More Heart of Darkness

I'm happy to report that so far, Part II is better than Part I.  At the very beginning of this section, we already hear of a conspiracy to kill a certain "wandering trader."  At first I thought they might be speaking about Marlow, but their display of indifference when they noticed him listening in on their conversation ended these suspicions.  Marlow states that they, "...then pretending not to know anything of my existence, turned back to the station..." (par. 3).  They must be very powerful men, because otherwise the fact that someone is listening in on their conspiracy would be unnerving.  Luckily, Marlow's steamer is repaired and he begins his journey soon after this discussion.  I found the section about the cannibals to be particularly humorous.  "Fine fellows-cannibals-in their place. They were men one could work with, and I am grateful to them. And, after all, they did not eat each other before my face: they had brought along a provision of hippo-meat..." (par. 7).  Marlow sort of plays on the stereotypes surrounding the natives, creating irony in that the savages are "better men" than the civilized pilgrims that Marlow is travelling with.  One important characteristic of Marlow that I hadn't really noticed before was that he seems to be a bit emotionally unstable, conveying a wide spectrum of moods within a short period of time.  For example, he acts frustrated and irritated upon reading the sign that says "Wood for you. Hurry up. Approach cautiously."  He criticizes the sign for its "imbecility" since it seems to contradict itself.  However, after discovering the book he becomes astounded and completely disconnected from the present events.  Marlow even admits this, saying, "...with his talk of chains and purchases, made me forget the jungle and the pilgrims in a delicious sensation of having come upon something unmistakably real."  (par. 9).  Then, Marlow becomes irritable again when complaining about the progress of the steamer and the fact that it could break down at any second.  He becomes so frustrated that he even poses questions to the reader, asking "What did it matter what any one knew or ignored? What did it matter who was manager?" (par. 12).  Later comes the most interesting part of the book so far- the attack of the savages.  The pilgrims had "gone mad-with fright, maybe."  However, the cannibals on the ship were focused and unaffected by the outbursts from the fog.  This section also highlights the lack of common sense on the part of the manager.  He authorizes Marlow to take any risks in getting through the fog, even though they would be travelling practically blind.  Later, after they are attacked, Marlow gives a vivid description of the mad helmsman dying at his feet.  "...but my feet felt so very warm and wet that i had to look down...the blade had gone in out of sight, after making a frightful gash; my shoes were full; a pool of blood lay very still, gleaming dark-red under the wheel; his eyes shone with an amazing lustre."  This imagery helps the reader to imagine Marlow, standing in a pool of blood from a man that had just died beside him.  In all, I think it's scenes such as this one that make the second section of the book much more interesting than the first.