Would you Consider Marlow in Heart of Darkness a Philosopher, a Buddha? [British Novel June 2019]

    Marlow, the main character and narrator of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," is presented in various ways by different sources. One source describes Marlow as "a meditating Buddha" who has become introspective and philosophical as a result of his experiences in the Congo [[1]]. Another source describes Marlow as a traditional hero who is tough, honest, and an independent thinker, but who is also broken, skeptical, and cynical [[2]]. According to a third source, Marlow has always been fascinated by unexplored regions, including the Congo, and is described as wise and knowledgeable beyond his years due to his extensive traveling and experience at sea [[3]].

While there is some disagreement on how to categorize Marlow, it is fair to say that his experiences in the Congo have shaped his character and worldview. According to one analysis, Marlow views work as a positive force and is horrified by laziness and poor workmanship [[4]]. Additionally, Marlow is obsessed with Kurtz, another character in the novel, and follows his curiosity on a dangerous mission, which speaks to his adventurous and perhaps philosophical nature [[5]]. Another source characterizes Marlow as enlightened, like Buddha, and damaged and cynical from knowledge [[6]].

Overall, while Marlow's character is complex and multifaceted, some sources do portray him as possessing philosophical or even spiritual qualities, such as introspection, wisdom, and an interest in the unknown. However, it is up to the reader to interpret whether or not these qualities are significant enough to categorize him as a philosopher or Buddha.

[1] "Marlow is a thirty-two-year-old sailor who has always lived at sea. The novels narrator presents Marlow as a meditating Buddha because his experiences in the Congo have made him introspective and to a certain degree philosophic and wise."

URL:https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/h/heart-of-darkness/character-analysis/marlow

[2] "Marlow is in many ways a traditional hero: tough, honest, an independent thinker, a capable man. Yet he is also broken or damaged, like T. S. Eliots J. Alfred Prufrock or William Faulkners Quentin Compson. The world has defeated him in some fundamental way, and he is weary, skeptical, and cynical."

URL:   https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/heart-of-darkness/character/marlow/

[3] "Marlow admits that he has always wanted to see as much of the world as possible, especially unexplored regions. The Congo river, extending into the center of the African continent, fascinates..."

URL:  https://www.enotes.com/topics/heart-of-darkness/characters/marlow

[4] "The work perhaps the only thing in the heart of darkness that Marlow views in an entirely positive light. This elaborates why he is so horrified when he saw laziness, poor work and machines left out to rust. The darkness that was become a fact to humans by Marlow, can be oppressed by religious practices by humans."

URL:https://edubirdie.com/examples/marlows-posture-and-buddha-in-heart-of-darkness/

[5] "Character Analysis. in. Heart of Darkness. Marlow: Narrator and main character of Heart of Darkness, Charlie Marlow is defined by his obsession with a man named Kurtz. Though he is described as wise and knowledgeable beyond his years due to his extensive traveling and experience at sea, Marlow follows his curiosity on a dangerous mission to ..."

URL: https://www.owleyes.org/text/heart-of-darkness/analysis/character-analysis

[6] "Marlow is wise  beyond years from story he is about to tell; enlightened like Buddha; was damaged, and is now cynical from knowledge what does one of the dark places of the earth mean? London used to be as evil as Africa why would Marlow begin his tale of a journey to the heart of darkness with an account of London in old times?"

URL: https://quizlet.com/59626691/heart-of-darkness-flash-cards/

[7] "Charles Marlow sure did. Marlow is the protagonist, or main character, of Heart Of Darkness, which is a somewhat fictionalized account of Joseph Conrads own experiences traveling the Congo...."

URL:https://study.com/academy/lesson/marlow-in-heart-of-darkness-quotes-analysis.html

[8] "Heart of Darkness portrays a European civilization that is hopelessly and blindly corrupt. The novella depicts European society as hollow at the core: Marlow describes the white men he meets in Africa, from the General Manager to Kurtz, as empty, and refers to the unnamed European city as the sepulchral city (a sepulcher is a hollow tomb).Throughout the novella, Marlow argues that what ..."

URL:https://www.litcharts.com/lit/heart-of-darkness/themes/the-hollowness-of-civilization

[9] "A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! Ive never seen anything so unreal in my life. And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic ..."

URL: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/heart-of-darkness/quotes/

[10] "Like most first-person narrators, Marlow is not entirely reliable. First, the frame of the story points to it as a sailors yarn, which is typically an exaggerated or dramatically heightened story ..."

URL: https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/is-marlow-a-reliable-narrator-in-heart-of-darkness-2697929