Conclusion of Heart of Darkness

In the end of Heart of Darkness Marlow does finally meet Kurtz, just before he dies from an unknown disease. Marlow believed that Kurtz was the answer to all the madness surrounding them in Africa because he was living with the natives and actually accomplishing tasks, Marlow also wanted to journey to Africa to get away from England and from the bureaucracy where everyone is only thinking about themselves. Marlow was hoping it would be different here, but it wasn't. The managers are really only looking out for themselves rather than the others and definitely not for the natives. It seems that Marlow comes to the realization that if one wants to get anything done they might have to use force or coerce people into doing things.

When Kurtz was dying and tried to escape from the Station Marlow went out to find him and dragged him back in. Marlow was there when Kurtz died and heard his last words, "The horror! The horror!" Kurtz had been in Africa for a long time collecting as much ivory as he possibly could and suffered from diseases while he there also. Marlow later says that Kurtz's last words summed up the state of Africa, from the killings to the diseases to the destroying of the land, it was a horrible place to be during that time.

A year later Marlow is back in England and goes to see Kurtz's wife. She is still in mourning and has to know what Kurtz's last words were. Throughout this novella it's clear that Marlow hates lying and claims that one of the many problems in this world we live in. Everyone is telling people what they want to hear or they're telling them something to help themselves. Marlow is looking for truth, but in ends up lying himself. It's arguable that what he lied about was justifiable because he was trying to keep up Kurtz's reputation in England since they don't know that he had a mistress and killed anyone who got in his way. When she asks what his last words were, Marlow tells her that it was her name he said right before he died. The reader of course knows this isn't true and that his last words were about Africa and the horror. Marlow changes over this journey to and from Africa. In the beginning of this story I don't think Marlow would have lied to her since it would have gone against everything he believed in. Now that he had experienced all of these different things he can see some lies as justifiable.