Through the novella, I came to confront "Positive Revenge" through the idea of Kurtz's brave and insane embrace of Death. Why Insane? Because it is against every biological imperative of survival that is programmed into our physical being. And this is our very natural reaction and aversion to death which later, I shall reveal to be but an anti-climatic and lackluster phenomenon.
Of Death, there are many kinds but the two of the gravest importance to me are of Physical Death (where we become null and inactive agents) and the Death of the Ego (symbolised as Kurtz when he willingly steps over the edge as opposed to the "Hesitant Foot" that Marlow presents. Indeed, Marlow still seeks to preserve himself, to still hope for benefits to himself and lacks the conviction.)
Conrad writes of the lackluster and anti-climatic struggle that we pit against Death.
Why is this the case? Because for all that we resist and run away from, death is pre-determined and indeed it is within our very nature itself to perish. In turn, in our escapism, we prioritize wrongly and place too much value on existence for its own sake. We drink at it as if it is a drug and forget that existence is nothing without deed and deed is nothing without death.
When our perishable Ego perishes, Legacy of deed is then all that is left. These are the forces that are set into motion by us and that which can exist into infinity. It is through our deed/s that we set our feet firm and renounce ourselves as "mere playthings of time". As shown through Kurtz's lover (which his death is almost continuous, never withdrawn from her by the passage of time), we should not be prone to forget, to get waylaid by obstacles and not prone to tire under the passage of time. True enough, our love for the good will ensure the execution of our deed/s and their persistence even after our deaths.
Of the phenomenon of Death, various factors come into play. First, I mention of "That which kills" and argue that from colorful and loud agents of death come great possibility for beautiful Positive Revenge.
The agent of Death can deliver its act as according to various reasons. It may be of chance. To which I stress the importance of actively seeking to enact Positive Revenge with every precious moment before the random executioner comes to rest on us its cleaver. That which kills can also come upon us out of carelessness and non-intention. Lastly, it may be of agenda. This is most often the case whereby the agent has knowledge of the consequences of its actions but still chooses the course of action nonetheless.
The second factor in the phenomenon of Death is the process by which the Ego comes to pass and becomes the deceased. The measure of a man is how he acts in Pain as opposed to Pleasure. Why is this so? This is because it is always easier to give of oneself and rise above oneself in a privileged position of pleasure (of satisfaction, adequacy and possible abundance) but only in pain, can we determine if the man is able to possess conviction and purpose, to rise above and beyond the innate drive for self-preservation. Will he persevere to make meaning of his existence and to leave a mark of infinity? Many great men have done so, Socrates, Jesus and Gandhi.
The last factor of the phenomenon of Death is the audience (immediate and extended). We come to consider the effects of the death of the Ego on the audience. How has Positive Revenge affected the audience? Sad to say, many of us remain trapped in our immediate human sphere of concerns and would not be able to learn value from the act of Positive Revenge if we do not consider of the loss of things (even people) that are of no apparent value to them. We do not consider of others in such a manner because we do not see the stark reality of us being a family of man and instead focus predominantly on our kin. Reflection and moral education is then brought about if there are spiritually mature individuals to make light of the Positive Revenge of the deceased. Through the colorful nature of the process of death, personal moral education and reflection can also be brought about.
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