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Marlow ceased, and sat apart, indistinct and silent, in the pose of a meditating Buddha. (3.87)
By comparing Marlow to the Buddha, Conrad implies that there still is a core of goodness in him. Like the Buddha, he has been undoubtedly enlightened, but his knowledge is not a comforting one.
"The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky – seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness." (3.87)
Conrad closes the novel with the scene overshadowed by darkness, suggesting quite heavy-handedly that evil exists prominently in the world, and that the world is indifferent to its existence.