How do most characters describe Kurtz?
One of the most enigmatic characters in twentieth-century literature, Kurtz is a petty tyrant, a dying god, an embodiment of Europe, and an assault on European values. Kurtz is a dangerous man because he gives the lie to the Company’s “humanistic” intentions in the Congo. …
What kind of character is Kurtz?
Kurtz is a man who understands the power of words, and his writings are marked by an eloquence that obscures their horrifying message. Although he remains an enigma even to Marlow, Kurtz clearly exerts a powerful influence on the people in his life.
What does Kurtz represent?
Kurtz, one of the leading characters, the other being Marlow, the narrator of the soty, represents many symbols in the novel. Firstly, he symbolizes the greed and the commercial mentality of the white people of the western countries. Secondly, he symbolizes the white man’s love of power.
What is admirable about Kurtz’s character?
Kurtz is able, through his great charisma and ability with language, to affect men and cause them to admire him. He is also capable of incredible brutality, and has used his control over the native peoples in the jungle to enforce his role as dictator through fear and murder.
What does the Russian think of Kurtz?
He is naïve and innocent and believes Kurtz is a great man beyond any conventional morality. He even nursed Kurtz back to health on a number of occasions though Kurtz once threatened to shoot him. Of all the white men in the Congo, only the Russian refrains from trying to assert control over the jungle.
Why does Kurtz say the horror?
Kurtz’s last words—“The horror! These final words could also broadly symbolize the horror of Belgian (and European) colonialism. For Marlow’s part, he interprets the exclamation as Kurtz’s response to his impending death.
Why is Kurtz bad?
The primary antagonist in Heart of Darkness is Kurtz, whose descent into madness makes him the clearest embodiment of corruption and evil in the novella, and ultimately the character that fully disillusions Marlow in regard to European conquests. Marlow learns more about Kurtz the further he travels.
How did Kurtz treat the natives?
However, over the course of his stay in Africa, Kurtz becomes corrupted. He takes his pamphlet and scribbles in, at the very end, the words “Exterminate all the brutes!” He induces the natives to worship him, setting up rituals and venerations worthy of a tyrant. Kurtz dies on the boat with the last words, “The horror!
What was Kurtz doing in the heart of darkness?
What is Kurtz doing in the Congo? Kurtz goes to the Congo as an emissary for the Company, a Belgian operation that has set up stations along the Congo River to facilitate the export of ivory. Kurtz runs the innermost station, and he proves to be the Company’s most efficient exporter.
How does Kurtz treat the natives?
However, over the course of his stay in Africa, Kurtz becomes corrupted. He takes his pamphlet and scribbles in, at the very end, the words “Exterminate all the brutes!” He induces the natives to worship him, setting up rituals and venerations worthy of a tyrant.
What did Kurtz mean by the horror?
And now for those famous final words: “The horror! The horror!” (3.43). Marlow interprets this for us, saying that these words are the moment Kurtz realizes exactly how depraved human nature is—that his inability to exert even a shred of self-control is the same darkness in every human heart.
What does the Russian say about Kurtz?
The Russian makes a point of telling Marlow that he has had no medicine or supplies with which to treat Kurtz; he also asserts that Kurtz has been shamefully abandoned by the Company.
Character Analysis Kurtz. One of the most enigmatic characters in twentieth-century literature, Kurtz is a petty tyrant, a dying god, an embodiment of Europe, and an assault on European values.
What does Kurtz’s transformation prove about his character?
His transformation proves that for all of his talent, ambition, and moral ideas, he was hollow at the core. The Heart of Darkness quotes below are all either spoken by Kurtz or refer to Kurtz.
How is Kurtz introduced in heart of Darkness?
In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is first introduced by the accountant of the Company. As soon as Marlow arrives, the accountant informs him that he (Marlow) would meet Kurtz when he goes into the interior of the country. According to the accountant, Mr. Kurtz is a first class agent of the Company adding also that he is a very remarkable man.
What are some of the criticisms of Kurtz?
Kurtz can be criticized in the same terms that Heart of Darkness is sometimes criticized: style entirely overrules substance, providing a justification for amorality and evil. In fact, it can be argued that style does not just override substance but actually masks the fact that Kurtz is utterly lacking in substance.