Question+9

The Russian at the Inner Station is clearly a foil to Kurtz. Discuss how these two characters add meaning to the story that otherwise would be lacking.

The Russian and Kurtz are clearly foil characters in the novel. One one hand lies the Russian, who greets Marlow and his men wearing patched up pants, and having a weak looking exterior. On the other contains Kurtz, a powerful man who is the heart of all darkness in which Marlow encounters. Without each character there would not be any reason for the seaman and his crew to travel into the Congo looking for Kurtz, thus taking out all the suspense and main plot line. Also, the novel would not be a frame narrative but rather Marlow telling a story about nothing to the narrator. Almost all of the entire emphasis on the theme (Darkness as an agent of destruction) would be left out if the two were not included. --MN

When Marlow first meets the young Russian man staying at the interior station, it is obvious that he is Kurtz's complementary opposite. "He looked like a harlequin. A beardless, boyish face, very fair, no features to speak of, nose peeling, little blue eyes, smiles and frowns chasing each other over that open countenance like sunshine and shadow on a wind-swept plain" (Conrad 127). These two characters are important to Marlow's perception of the nature of mankind. On one hand, the harlequin is young, chipper, and naive. This is in opposition to Kurtz's haggard appearance and clandestine intentions. The narrator's view on the human heart woud not be complete with the two foiling character to look at for examples. ~CG