HOD #3

"‘Hm’m. Just so,’ grunted the uncle. ‘Ah! my boy, trust to this—I say, trust to this.’ I saw him extend his short flipper of an arm for a gesture that took in the forest, the creek, the mud, the river—seemed to beckon with a dishonouring flourish before the sunlit face of the land a treacherous appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart. It was so startling that I leaped to my feet and looked back at the edge of the forest, as though I had expected an answer of some sort to that black display of confidence. You know the foolish notions that come to one sometimes. The high stillness confronted these two figures with its ominous patience, waiting for the passing away of a fantastic invasion" (Conrad 104-105).

At this point in the novel, Marlow and the other native are making their journey to Kurtz's station in the heart of the forest. When this quote is being said, Marlow is hiding in his boat when the Manager and his uncle are talking. I liked this particular quote because it seems as if Conrad wanted to personify the forest, making it seem like some sort of evil force and person. Here, it seems as if the uncle was calling to the evil hidden in the dark forest, calling it out to bring death to the station, and all the men. I also took away from the quote that it seems as if the forest does not want these white men coming in and taking its possessions, and wants them to leave.The part of the quote that says, "The high stillness confronted these two figures with its ominous patience, waiting for the passing away of a fantastic invasion" says that jungle remained still, as if it were waiting for the men to leave. It almost seems as if the jungle is aware of imperialism, and is trying to fight back in a way.