Examine the attack of the natives against the people on the steamer.What observations do you have about the attack?What’s significant about the death of Marlow’s helmsman?
When the natives attack Marlow's steamer the air is full of fog. Fog is a sort of corollary to darkness. Fog not only obscures but distorts: it gives one just enough information to begin making decisions but no way to judge the accuracy of that information, which often ends up being wrong. Marlow's steamer is caught in the fog, meaning that he has no idea where he's going and no idea whether peril or open water lies ahead.
The helmsman who is responsible for steering Marlow's boat is disliked by Marlow because he would act as if he was very important in front of people but he would be very "passive when left alone". When the steamer is attacked he attempts to get a rifle. and in the process is hit by a spear. He dies and is buried when Marlow throws his body into the Congo. I believe this foreshadows and mirrors the death of Kurtz.
The significance about the death of Marlow’s helmsman is that we get to see how Marlow truly thinks about the natives. Marlow is not concerned with anyone but himself, especially the inhabitants. After surviving an attack from a native tribe, Marlow’s helmsman has perished. His helmsman is someone who “had done something; had steered; for months I, [Marlow] had him at my back-a help-an instrument” (42). Yet when his helmsman dies Marlow throws his body overboard without a second thought. “What they wanted to keep that body hanging about I can’t guess” (47). When a person who one has spent the past few months working with dies, typically a person will show more sorrow than just chucking their body into a river. That sounds more like a murderer’s reaction than a fellow employee’s reaction. Before Marlow even dumped the body, he stated how he felt about the death of his comrade. “Poor fool! If he had only left the shutter alone. He had no restraint, no restraint-just like Kurtz-a tree swayed by the wind. As soon as I had put on a dry pair of slippers, I dragged him out, after first jerking the spear out of his side” (46). Marlow stays true to his selfishness by first helping himself and covering his feet with slippers and once Marlow has comforted himself only then is he able to “jerk the spear” out of his helmsman’s side. From the textual evidence the significance of the Helmsman’s death is that it is the first time Marlow shows his true feelings about the natives…he does not care.
I somewhat disagree with what Sarah said about how Marlow doesn’t care about the natives. I think that it is more fear and lack of understanding that shapes his attitudes and actions. I found it interesting that Marlow, on page 40 at the beginning of the attack, was oblivious to what was going on. The fact that he thought the arrows were sticks emphases the idea that the whites know very little about the natives and their way of life. Marlow recollects the occurrence as there being “a veil […] removed from [his] eyes” (41). Only by being submerged in the land and culture could he truly begin to understand it. I think that the death of Marlow’s helmsman represents his entrance into the savage land. It represents the first loss of civilization. He and his helmsman formed a special bond and the relationship that they had was one of the last forms of civilization that Marlow knew. Marlow saw himself as “one devoted friend” to his helmsman, and his death disconnects him from the remains of society (46).
I agree with what Mike stated about the attack. But I also believe that the loud shrieking noises made by the attackers, cause Marlow and his men to be very distracted and disoriented. Pg. 36 "The whites, of course greatly discomposed,had besides a curious look of being painfuly shocked by such an outrageous row." The noises leave the men un able to respond quickly to the attacks.
the Death of the helmsman is significant because Marlow now feel that his hourney has come to and end, and he cannot continue on without someone to stear and quide them it the right direction. Right after the helmsman dies, marlows first thought is "there was a sense of extreme disappointment as though I had found out I had been striving after somthing altogether aithout a substance."pg. 42
Obviously, the attack is something unpleasent because the author uses words like "black", "darkness", and "fog". I thought the point that Sarah brought up was interesting when she said that Marlow isn't even aware of what is going on at first. However, I disagree with Sarah's point that the attack brings out Marlow's selfishness. I think the helmsman's death causes Marlow to come to a realization of his desires, but does not highlight his selfishness: "There was a sense of extreme disappointment, as though I had found out I had been striving after something altogether without a substance" (42). Being that this thought occurs right after seeing the helmsman die, I think that the death reveals Marlow's true desires on the journey.
I agree with Nicole in that the death of his helmsman is Marlow's entrance into the sheer brutality he faces on his journey. I also think that his death, and the way in which it occurs, is a commentary by Conrad on the evils of colonization.
The helmsman only dies because he tried to return fire on the attackers with a gun, an action he clearly picked up from the whites he was with because he would not have been introduced to guns without them. It is this action that leads to his death. Yet, even though he attempts to conform to European culture to fit in, he still never belongs. As he is dying, Marlow describes his attempts to put his feelings into an "understandable language; but he dies without uttering a sound" (42). No matter what he does, the helmsman is isolated, and it is in trying to conform that he meets his death. Therefore, I think Conrad uses this passage to illustrate the destruction that the "civilization" brought to the "savages" and to bring up the question of whether or not the natives can ever benefit from the appearance of the European whites.
Many of the blog contributors provided insight into the significance of the Helmsman's death. Many of you mentioned Marlow's reaction to said death and the event's portrayal of his character. However, there was far less interpretation of the battle itself and the tactics displayed. Some you touched on the importance of the fog and the screaming, however as a whole it was not covered well enough. A lot of the mention of the battle was not delved into completely. It was simply taken at face value. So what we would like to know is...
1. What were the motives of the natives in their attack and how could the crew have prevented such violence?
2. Why didn't Marlow want the cannibals to eat the helmsman after he had died?
Marlow didn't want the cannibals to eat the helmsman because he was afraid that they then would be tempted to eat the people on the boat. Up until this point the cannibals had restrained themselves from eating the humans. This is a quality that was quite admirable. That is why Marlow deposited the helmsmans body into the river. He is afraid that if they ate the helmsman then they would no longer be able to restrain themselves.
Unfortunately I am having answering what was the motive of the natives.....tough question
I actually think the reason Marlow did not want the cannibals to eat the helmsman had much less to do with a fear of it bringing about more destructive actions by the cannibals that it had to do with respecting the helmsman himself.
Marlow proved that he valued the helmsman, but he did not realize it until after he had been killed. Marlow says, while talking about himself and the helmsman, "A subtle bond had been created, of which I only became aware when it was suddenly broken"(46). Marlow now recognizes the helmsman as a friend he has lost, and he does not want his body to be desecrated by the cannibals.
As for the motive of the natives' attack, the reason is still unclear. However, it can be determined that the natives were not completely committed to the act of killing the sailors or destroying the steamer. The fact that they ran away at the simple sound of a steam whistle, which did not even physically hurt them, suggests that they were not fully behind the idea of attacking Marlow, and they very well may be a peaceful and "simple" people.
To answer the first question, I have to agree with Mark and Mike, and say that it is still unclear as to what the motives of the natives where during the attack. The author never allows us to understand why they attack the steamboat, but we are able to make inferences to the reason. The natives could possibly have felt threatened by those on the boat and felt that they needed to protect and defend their territory. In regard to the second question I agree with Mike, Marlow did not allow the cannibals to eat the Helmsman in fear that they would not be able to control their want, and possibly attack Marlow and the other men on the steamboat. The cannibals would not be able to restrain their habit.
I think that the reason that the natives attacked was out of fear. The natives fear the unknown just as the white men do. They live in the secluded jungle and have no interaction with the outside world, so seeing a steamboat enter into their territory would be very intimidating. That is why “the retreat […] was caused by the screeching of the steam whistle”, because it was something that they were so unfamiliar with (47). I also think that their fear of Mr. Kurtz “who had ordered the attack” caused them to do what they did (58). Their fear of him and his power make them obey him which is why they attacked the boat.
I completely agree with Nicole in the idea that the natives attacked out of fear and to protect themselves. I believe that Marlow did not want the crew to eat his helmsman not out of respect but to get it over and done with. "He had been a very second-rate helmsman while alive, but now he was dead he might have become a first-class temptation" (47). Marlow disrespects his helmsman by referring to him as "second-rate". Also Marlow does not wish to cause any trouble so he simply wants to avoid any "first-class temptations" and dispose of the body. Therefore Marlow did not want the cannibals to eat his helmsman because he did not want any trouble to come out of it.
Like Sarah, I also agree with Nicole. I think the people attacked out of fear. Maybe they are a "simple" and peaceful people like Mark said, and they attack out of defense because they are simply afraid. I do not think the crew was able to avoid the attack, though. I beleive the natives fear them simply because the color of their skin and they feel threatened because they are invading their territory.
As far as the helmsman's death, I think Marlow did not let the cannibals eat him because he has respect for the helmsman, but I think he would have done this for anyone else, not just the helmsman. I don't think it is something that can really be analyzed.
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When the natives attack Marlow's steamer the air is full of fog. Fog is a sort of corollary to darkness. Fog not only obscures but distorts: it gives one just enough information to begin making decisions but no way to judge the accuracy of that information, which often ends up being wrong. Marlow's steamer is caught in the fog, meaning that he has no idea where he's going and no idea whether peril or open water lies ahead.
The helmsman who is responsible for steering Marlow's boat is disliked by Marlow because he would act as if he was very important in front of people but he would be very "passive when left alone". When the steamer is attacked he attempts to get a rifle. and in the process is hit by a spear. He dies and is buried when Marlow throws his body into the Congo. I believe this foreshadows and mirrors the death of Kurtz.
The significance about the death of Marlow’s helmsman is that we get to see how Marlow truly thinks about the natives. Marlow is not concerned with anyone but himself, especially the inhabitants. After surviving an attack from a native tribe, Marlow’s helmsman has perished. His helmsman is someone who “had done something; had steered; for months I, [Marlow] had him at my back-a help-an instrument” (42). Yet when his helmsman dies Marlow throws his body overboard without a second thought. “What they wanted to keep that body hanging about I can’t guess” (47). When a person who one has spent the past few months working with dies, typically a person will show more sorrow than just chucking their body into a river. That sounds more like a murderer’s reaction than a fellow employee’s reaction. Before Marlow even dumped the body, he stated how he felt about the death of his comrade. “Poor fool! If he had only left the shutter alone. He had no restraint, no restraint-just like Kurtz-a tree swayed by the wind. As soon as I had put on a dry pair of slippers, I dragged him out, after first jerking the spear out of his side” (46). Marlow stays true to his selfishness by first helping himself and covering his feet with slippers and once Marlow has comforted himself only then is he able to “jerk the spear” out of his helmsman’s side. From the textual evidence the significance of the Helmsman’s death is that it is the first time Marlow shows his true feelings about the natives…he does not care.
I somewhat disagree with what Sarah said about how Marlow doesn’t care about the natives. I think that it is more fear and lack of understanding that shapes his attitudes and actions. I found it interesting that Marlow, on page 40 at the beginning of the attack, was oblivious to what was going on. The fact that he thought the arrows were sticks emphases the idea that the whites know very little about the natives and their way of life. Marlow recollects the occurrence as there being “a veil […] removed from [his] eyes” (41). Only by being submerged in the land and culture could he truly begin to understand it.
I think that the death of Marlow’s helmsman represents his entrance into the savage land. It represents the first loss of civilization. He and his helmsman formed a special bond and the relationship that they had was one of the last forms of civilization that Marlow knew. Marlow saw himself as “one devoted friend” to his helmsman, and his death disconnects him from the remains of society (46).
I agree with what Mike stated about the attack. But I also believe that the loud shrieking noises made by the attackers, cause Marlow and his men to be very distracted and disoriented.
Pg. 36 "The whites, of course greatly discomposed,had besides a curious look of being painfuly shocked by such an outrageous row."
The noises leave the men un able to respond quickly to the attacks.
the Death of the helmsman is significant because Marlow now feel that his hourney has come to and end, and he cannot continue on without someone to stear and quide them it the right direction. Right after the helmsman dies, marlows first thought is "there was a sense of extreme disappointment as though I had found out I had been striving after somthing altogether aithout a substance."pg. 42
Obviously, the attack is something unpleasent because the author uses words like "black", "darkness", and "fog". I thought the point that Sarah brought up was interesting when she said that Marlow isn't even aware of what is going on at first. However, I disagree with Sarah's point that the attack brings out Marlow's selfishness. I think the helmsman's death causes Marlow to come to a realization of his desires, but does not highlight his selfishness: "There was a sense of extreme disappointment, as though I had found out I had been striving after something altogether without a substance"
(42). Being that this thought occurs right after seeing the helmsman die, I think that the death reveals Marlow's true desires on the journey.
I agree with Nicole in that the death of his helmsman is Marlow's entrance into the sheer brutality he faces on his journey. I also think that his death, and the way in which it occurs, is a commentary by Conrad on the evils of colonization.
The helmsman only dies because he tried to return fire on the attackers with a gun, an action he clearly picked up from the whites he was with because he would not have been introduced to guns without them. It is this action that leads to his death. Yet, even though he attempts to conform to European culture to fit in, he still never belongs. As he is dying, Marlow describes his attempts to put his feelings into an "understandable language; but he dies without uttering a sound" (42). No matter what he does, the helmsman is isolated, and it is in trying to conform that he meets his death. Therefore, I think Conrad uses this passage to illustrate the destruction that the "civilization" brought to the "savages" and to bring up the question of whether or not the natives can ever benefit from the appearance of the European whites.
Many of the blog contributors provided insight into the significance of the Helmsman's death. Many of you mentioned Marlow's reaction to said death and the event's portrayal of his character. However, there was far less interpretation of the battle itself and the tactics displayed. Some you touched on the importance of the fog and the screaming, however as a whole it was not covered well enough. A lot of the mention of the battle was not delved into completely. It was simply taken at face value. So what we would like to know is...
1. What were the motives of the natives in their attack and how could the crew have prevented such violence?
2. Why didn't Marlow want the cannibals to eat the helmsman after he had died?
Have fun with that.
Marlow didn't want the cannibals to eat the helmsman because he was afraid that they then would be tempted to eat the people on the boat. Up until this point the cannibals had restrained themselves from eating the humans. This is a quality that was quite admirable. That is why Marlow deposited the helmsmans body into the river. He is afraid that if they ate the helmsman then they would no longer be able to restrain themselves.
Unfortunately I am having answering what was the motive of the natives.....tough question
I actually think the reason Marlow did not want the cannibals to eat the helmsman had much less to do with a fear of it bringing about more destructive actions by the cannibals that it had to do with respecting the helmsman himself.
Marlow proved that he valued the helmsman, but he did not realize it until after he had been killed. Marlow says, while talking about himself and the helmsman, "A subtle bond had been created, of which I only became aware when it was suddenly broken"(46). Marlow now recognizes the helmsman as a friend he has lost, and he does not want his body to be desecrated by the cannibals.
As for the motive of the natives' attack, the reason is still unclear. However, it can be determined that the natives were not completely committed to the act of killing the sailors or destroying the steamer. The fact that they ran away at the simple sound of a steam whistle, which did not even physically hurt them, suggests that they were not fully behind the idea of attacking Marlow, and they very well may be a peaceful and "simple" people.
To answer the first question, I have to agree with Mark and Mike, and say that it is still unclear as to what the motives of the natives where during the attack. The author never allows us to understand why they attack the steamboat, but we are able to make inferences to the reason. The natives could possibly have felt threatened by those on the boat and felt that they needed to protect and defend their territory.
In regard to the second question I agree with Mike, Marlow did not allow the cannibals to eat the Helmsman in fear that they would not be able to control their want, and possibly attack Marlow and the other men on the steamboat. The cannibals would not be able to restrain their habit.
I think that the reason that the natives attacked was out of fear. The natives fear the unknown just as the white men do. They live in the secluded jungle and have no interaction with the outside world, so seeing a steamboat enter into their territory would be very intimidating. That is why “the retreat […] was caused by the screeching of the steam whistle”, because it was something that they were so unfamiliar with (47). I also think that their fear of Mr. Kurtz “who had ordered the attack” caused them to do what they did (58). Their fear of him and his power make them obey him which is why they attacked the boat.
I completely agree with Nicole in the idea that the natives attacked out of fear and to protect themselves.
I believe that Marlow did not want the crew to eat his helmsman not out of respect but to get it over and done with. "He had been a very second-rate helmsman while alive, but now he was dead he might have become a first-class temptation" (47). Marlow disrespects his helmsman by referring to him as "second-rate". Also Marlow does not wish to cause any trouble so he simply wants to avoid any "first-class temptations" and dispose of the body. Therefore Marlow did not want the cannibals to eat his helmsman because he did not want any trouble to come out of it.
Like Sarah, I also agree with Nicole. I think the people attacked out of fear. Maybe they are a "simple" and peaceful people like Mark said, and they attack out of defense because they are simply afraid. I do not think the crew was able to avoid the attack, though. I beleive the natives fear them simply because the color of their skin and they feel threatened because they are invading their territory.
As far as the helmsman's death, I think Marlow did not let the cannibals eat him because he has respect for the helmsman, but I think he would have done this for anyone else, not just the helmsman. I don't think it is something that can really be analyzed.
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