Introduction
Characters represent the essence of the plot as their experiences and perspectives shape the attitudes of readers toward the story being told. Without characters and their development during the narrative, the story cannot progress. Thus, the characters of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness had to be memorable with their peculiarities to transfer the message that the author pursued, particularly showing the horrors of Western colonialism. The author used irony as a critical character presentation tool in order to describe the traits of the story’s characters. Within this approach, there is an implied contrast between what is being said and what it means. Among the characters of the story, Kurtz remains one of the most enigmatic and controversial, as he embodied both European imperialism and an assault on European values. The contradictory personality of Kurtz is fascinating to the story’s narrator and, thus, its readers, who can witness his perspective on imperialism change, leading to his inevitable demise.
Analysis
Although Kurtz is not the main character in Heart of Darkness and there is not much revealed about him by the author, the story does revolve around him. The unique presentation and role of Kurtz in the tale are constructed through the images and perspectives of him by others. What is known about Kurtz is that his mother was half-English, and his father was half-French, which comments on his European upbringing and good education that allowed him to develop into a bright and curious individual. In Conrad’s presentation, Kurtz was a painter, a journalist, a musician, a great conversationalist, as well as generally a great person who could win over the hearts of the natives.
Importantly, he was entrusted by the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs to make a report used for future guidance in socializing with African natives. Notably, the society for which Kurtz was to write a report is interpreted as a sarcastic reference to one of the Berlin Conference participants, the International Association of the Congo (Gathara). While the character presented himself as an intellectual who supposedly cared deeply about the life and rights of the natives, Kurtz wrote that White people “must necessarily appear to them [Africans] in the nature of supernatural beings – we approach them with the might as of a deity” (Conrad 45). This quote from his writing suggests that Kurtz’s perspective is far from being noble or that that allows for considerations of equal treatment or even humane treatment. Instead, he elevates himself to a god-like position, which shows that he is far from being tolerant and accepting of the natives. Such a characterization of Kurtz is a comment on the author’s criticism of the White savior complex that dominated the sociopolitical context at the time when the story was written.
Nevertheless, the position that Whites were superior to the savages was prevalent at his time, and Kurtz held the progressive view that the newcomers could save and civilize the natives. At the end of the novel, Kurtz is not afraid of expressing his dislike for the natives, calling to “Exterminate all the brutes” at the end of his pamphlet (Conrad 46). In such a juxtaposition lies the irony of the character – while he intended to play a constructive role in the study of the natives and the role of colonizers in their lives, he later contradicts his perspective. On a similar note, Kurtz intended to civilize the savages because he was one of the people with stronger moral restraint. However, the novel unravels in the opposite way because the character becomes the savage himself instead of civilizing the “brutes.”
However, in contrast to the innate imperialistic ideas to which Kurtz is found to adhere, others viewed them as an extraordinary human being capable of doing great things. For instance, his cousin shares with Marlow that Kurtz was an amazing musician and a humanitarian, even referring to him as a genius. The Belgian journalist agrees with such a characterization, adding that his acquaintance was a great leader and a politician, while Kurtz’s fiancé saw him as nothing more than a loving, caring, and devoted person. Obviously, the Intended had no knowledge of her fiancé having an affair with another woman. What sets Kurtz apart in the story is that he seemed isolated from society at the same time as being able to connect to many people. The irony of his character is that he only allowed others to see what he wanted them to see, thus not letting anyone get to know his true personality.
When Marlow is introduced to Kurtz by others, he is told that the latter was the kind of people needed for the enlightenment of such dark countries as the Congo. Being a man of high intelligence and wide sympathy, Kurtz was seen as the embodiment of a savior that would transform the lives of the natives. The irony in such a perception is that he did not share his true feelings about the Congo with others and preferred to hide behind a façade of righteousness that made everyone admire him. Thus, when coming to the “dark country,” he appeared to have high ideals and aspirations. However, his staying there tested his personality against the repressive powers of the wilderness and having to stay away from civilized society, and Kurtz failed that test. While betraying the sense of humanity in him, he also betrayed his moral ideas and reduced the natives to poverty and servitude, depriving them of their dignity and free will.
Throughout the development of the story, Kurtz, who started with high ideals and aspirations, reduced himself to a hollow character, and such a degradation may be a sign of his lack of restraint. Initially, he presented himself differently than he really was but having to live in a new environment brought out the most negative and controversial traits that Kurtz tried suppressing in himself. When living in the wilderness, there are no limits that can prevent the person from showing their true colors. However, this transformation shows that Kurtz was a daring individual because he chose to face adversity while others rejected the challenge of the dark wilderness.
Embedding himself into the lives of savages, Kurtz gains significant power and dominates them by being worshipped. He begins conducting the night rituals that end with the beheading of the savages for human sacrifice and consuming portions of the sacrificial victim. Such sacrifices can be viewed as a way of perpetuating his position as man-god (Reid 347). Importantly, Kurtz does not force himself as a dominator of the savages; instead, they have a natural awe for him, a temporary man-god that came in the form of a young and vigorous man. His being planned to be slayed by his worshipers illustrates the desire of the savages to summon all the good luck and prosperity that they associated with his persona. Until Kurtz is unaware of his pre-determined fate, he abandons all moral self-control and forgets the demarcation line between a savage and a civilized individual. While he goes to the Congo to transform the savages, he himself becomes transformed into a savage, which is the core irony of the novel.
The ultimate demise of Kurtz at the end of the novel is a full-circle moment that defines his character in the story. Being taken on a steamboat by Marlow and with severe jungle fever, “he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: “The horror! The horror!” (Conrad 68). This final cry represents the ultimate judgment of the adventures and changes that Kurtz had undergone while on Earth. He knowingly made himself the prisoner of greed and power. In Marlow’s eyes, the last words of his friend expressed some kind of belief. He acknowledges the fact that Kurtz was a remarkable man, and his final utterance, in Marlow’s eyes, had “candor, it had conviction, it had a vibrating note of revolt in its whisper, it had the appalling face of a glimpsed truth – the strange commingling of desire and hate” (Conrad 65). Thus, the ultimate words may be interpreted as affirmations of moral victory over the significant number of defeats that Kurtz had experienced in his life.
Conclusions
In the character of Kurtz, the readers can find the worst qualities of an imperialistic White man’s greed with a commercial mentality and a savior complex. The whole presentation of his character throughout the story’s development allows one to make a systematic conclusion about his nature and his role in the narrative. If one is to base their opinion of Kurtz using the comments and perspectives made by people who felt that they knew him, a wrongful conclusion about him will be made. It is only as the story progresses and Kurtz faces the challenges of having to endure the wilderness of the jungle his true character comes out, and he is no longer able to suppress his innate desires for power and wealth.
Because Conrad chose irony and sarcasm as the critical tools for commenting on social matters, it is quite ironic that the most prominent individual who was seen as a noble and talented man turned out to be the embodiment of White imperialism and colonialism. This irony heightens the degree of feeling and sorrow that readers experience when Kurtz undergoes his transformation. Irony persists even after his death, as his fiancé proceeds to believe that her lover was a noble and praiseworthy person or, as Marlow says, many kind words about Kurtz despite his true colors showing up. The people who had known Kurtz preferred to remember him the way they shaped his character in their imagination and perception. It is pretty common for humans to acknowledge they were wrong about someone, thus recognizing that they were fools. Kurtz is a perfect representation of a European man’s thirst to rule over others, even at the cost of sacrificing the basic principles of humanity.
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Dover Publications, Inc., 1990.
Gathara, Patrick. “Berlin 1884: Remembering the Conference That Divided Africa.” Aljazeera. Web.
Reid, Stephen A. “The “Unspeakable Rites” in “Heart of Darkness.” Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 9, no. 4 (1963-1964), pp. 347-357.