Heart of Darkness Part 1

The book begins on a ship docked on the Thames river unable to sail due to the direction of the tide. The narrator briefly describes his other companions on the ship before speaking of Marlow. As they wait to sail Marlow begins to tell of an exploration from his younger days into Africa. He had always been fascinated with Africa and had to have his aunt pull some strings before getting a job as commander of a steamboat on what I assume is the Nile. Before he goes he is required to get a medical examine and the doctor measures the size of his head. He heads out on a French steamer and travels for weeks. The steamer moved a long despite the death and war surrounding it. Upon arriving at his station Marlow is surrounded by enslaved, starving, and diseased negros. It is here from the chief accountant that he learns of Mr. Kurtz, a "first-class agent." He is at that station ten days before starting on a foot journey with 60 other men. With arriving at the Central Station he learns that his ship has sunk and must be repaired before he can embark. While working on repairs he becomes acquainted with the manager of the Central Station who "inspired uneasiness." There is also another man whom Marlow realizes thinks he is well connected due to the strings his aunt pulled to get him commissioned. Marlow uses this to try to get pieces he needs for his steamer, but they don't come. Instead the very secretive Eldorado Exploring Expedition arrives with their leader being the uncle of the manager.
Dense is the best word I've come up with to describe this book. Every sentence is dripping with figurative language. I consider myself I fast reader, but it takes a while to really grasp anything in this text. I love Conrad 's use of capitalization to personify and emphasize things. I love the way "Darkness" is capitalized in some places. It adds power and authority to the word. The imagery is amazing, but sometimes I lose some of the actual meaning the first time I read something because of all the imagery. That's the reason it takes so long to read. I reread several times and when I finally see what exactly the passage is saying, especially when he was describing the condition of the Africans, it is horrifying. I love the imagery, foreshadowing, and just foreboding feeling when Marlow goes to get his commission. The ladies "guarding the door" represent the Fates. Conrad even says "She seemed uncanny and FATEFUL." The description of them is awesome for lack of a better word. They serve their purpose very well. The black wool represents the strings that the fates cut to end lives. When Marlow talks about being let into a conspiracy I thought of the Darkness. When he is talking about the unhumane acts of the previous captain of his boat, who was known as a civil man, it is foreshadowing of what the Darkness does to someone. His conversation when the doctor is also really interesting. It's easier read when there is actual dialogue and not just Marlow describing things and events. Marlow's reflections on the way a woman sees the world in her own way is really interesting. It could be considered sexist in today's society, but in Conrad's time it was just the way things were. Women didn't go out and deal in business and didn't face much of the harshness of the world, and so they viewed the world differently. Today that section of the book helps remind us of how things worked in that time. The useless work and death of the Africans represents the Darkness, the cruelty inside humans. I'm curious about Mr. Kurtz. Is he the "poor chap" Old Marlow referred to? All the figurative language is interesting and written beautifully, but I wish some action would happen.