Kurtz

Calvin, “Man is inclined towards chaos.” Joseph Conrad reveals this statement to be true through Charlie Marlow, the protagonist of his novel Heart of Darkness, in his search for Kurtz. Heart of Darkness accurately depicts Conrad’s message that civilization is merely a veneer that dis-alludes human savagery, as seen in Kurtz. As Marlow navigates the Congo, he is gradually introduced to Kurtz’s character and as he goes throughout his journey Charlie creates an idealized version of Kurtz. The more Marlow learns, the more enamored he is with the mystery that is Kurtz, yet when Marlow finally reaches his destination, he learns that Kurtz is merely a shadow of whom he once was. Kurtz’s descent from civilization can be witnessed through Marlow’s surroundings as he further declines into the jungle. When Marlow first appears in Brussels before departing for his journey, he describes the city as a sepulchre. This description of Brussels is significant because a sepulchre appears clean and morally sound, but underneath it is not pleasant. Kurtz’s presence in society can be compared to that of a sepulchre as well. On the surface Kurtz…

charismatic individual, like how Marlow met Kurtz, and begin to obsess over that person instead of something that reminds them of home. For Marlow in Heart of Darkness, his complexity grows as he transitions from obsessing over the end of his journey, to obsessing over Kurtz and what Kurtz means for himself; as his obsession transitioned, it motivated him to continue his journey to the Inner Station and leaving the Congo with Kurtz. At the start of his journey, Marlow initially obsessed…

In Joseph Conrad’s Heart Of Darkness, the main character Marlow, a young Englishman, leaves home with the intention of becoming a steamboat captain, but eventually starts on a quest perusing Kurtz, a famous and charismatic ivory trader who is known for his eloquence. While he succeeds, his journey led him into the heart of darkness, and is changed for the worse and is left with a corrupted moral compass. However through facing Kurtz, he saw the evil within himself and was able to change. While…

The Archetypal Lens of Good vs. Evil in Heart of Darkness In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad focuses on the main characters of Marlow, the story’s narrator, who recounts his journey into the interior of the Congo, and Kurtz, an ivory trader, who is shrouded in mystery as Marlow is eager to meet him. Through the archetypes of the hero’s journey and shadow, both Marlow and Kurtz become deeply affected by their setting, which illuminates the theme of good versus evil. Throughout Heart of Darkness,…

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is one of the most known novels in English literature. The story begins when Marlow, who works for a Belgian company, went on a journey to the heart of Africa as a steamship captain. Through his journey, he heard the name of Kurtz for the first time. Then the name repeated many times which made Marlow, who is our narrator in addition to another unknown narrator, interested to know about Kurtz. Kurtz works for the company as an ivory trader in the Congo which was…

conflict his own (Conrad 34). His office is also acting as the infirmary putting him in the presence of a deathly ill native, and he complains that man’s dying cries affect the quality of this work. He is cruel to the Africans because to him they are disposable, not human beings. These actions illustrate a man devoid of compassion for the inferior race and Marlow is conflicted by his noble appearance and heartless attitude which proves that the darkness can invade any man no matter the class.…

compared to a man named Kurtz who works for the company, too. Marlow looks forward to meeting him as they travel on the river to the inner station where he works. However, Marlow begins to see the truth behind what the company is doing and he recognizes the corruption of those on the inside. When he finally meets Kurtz in the inner station, he turns out to be crazy and corrupt like the rest of the company. Conrad uses Kurtz as an example of what could happen to Marlow if he is…

How the theme Colonization is shown in the novel the “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad? The novel “Heart of Darkness” is a story about Africa mainly Congo which was colonized by European. The story is narrated by a man called Marlow who goes to Congo as a Stream boat caption. Here Conrad describes the Europeans secret evil of colonialism and their approach to exploit natives. Colonization can be seen through Marlow’s eyes the way European are treating the Natives and the treatment of natives…

Conrad interprets the overwhelming of power through a character he presents called Kurtz. Kurtz was a very pristine individual. The story line starts in the deep jungles of Africa with Mr. Kurtz. He has business to attend to but when he was located in Marlow he was not himself. Conrad portrays Kurtz to be this very intelligent English high class person. ”Incidentally he gave me the understanding that Kurtz had been essentially a great musician. ‘There was the making of an immense success.”…

His gain of this godlike status isn’t even explained, but it is evident that he is superior to the natives. Foucault explains this strange occurrence by stating, “No one, strictly speaking, has an official right to power; and yet it is always excited in a particular direction, with some people on one side and some on the other. It is often difficult to say who holds power in a precise sense, but it is easy to see who lacks power.” Even in his dying state, Kurtz tries to be a powerful man, but he…