Kurtz--pgs. 46-47

Marlow assumes Kurtz is dead and goes on to say, "Now I will never hear him." He is most distraught, not by Kurtz's death, but by the fact that he will never get to hear Kurtz speak. Even though Marlow had never met Kurtz he still wanted to speak with him that badly. Kurtz is referred to as a "voice." This makes him seem somewhat unearthly and God-like. God is the only being that people believe in completely and from whom all they need is a word, not necessarily a sighting. This is how Kurtz is being characterized by Marlow. Marlow calls Kurtz's pre-eminent gift a "deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness." This gift is his ability to speak well. Marlow talks about Kurtz's words as if they can express anything. The "heart of darkness" in this section refers to Kurtz's heart, not the wilderness. However, the phrases used, "pulsating stream of light" and "deceitful flow" can also refer back to the ivory trade Kurtz so masterfully runs. The ivory is the light but all the lying and torture that occurs in the process would be the deceit. Also, the fact that Marlow calls it an "impenetrable" darkness makes it seem like there is no way out. Kurtz is set in his ways and can't be changed.