Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1996. Vol. 1. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 24)

Tibor Tóth: Conrad's 'Secret Garden'

Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge?

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1 Marlow cannot find the answer to this dilemma, but experiences the temptation of such a perspective: Kurtz had stepped over the edge "while I [Marlow] had been permitted to draw back my hesitating foot."

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2 The Harlequin expresses awareness of a similar attraction to identify with this destructive mystery, when he states: I went a little farther, ... then still a little farther - till I had gone so far I don't know how I'll ever get back.

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. The Russian is a pastiche, he doesn't have the power to totally immerse himself into the myth of Africa. But many of Conrad's characters jump into the unknown. Remember Marlow's words referring to Jim's jumps. His first jump was the result of a similar attraction to the forces of evil in 'civilisation', his second jump conferred onto him the white man's burden, but his inability to immerse himself definitely into the adoptive culture caused his ultimate failure. Kurtz 'goes native' and surrenders to the world he finds in the Congo and it is this that brings about his destruction. He is led by a definite feeling of superiority and pretends to act under the 'white man's burden'. The Congo is a mysterious land and has a destructive magic for the 'civilised' man, so Marlow cannot fulfil his task and bring Kurtz to Europe. After meeting the European woman who worshipped Kurtz, Marlow ends his story in the pose of a meditating Buddha, as if suggesting further meditation on the topic to the reader and the Thames is seen by him as leading to the heart of darkness generated by Western imperialism, the death of which is foreshadowed by Kurtz's self-destructive attitude in the Congo. Marlow himself recovers to finish his self-appointed task 'to dream the nightmare out to the end.' The imperialist discourse in itself proved a failure. As we have already noted, the misreadings stemming from the assumption that 4

1 Heart of Darkness, 68 4

2 Heart of Darkness, 69 4

1 Heart of Darkness, 54 173