Heart of Darkness book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Part I

1. Should troubling signs make Marlow reconsider his Company appointment, or is continuing reasonable?
2. How might telling his own story shape the way Marlow presents his decision to join the Company?
3. What would you need to know before judging whether Marlow's appointment is an opportunity worth taking?
4. How do troubling signs before departure change what you expect from a voyage story?
5. Does the timing of the troubling signs matter more than their number when judging Marlow's decision to continue?

Meeting 2: Part II

6. What does the hungry crewmen's calm suggest about the difference between having needs and acting on them?
7. How should Marlow weigh overheard hostile plans when deciding whom to trust?
8. What should matter most when deciding whether to act on a warning found during an uneasy journey?
9. How do mysterious cries shape your expectations differently from overheard hostile plans?
10. Is calm under hunger necessarily a sign of restraint, or could it mean something else?

Meeting 3: Part III

11. When a sick man tries to escape his rescuers, who should decide what counts as help?
12. Does a devoted admirer's account of violence deserve more trust because of that devotion, or less?
13. How should revelations of violence and deception affect our judgment of Mr. Kurtz's power?
14. What might devotion allow an admirer to see clearly, and what might it make harder to judge?
15. How does the sick man's attempted escape complicate the difference between rescue and control?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.