Heart_of_Darkness_There_Is_a_Taint_of_Death

Xochitl Capaul Mrs. Priddy English 4AP February 11, 2011 Heart of Darkness In the novella, “Heart of Darkness,” we read about the main character’s personal experience. As the reader I can relate to Marlow when he describes how he dislikes lies. “There is a taint of death, a flavor of mortality in lies –which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world---what I want to forget.”(29) Marlow clearly hates lies and yet he lies on numerous occasions throughout the novella. I feel the same way Marlow does towards lies but I still lie from time to time. People lie for many reasons, whether it is for ourselves or others. If we are uninterested, we could care less about what other people think about us. In Marlow’s case, he was indifferent to what a brick maker thought about his involvement with the Company. “Well, I went near enough to it by letting the young fool there believe anything he liked to imagine as to my influence in Europe.”(29) Marlow truly knows nothing about the Company’s activites in Europe and could care less about what the brick maker thinks of him. As a person I would consider myself to be unresponsive in many ways. I am the kind of person who does not see any reason to argue if the whole argument is pointless. So if someone does not believe me when I am telling the truth I am not going to quarrel with them, I will just let them believe what they want to believe. In the same way, frequently I mislead people by not telling them the whole truth. There are times as human beings when when we pretend to be a part of something we are not. Shortly after meeting Kurtz, Marlow makes an interesting statement to the Russian on the boat. “‘Well!’ said I at last, ‘speak out. As it happens, I am Mr. Kurtz’s friends -- in a way.’”(60) After the Russian tapped Marlow on the shoulder he hesitated on whether to tell Marlow something. Marlow sort of lies to the Russian when he says he is Kurtz’s friend in order to hear what he had to say. Occasionally when I do not feel like telling someone something, I simply just tell them parts of the truth. In sense I an lying by avoiding the truth and continuing to confuse people. I if were truly honest about something, I would describe every aspect of the situation thoroughly. Then there are the moments when I completely lie to hide a disappointing truth. When we completely like about something, usually it is because we are trying to save ourselves. Marlow on the other hand is trying to save others from the dark reality he witnessed in the Congo. “I could not tell her. I t would have been too dark—too dark altogether.”(72) At the end of the novella Marlow lies to Kurtz’s fiancé to save her from the truth, that mankind is evil. What I can understand and accept may be difficult for someone else to embrace. In order to spare others from my misery I lie to them and say everything is fine. I do not want what has affected me negatively to affect someone else in the same manner. From Marlow’s personal experience we have seen the different ways of how lies are told. As human beings we lie for different reasons, either for ourselves or other people. I understand how Marlow feels about lying and why he chooses to lie on numerous occasions throughout the novella. I believe it is fair to say that even truly honest people will lie in order to spare others from an inconvenient truth. I would consider myself to be a truthful person, but there are still times when I lie to other people. If we are truly honest with ourselves we will admit that even good people lie sometimes for a greater purpose. Sometimes we must choose the lesser of two evils in this dark reality we live in.