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Fiction

Notes Kurtz is a possible source of this enlightenment, and he thus is the most powerful figure in
the story, even though he does not appear until the end.
The author is setting forth a challenge: rather than directly describing Kurtz, he provides
various clues that we must piece together in order to understand who Kurtz is. The first
conversation that the Russian has with his mentor, about “everything” in life including love,
points to a man who is sensitive and introspective. Kurtz speaks in civil and savage tongues.
His eloquence is his forte because it disguises his darkness from people like the Russian. The
woman back in Europe who mourns for him speaks of a generous heart, a noble mind, and
greatness. The impressions of these two people, however, strongly contrast with the opinion
of people such as the Manager, who says that Kurtz was unethically gathering ivory by
inciting locals to violence.
Marlow must stand in for the reader’s perspective. From what he sees and reports, the reader
can infer that all such accounts are true. Yet Marlow does not see Kurtz as evil for his actions
toward the natives because of his intentions. People such as the Manager truly care only about
fulfilling an ivory quota and becoming wealthy. While Kurtz is certainly consumed with his
search for ivory (his face and body are described in terms of this precious resource), Conrad
does not provide any evidence that Kurtz is concerned with the material aspects of ivory: his
house and existence are extremely simple, despite all of the ivory he has recovered. If money
and fame were the only things important to him, he could have returned to England long ago.
The Russian states that Kurtz “would lose himself among the people.” The staked heads
around his home demonstrate a lack of restraint “in the gratification of various lusts.” They
are necessary for a man with a great appetite. Apparently, the time in the African Congo has
been a time of letting go for Kurtz, a time in which passions and appetites become unbridled,
and in which the past no longer matters.
This is a type of traveler’s sickness. The image of Kurtz on his deathbed is of his opening his
mouth wide, giving him a “voracious aspect” as if he wants to absorb and swallow everything.
His need to plan and consume, however, has consumed his mind and spirit. It is a remarkable
case of colonialism gone awry: “the wilderness had found him out early, and had taken on
him a terrible vengeance for the fantastic invasion.” Curiosity that leads to exploration can
also lead, tragically, to a loss of self. Herein lies a sociopolitical message, a caution against
trying to control something that is not originally a part of you, lest it control you. Expressing
oneself in a new environment can mean the loss of one’s earlier self.

Marlow does not condemn Kurtz because he pities him, sympathizing with his tortured existence.
The moment when Marlow stands between Kurtz and the horned, demonic-looking man is
critical. This figure symbolizes the death and darkness of Kurtz, and he only turns away from
complete desolation because Marlow is there to help him back. Despite the circumstances,
however, there is an undercurrent of history that makes Kurtz’s death seem karmic. The
devotion shown to him by the natives illustrates an almost reciprocal relationship between
them. While it is most likely that they help Kurtz without understanding the material benefits
behind the ivory, it is clear that Kurtz enjoys being a part of them as much as they enjoy
having him there. He is definitely the least biased character in the whole book, which speaks
highly for him in the eyes of a modern reader. Unfortunately, he loses himself and detaches
from everything earthly. Kurtz’s soul has broken forbidden boundaries because it only concentrated
on itself.
Kurtz dies painfully both because his obsessive tasks were not complete and because his soul
has been sold. The “horror” he pronounces on his deathbed is a judgment on how he has lived
his life. We can definitely see Kurtz’s demise as a possible end for Marlow if he had not left
the Congo. As it was, the wilderness was already creeping and merging into his psyche, and

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