Irony in Marlow’s Visit to Kurtz’s Intended
...Marlow pauses as he remembers Kurtz’s last words, “The horror! The horror!” Instead, Marlow tells her that Kurtz said her name. This situation is ironic because Marlow tells her the lie to show her how much Kurtz cared for her and to keep her from grieving, but she is still grieving because she has been in mourning for over a year and because she knows that Kurtz cared for her. Another situation that has significant irony occurs when she asks Marlow if he knew Kurtz. Marlow says yes, he knew Kurtz as well as any man could know another. Marlow says this so that she will believe Marlow when he talks about their relationship and what kind of man Kurtz really was. This instance has irony because Marlow and Kurtz had only a short time to get to know each other, and no matter how fast intimacy grows between men, they did not have enough time to get to know each other very well. The next and most noticeable example of irony in Heart of Darkness is present in the life 2 of Kurtz. Kurtz’s intended’s family did not approve of their marriage because Kurtz was a pauper. In order for Kurtz to provide for himself, his intended, and his future family and to make enough money to enjoy his life, he had to travel to Central Africa. The iron...