Marlow and Kurtz in Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

Marlow and Kurtz in Heart of Darkness Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness revolves around the enigmatic character of Kurtz, a renegade that has split from the authority and control of his organization, that wants to put a stop to his extreme measures and unsound methods (Coppola, 1979; Longman, 2000). As a result of Kurtz actions, the character of Marlow is sent to retrieve Kurtz from the desolate outback and as the reader we are lead through the involvement of a tension-building journey up the great river Congo. Along the way, Marlow is given bits of information about Kurtzs actions and finds that he himself identifies with, and becoming somewhat fond of the man. Their relationship and ending moments helps to bring about a†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, Kurtz abandons the pretense of helping the natives achieve civilization, as displayed by the Europeans. He instead adopts their customs and becomes their leader, and they his servants in the never-ending quest for ivory, He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of the supernatural beings- we approach them with the might as of a deity (Longman, 2000, p. 2226). Furthermore Marlow also admires Kurtz resourcefulness and survival skills, especially when he is shown to have not died from fever, The wilderness had patted him on the head....it had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own by the inconceivable ceremonies of some devilish initiation. He was its spoiled and pampered favorite. (Longman, 2000, p. 2225). When the boat is just short of Kurtzs outpost, it is attacked by the local natives- the siege ended up being benign, and Marlow the only one to realize this and keep his head, and the boat from running aground. This, coupled with Marlows resourcefulness in refurbishing the scuttled steamboat and his lack of involvement in the power struggles of the stations, as well as his refusal to condemn Kurtz based onShow MoreRelated Heart of Darkness Versus Apocalypse Now: The Death of Kurtz Essay816 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness Versus Apocalypse Now: The Death of Kurtz Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness to disguise his disapproval of European imperialism in the Congo. He describes the chaos and savagery found in the Congo to convince Europeans that they should stay out of Africa. Francis Ford Coppola made Apocalypse Now to disguise his disapproval of American involvement in Vietnam. 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