How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #25
"There was no sign on the face of nature of this amazing tale that was not so much told as suggested to me in desolate exclamations, completed by shrugs, in interrupted phrases, in hints ending in deep sighs." (3.4)
Nature is depicted in terms of nonverbal communication: "exclamations," "shrugs," "phrases," and "sighs." Each one suggests that Marlow’s tale is "desolate" or "interrupted," incomplete and perhaps unreliable.
Quote #26
"His [the harlequin’s] voice lost itself in the calm of the evening." (3.7)
Language is swallowed up and rendered meaningless by the African wilderness.
Quote #27
"Kurtz – Kurtz – that means short in German – don't it? Well, the name was as true as everything else in his life - and death. He looked at least seven feet long." (3.9)
The meaning of the German word "kurtz" is contradicted by reality. Kurtz is not short but "at least seven feet long." This demonstrates the divorce between language and meaning here in the interior.