Kurtz

Satan in his own way. Mr. Kurtz, a leading character in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is the prime example of the white devils in Africa, following the pattern set out by John Milton for a perfect Prince of Darkness in Paradise Lost in his portrayal of Satan to a point. Their characteristics and motivations are paralleled in almost every sense, differing only in the backdrop and in the ends that these characters meet. Once the similarities between Satan and Mr. Kurtz start, they never seem to

The Role of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness In the novel, Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is a very unusual antagonist. Kurtz is so unusual because he is not presented in a normal way. The way Kurtz is presented to the narrator is through stories. So, throughout the whole beginning of the book the only thing the narrator knows about Kurtz is from the stories that people are telling about him. And the stories that are being told about Kurtz is that he is in charge of a trading post in Africa that sells ivory

The Downfall of Kurtz Enveloped within Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Kurtz fails for many reasons and in many ways. Kurtz's failure is especially tragic because he once had the potential for great success. He was an eloquent, powerful, and persuasive speaker who at one point was adored by all the inhabitants of the heart of darkness, the great and mysterious jungle. Everyone from the innocent natives to the administration of his corrupt company was in awe of him. Why then, did someone with

Kurtz Bone Structure Physiology Sex: “’You can’t judge Mr. Kurtz as you would an ordinary man,’” (51). “’He was a remarkable man,’” (69). “’The last word he pronounced was—your name,’” (71). Commentary: Kurtz’s position as a male plays a key role in his place as a leader. In this time frame, women were not respected as much as men; therefore, Kurtz would have had basically no intimidation power had he been a woman. Appearance: “’The wilderness had patted him on the head, and, behold, it was

readers of how one man can be both traits. Kurtz is essentially shown as a character with primarily good and bad qualities, depending on what side is seen by others. The contradiction is important to the novella because it helps readers ponder how one man can be so brilliant yet so awful, and be successful in hiding the truth from others. Conrad intends for the contradiction between Kurtz’s two traits to happen, mainly to show how no one truly knows Kurtz as well as they

“harlequin” is devoted to Kurtz, although Kurtz does not reciprocate these same feeling, and he also learns that Kurtz spends the majority of his time with native Africans, raiding various villages for ivory. The man himself shows up, but is a contrast to the previous description of him; he is ghostly, bony and dying; his voice however, is penetrating and booming, and commands the actions of the natives around him. Moments later, a group of natives gather outside the cabin in which Kurtz has been place into

I will focus on the scene after Willard kills Kurtz, where he leaves the hut, machete in hand and sees hundreds of Kurtz’s followers bow to him on his way to the boat. Before he returns, he hesitates at the possibility of becoming Kurtz’s successor, however, decides to return to the small comfort and safety the boat gives him. Both protagonists are not just hunting Kurtz, but a longer search to understand evil and how it exists in all of us and able to be unleashed when the conditions exist. Thus

Marlow and Kurtz represent foils driven by the wilderness. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow and Kurtz have many similarities. Perhaps the most apparent and literal similarity is the likeness of their journeys. Both men journey farther and farther into the African jungle. Kurtz, however, is driven to

Marlow’s Moral Decision to Lie Unlike Kurtz, Marlow’s ability of self- restraint allowed him to leave the jungle unchanged. Even after meeting Kurtz, a man with a “heart of darkness,” and after facing his own heart of darkness, Marlow came out of the jungle unchanged. Kurtz was not able to do this because he lacked restraint. Marlow left the jungle as good human, with feelings, and a sense of right versus wrong. It is obvious that Marlow left the jungle unchanged when the reader reads his thoughts

the cries of the natives seeing the steamer amidst a brief fog lift (Conrad 44). "Poor fool! He had no restraint, no restraint . . .a tree swayed by the wind," speaks Marlow of a slain helmsman amidst an attack by tribal savages (Conrad 52). "Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts," says Marlow a few moments after he tells of his first glimpse of