HOD #20

“The approach to this Kurtz grubbing for ivory in the wretched bush was beset by as many dangers as though he had been an enchanted princess sleeping in a fabulous castle” (p.38). Marlow’s comparison of Kurtz to an enchanted princess brings out a mythical side to this story. To Marlow, Kurtz has always seemed like a mythical creature; he is always hearing stories about him but never actually meeting Kurtz himself. When approaching the heart of darkness, and Kurtz, the story does lean to the mythical side. The reader must distinguish between what is an exaggeration of Marlow’s and what is realistic (in this story). Conrad adds this fresh idea that the heart of darkness is mythical. Many people can relate to something unknown in their life to being mythical.