We finally meet Kurtz in the last part of Heart of Darkness and the first question that came to my mind after hearing about him and seeing him is: Why does the Russian man admire him so much? His loyalty is unquestionable and he would do anything for Kurtz no matter what Kurtz did to him. Then I realize that his ability to talk and connect with people is that makes him such an incredible character and so important for the book and Marlow himself.
It seemed to me that Kurtz had accomplished what he came for and followed his writings in the pamphlet. He was a God for the natives and was worshipped by them; as a matter of fact he was worshipped by everyone who knew him closely. Everyone who had listened to him admired him and all of his faults seemed insignificant next to his ideas and visions.
This great man was consumed by darkness, though, and the wilderness has taken its toll, changing him immensely. Marlow described that very well in one sentence: “But the wilderness had found him out early, and had taken on him a terrible vengeance for the fantastic invasion.” He became one with the darkness and it guided him in his ways. He couldn’t survive without it anymore and died when he was ripped away from it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
That quote that you mentioned is great. I feel that not only does it represent what happened to Kurtz as a character but in terms of imperialism as well. I feel like countries that are imperialistic suffer from dark consequences, not only from those they are controlling but those who may not agree with it. They also become consumed with ideas and greed and lose themselves, it's revenge for their actions in a way. They get more than they bargained for and it's not anything good.
ReplyDeleteI like how you compared the darkness with Kurtz's death. It's also interesting that you think that it is the wilderness that also took a toll on Kurtz. I was too caught up thinking about this "darkness" as a whole, that Marlow always spoke up, rather than just the fact that Kurtz has left civilization to live in the wilderness. I guess it's not only the the big move for Kurtz but the darkness as well which explains all this insanity put on a man.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about Kurtz and how the darkness influenced him. Because he remained in the darkness for so long he has reached the point where he can't survive without it. He was a crucial character who had a big impact on everyone who encountered him.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that the quote you mentioned is a great quote and does a good job at representing imperialism and Kurtz. I think Nicole is right about Kurtz' insanity being because of the darkness.
ReplyDeletei actually found marlows comment as very racist. he is explaining that imperialism is wrong, but he is saying that the westerners should avopid imperialism not for the freedom of the natives but because the wilderness is filled with misery and brings out the worst in people. i dont understantd why conrad describes the congo as the heart of darkness which has such a bad effect on people, like it did on kurtz when it's people like kurtz who brings the darkness to places like the congo because of their greed.
ReplyDelete