Kurtz as Enigma

The enigma of Kurtz fueled Marlow’s desire to continue on his journey. Kurtz unknowingly cast a spell on Marlow from the first time his name was mentioned. Marlow was intrigued by Kurtz because he saw him as a “gifted creature” in the sense that he had the ability to talk; “the gift of expression, the bewildering, the illuminating, the most exalted, and the most contemptible, the pulsating stream of light, or the deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness.” Kurtz established a name for himself in the business of collecting and bartering ivory through a variety of questionable means. It is amazing how Marlow was enthralled simply by the very idea of him. Marlow admired Kurtz because he was real and stood out from the other workers. The Company’s workers on the other hand, blamed Kurtz for all of the problems they encountered.
I imagined Kurtz as a robust man with a powerful presence that could be felt everywhere he went. But by the time the crew of the Nellie reached the station, Kurtz appeared gaunt and sickly. In fact, his ribs and bones were sticking out of his body and he looked like an “animated image of death,” according to the narrator.
I think that Marlow was drawn to Kurtz because he symbolized the rejection of certain conventional European ideals of the time. Marlow was excited to meet this legendary and mysterious man. Kurtz isolated himself from the rest of society and in doing so, was forced to live a modified lifestyle. This lifestyle ultimately took a toll on his health; he struggled with numerous external and internal conflicts and his poor soul “knew no restraint, and no fear.”
Marlow made a decision to side with Kurtz and stood up for him numerous times. He called Kurtz a remarkable man in front of the Manager who despised him. By siding with Kurtz, Marlow chose the nightmare that was filled with even more uncertainty and emptiness. He was ostracized by his peers and was looked upon as a traitor. But Marlow’s decision was not clear cut, for he still struggled with thoughts of putting an end to Kurtz’s life. I honestly can’t decide if Marlow was a genius for seeing something in Kurtz that I overlooked or that was out of my comprehension, or if the story was intended to be ambiguous.
Before I finish the book, I am left battling several questions- Does Kurtz’s desire to be remembered and have Marlow carry on his legacy signify a change in Kurtz’s character? Kurtz lived his life in partial isolation from European society and the ideals he was supposedly against. If he spent his life rejecting this way of life and the types of people associated with this lifestyle, why would he want/expect to be remembered by future generations of similarly-minded people?
posted by Leslie P.