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JakobLothe
Justbeforethispassage,Marlowobserves:“itseemedtomeIhadsteppedintothe
gloomycircleofsomeInferno”(118).LikeDanteinthe“Inferno”partofDivina
Commedia(1321),Marlowhasarrivedinahelldistinguishedbyutterdespairand
unspeakablesuffering.Andyet,againlikeDante,andlikethereader,asatraveller
Marlowcanmovethroughthishell,ahellonearthmadepossiblebywhiteEuropeans
exploitingtheBlacksasslavesandworkingthemtodeath(asdid,aboutfiftyyears
later,theNazisinaconcentrationandexterminationcampsuchasAuschwitz).That
MarlowdoesverylittleinordertohelpthedyingBlacksisofcoursemorallydubi-
ous.Butatleastheisshockedbywhathesees,andbothheandConradhavethe
couragetoreportthebrutalactswithwhichtheywereconfronted.
AsZdzisławNajdershowsinConradinPerspective,theword“perspective”is
imbuedwithdifferentdimensionsofmeaning–bothgenerallyandwhenusedabout
Conrad’slifeandwork.Innarrativetheory,perspectiveidentifiesthenarrativeagent
thatsees,ratherthantheonethatspeaks.Theessentialpointhere,firstmadeby
GérardGenetteinhisstillinvaluableNarrativeDiscourse,isthatalthoughthesetwo
aspectsofnarrativeoftencoalesce,theydonotalwaysornecessarilydoso.To
Genette’sinsightIaddthatofMiekeBal,whointhesecondeditionofNarratology
linksperspectivenotjusttoseeingbutalsotoperception(Bal1997,143)–including
acharacter’sexperienceofbeinglookedatandperhapsoflookingback.Returningto
ourpassage,wenotethatthepredominantperspectivehereisdouble:lookingatthe
dyingBlacks,Marlowhasastrongimpressionofareturninggaze,agazesignifying
notjustsufferingbutalsoasilentprotestandaccusation.Magnifiedthroughfiction,
thisaccusationispromptedby,androotedin,aspecifichistoricalreality:thatofslav-
ery.Asaresultofthisperspectivalvariation,notonlythenarratees’positionbutalso
thatoftheauthorialaudienceapproximatetoMarlow’s.Andallpositionsarecharac-
terizedbyembarrassment,byasenseoffailure,byapartial,inadequateyetpainful,
recognitionofbeingimplicatedinevildoingonacolossalscale.Thereisasensein
whichMarlow’spositionhereapproximatestothatofthebystanderasdefinedand
discussedbyArneJohanVetleseninEvilandHumanAgency.Stressingthat“notact-
ingisstillacting,”Vetlesennotesthat“thefailuretoactwhenconfrontedwithsuch
action[i.e.genocide]isafailurethatcarriesamessagebothtotheagentandthesuf-
ferer:theactionmayproceed”(Vetlesen2005,237,originalemphasis).Although
Marlowsensesthatheoughttohavedonesomething,hefindsthatthereisnothinghe
candoapartfromofferingoneman“oneofmygoodSwede’sship’sbiscuitsIhadin
mypocket”(118);theeffectisastrongembarrassmentandapeculiarlyunidentifi-
ablesenseofshame.
EventhoughConradpresentsMarlow’snarrativeasanoralone,anchoringitin
anarrativesituationandmakingthenarrateesrespond,brieflyandatirregularinter-
vals,toMarlow’sstory,atthecentreofthenarrativethereisatextwrittenbytheman
Marlowistellingabout:
