Question: What is the underlying motive of Marlow's Buddha postures?
Ans. In his first soliloquy, Marlow reflects on the Roman exploration and colonization of Britain, describing it as full of “disgust and hate.” This soliloquy foreshadows the modern counterpart of Roman colonization, namely the exploitation of the Congo. Marlow is described twice as resembling an idol, seemingly Buddha—once near the beginning of the story, again near the middle, and finally in the last paragraph. Conrad suggests that Marlow has a mission to convey, with meditative calm, the meaning of his descent into the “heart of darkness,” where he confronted Kurtz, symbolic of the evil that lurks within Marlow and, by extension, in every human being.
The first narrator depicts Marlow as resembling a Buddha idol, assuming a meditative posture, ready to delve deeply into himself in tranquillity. This composed attitude contrasts with the flabby, indifferent attitudes of the others on board. In short, Marlow’s spirituality stands in stark contrast to the materialism of the other passengers, except for the first narrator.
The overall impression of this first scene is that, through his narrative, Marlow will retrace every step of his journey to Kurtz, vicariously reliving Kurtz’s descent into evil and confronting the darkness within himself. This is, in effect, a descent into his own personal hell—a profound and arduous introspective exercise.
At the end of his story, Marlow is again seen sitting in the lotus posture, “apart, indistinct and silent, in the pose of the meditating Buddha.” He is now completely detached, purified by the recollection of his introspective journey into the self.
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