The Necessary Lie in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

The Necessary Lie in Heart of Darkness In his narrative, Marlow declares, You know I hate, detest, and cant bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appalls me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies, - which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world - what I want to forget (Longman 2210). In spite of these strong words, he lies to Kurtzs Intended when he visits her and tells her, The last word he pronounced was - your name (Longman 2246). Marlows words, spoken in Part I to the audience, seem to contradict his words spoken in Part III to the Intended. Upon closer examination however, it is clear that it was keeping to his beliefs that caused Marlow to lie to†¦show more content†¦Some confounded fact we men have been living contentedly with ever since the day of creation would start up and knock the whole thing over (Longman 2199). It is clear from this statement that Marlow believes women simply cannot handle the cold hard reality of the world. Men , however, are well aware of these realities and therefore must protect women from the truth so as not to shatter the beauty of a womans world. This is by todays standards silly and chauvinistic, but at the time it was a kind and chivalrous thought. Although Marlow was making direct reference to his Aunt in this passage, he does not limit the thought to his Aunt only, but uses the term women, which encompasses all women. He carries this kind and chivalrous thought with him when he visits Kurtzs Intended, and with it in mind cannot bring himself to shatter her beautiful fantasy world by telling her the truth of Kurtzs last words. In his own declaration Marlow claims there is a taint of death in lies. If he had been completely truthful with the Intended and told her Kurtzs actual last words, The horror, the horror (Longman 2240), he would have given her more than a taint of death. He would have shared with her some of the mental images his imagination had spawned since he heard those final words. He would have given her a flavour of mortality, which he claims to hate and detest in the world. Hate and detest are very powerful words which wouldShow MoreRelated The Role of Kurtz’s Intended in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness1580 Words   |  7 PagesIntended in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Very often in literature minor characters appear for only a short time in the story but carry a very heavy significance in the overall meaning of the book. Kurtz’s Intended, in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, is this kind of character. The unnamed woman only appears for a brief period at the end of the novel, but Conrad includes her for three very crucial reasons. 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