How Does Kurtz Present The Evil In Heart Of Darkness

Despite how colonialism initiates the darkness within men, and it manifests itself in the treatment of natives, there is no greater character in Conrad’s story that exposes just how a journey into Africa, can quickly turn a man of good values into a dark savage, than the incomprehensible Mr. Kurtz. Throughout the beginnings of the novella, the reader only hears about Kurtz through Marlow and what others tell him. He is depicted as a man of countless abilities, and the star agent of the Company. He brings in more ivory than all the other stations combined. Everyone agrees that he is ambitious, charismatic, eloquent, and destined for greatness. However, as much as Kurtz may represent the supposed genius of colonialism, the reader eventually finds …show more content…
One of the first depictions of Kurtz, that shows just how immersed he has become in his own souls darkness, is when Marlow comes upon Kurtz’s living quarters. At first, Marlow believes that the fence surrounding Kurtz’s home is nothing more than ornamental, however upon closer inspection he finds that the “knobs” on the fence are not actually knobs at all, but “heads on stakes”, whose faces have been turned to face the house. (pg. 57). Not only has Kurtz stooped low enough treat the natives as nothing more than objects, like the other men, but one could argue that he has completely lost it. Kurtz has not just fallen into the darkness of his soul, he has entirely plummeted head first and “taken his seat amongst the devils of the land” (pg. 49). Not only are there head of natives on poles, but the reader is informed that the natives who remain living believe that Kurtz is a god. He has taken the sickness of his soul and used it to take absolute control of the natives. He doesn’t want to bring them