Buddhism

“Marlow sat crossed-legged right aft…resembled an idol.” (pg. 4)

Conrad uses the iconic figure of the Buddha to describe Marlow not only because of his physical resemblance, but because Marlow has an inclination to tell stories of his past much like the Buddha does through his spiritual teachings. Buddhism is based on the teachings of its founder, Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama, who became enlightened after years of suffering, passed on his knowledge much like Marlow does when recounting his journey into the Congo. Conrad furthers the parallelism between Marlow and the Buddha when describing Kurtz. Marlow is essentially enlightened through his observation of Kurtz’s suffering (due to his attachment to ivory) which is similar to Gautama’s enlightenment after his years of suffering.

"What Is - An Introduction to Buddhism for Beginners." Buddhism. Web. 11 Aug. 2009. http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/a/basicshub.htm

Photo Credit: Siddhartha Gautama. Digital image. Web. 11 Aug. 2009. http://ttsworld.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/buddha.jpg