Heart of Darkness - Section 5: Kurtz's Intended

When Marlow calls on Kurtz's Intended to speak with her, it appears as though she had forced herself to believe that Kurtz is the man of her dreams, and in doing so, she has turned her back on the true Kurtz.  Kurtz's Intended seems to have no idea that Kurtz becomes deranged during his time in the Congo.  She speaks nostalgically of her fianceé's admirability, as though she believes that he still has the charisma and gravitas that Marlow imagines Kurtz to have before actually meeting him (161).  She also describes Kurtz (or her impression of him) in greater detail than Marlow does.  It is as if she believes that she has been with him the entire time, when in fact Marlow has seen Kurtz more recently and probably more intimately than she ever has.  However, she does not let Marlow guide the conversation about Kurtz.  She continually cuts Marlow's sentences short, finishing them with words Marlow would clearly not use, such as her claim that it is impossible not to love Kurtz if you ever meet him (161).  In this way, Marlow says that Kurtz's Intended "talked as thirsty men drink" (161).  By using this diction, Conrad gives the impression that Kurtz's Intended is searching frantically for descriptions of Kurtz that will make her more at ease about her feelings for him.  Since her neighbors evidently do not approve of her relationship with Kurtz, she feels the need to find a way to justify that relationship, namely through a man who actually has had a first person encounter with Kurtz.  She is scrambling for proof that her Intended was worthy of love, even if she has to prevaricate that proof herself.