Charlie Marlow's complex personality in Heart of Darkness

Darkness (Charlie Marlow)

The character Charlie Marlow from the tale "Heart of Darkness" is depicted as a figure with a deep and complex personality. Readers are led to understand Marlow's personality very well throughout the story. Since the beginning of the story, it was made apparent that he possessed an adventurous free spirit and always longed to travel to distant lands. He was considered to be different from other seamen, in that unlike them he did not lead a sedentary life. He longed to explore and learn about the foreign places and people he encountered during his travels. This curiosity shaped another aspect of his personality, which was that he often displayed concern towards others, including Africans. When his African helmsman died in front of him, he did begin regretting the man's death, even if it was only because the man was considered to have been a good helmsman.

As a person, Marlow could be considered as someone who liked to think deeply about the circumstances and surroundings he often found himself in during his travels. For example he often found himself wondering whether the Africans could not be considered humans equal to the whites since they experienced human emotions and issues too. At one point in the story, Marlow was surprised and curious as to why the cannibals accompanying him on the trip to see Kurtz never considered devouring him and the white pilgrims since they outnumbered the whites. This situation, as well as others throughout the story, often led him towards thinking deeply about these matters.