Question: What impression do you form of the Chief Accountant at the Company's Station in Heart of Darkness?
Ans. The portrait of the Chief Accountant at the Company's Station, like many other characters in Heart of Darkness, is ironic. On the one hand, he symbolizes the outward manifestation of order and precision characteristic of European imperialism. On the other hand, Marlow recognizes this appearance as absurd—a mere illusionary façade in contrast to the dark jungles of the Congo.
The Chief Accountant is one of the first whitemen Marlow meets in the Congo, and it is from him that Marlow first hears the name and whereabouts of Kurtz. The efficient company clerk is initially seen by Marlow as "a sort of vision," a "miracle." In the sweltering heat of Africa, stepping out of his office to get a breath of fresh air, he appears immaculately dressed in a high starched collar, white cuffs, and snowy trousers. The whiteness and brilliant perfection of his attire, symbolizing the thin veneer of civilization, are juxtaposed against the moral and physical degradation of the station and the inhuman misery of the black men who creep about in the shadows of the trees.
The accountant's function in the Company office is just as absurd as his appearance. As the keeper of records, he isolates himself from the surrounding demoralization by constantly keeping his books in "apple-pie order." This callousness is evident in the fact that he notices the sufferings of the natives only when their noise disturbs his concentration on his work.
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