the nature of truth.’’

The tragedy of Kurtz and the education of Marlow fuse into one story, since for Marlow that tragedy represents his furthest penetration into the heart of darkness. As Marlow enters the forest to intercept Kurtz on the way toward the ceremonial blaze he senses the fascination which the savage ritual possesses. In the light of Conrad's other tales we know that it is because he is guided by well-established habits that he is able to complete his mission and carry Kurtz back to his cot, though not before he himself has apprehended the lure of the primitive. He has duplicated in his own...

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