Character guide

Marlow

major

Also known as Charlie Marlow, dear Charlie

Marlow is the teller of this tale, a seaman who has learned to read the surface of things — hidden banks, sunken snags, the thump of a scraped keel — while suspecting that the inner truth stays hidden. He is grateful to the cannibals who push his tinpot boat and unnerved by white men who seem held captive by a spell. His habit of guessing at the channel, mostly by inspiration, makes him the ideal guide into a world where the reality fades and only the stillness remains.

Mr. Kurtz

major

Also known as Kurtz, that Kurtz, this Kurtz, the gifted Kurtz, the gifted Mr. Kurtz, The original Kurtz, Mistah Kurtz

Kurtz fills the thoughts and emotions of everyone who speaks of him, a man who once threatened to shoot the Russian over a small lot of ivory and could do so, having nothing on earth to prevent him. He suffers, hates what he has become, and yet cannot get away, disappearing for weeks into the villages to forget himself. His appetite for more ivory has got the better of his less material aspirations, and he has come down to the river much worse — a figure whose name rings in the air and pulls Marlow upstream.

The Russian

supporting

The Russian speaks of Kurtz with mingled eagerness and reluctance, his life filled and his emotions swayed by a man who once wanted to shoot him for a small lot of ivory. He gave up the ivory without a care but refused to clear out, begging Kurtz to leave while there was time, only to watch him say yes and then go off on another hunt. His devotion, offered without judgment, gives Marlow the first intimate portrait of Kurtz and makes the ruined house on the hill feel inhabited by something more than rumor.

Jove

minor

The chief accountant at the Outer Station, noted for his neat appearance.

Fresleven

minor

The previous captain of the steamer, killed in a dispute over hens.

Captain

minor

The Swedish captain of the steamer that takes Marlow to the Outer Station.

Van Shuyten

minor

Also known as old Van Shuyten

A trading company director who helped Marlow get his appointment.