Marlow meets the Director of the Company (or the “great man himself”, as Marlow sarcastically refers to him) only briefly, immediately after his encounter with the Fates. However, his description of the man is very telling. Marlow’s first impression of the Director is one of “pale plumpness in a frock coat” – the Director, then, appears to represent grotesque corpulence and greed, veiled by grandeur and gentility. This seems reflects the Company itself, a repugnant and mercenary operation disguised as a benevolent mission. Marlow also notes that the Director has his “grip on the handle end of ever so many millions”, a reference both to wealth and to people. Here, the Director becomes the figurehead of an operation that destroyed people’s lives senselessly, in order to gain a profit. I always found the Director a really useful and easy character to analyse, especially when making
a point about colonial greed and pleonexia.
