Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad in 1899, is the account of Charles Marlow’s journey along the Congo River into central Africa to retrieve Kurtz from the interior, where he is trapped and dying. Heart of Darkness looks into the immorality of imperialism and the Congo Free State and the harm caused by the careless exploitation of the native people. The Europeans that Marlow associates with in Africa are motivated by self-interest only and their morals are questionable. The consequences of the European intrusion, illness, death and loss of humanity, are the natural result of wielding power in such a brutal, destructive way. The author, Conrad, wants us to see that the actions of the agents, and of those who practiced imperialism
…show more content…
He is described by many as intelligent and articulate. He is considered very successful because he brings in the most ivory and, therefore, the most money. For that reason, the Company values him very much, as do the accountant and the other agents. People who know him personally think that he is benevolent and wise. Marlow begins to admire him greatly simply because so many people speak so highly of him. Kurtz is very ambitious and has achieved notoriety in the ivory trade by becoming the Company’s top trader. He built an empire of sorts, out in the wilderness, by getting the natives to serve him. He represented himself as a god to them and they worship him. With the help of “his” tribe, Kurtz raided villages for ivory, killing people if …show more content…
He finds himself in an ethical predicament after he develops admiration and loyalty to Kurtz, a man who had done horrible things to other human beings. His support and protection of Kurtz puts his life at risk with others who do not want to see Kurtz saved. Even though he starts out as a decent man who hates lying, Marlow ends up lying more than once to protect Kurtz’s reputation. He lies to Kurtz’s fiancé, allowing her to believe that he died a great man and, he also lies when he removes the incriminating message that Kurtz had written at the end of his
He is described by many as intelligent and articulate. He is considered very successful because he brings in the most ivory and, therefore, the most money. For that reason, the Company values him very much, as do the accountant and the other agents. People who know him personally think that he is benevolent and wise. Marlow begins to admire him greatly simply because so many people speak so highly of him. Kurtz is very ambitious and has achieved notoriety in the ivory trade by becoming the Company’s top trader. He built an empire of sorts, out in the wilderness, by getting the natives to serve him. He represented himself as a god to them and they worship him. With the help of “his” tribe, Kurtz raided villages for ivory, killing people if …show more content…
He finds himself in an ethical predicament after he develops admiration and loyalty to Kurtz, a man who had done horrible things to other human beings. His support and protection of Kurtz puts his life at risk with others who do not want to see Kurtz saved. Even though he starts out as a decent man who hates lying, Marlow ends up lying more than once to protect Kurtz’s reputation. He lies to Kurtz’s fiancé, allowing her to believe that he died a great man and, he also lies when he removes the incriminating message that Kurtz had written at the end of his