Heart of darkness what was kurtzs paper about

What one man thinks is genius, another could think is ridiculous. Conrad may be commenting on human perceptions in this case.

There are other accounts of Kurtz that also go radically against the image that is shown to the readers. Instead, his role is a series of images constructed by others.

The Belgian journalist offers another image of Kurtz. To him, Kurtz was a brilliant politician and leader of men. Everyone seems to have taken something different from Kurtz and he has affected all of their lives differently.

She obviously had no idea that he was having an affair with a native woman in Africa. It is not clear why Marlow did this, but perhaps he did this in order to protect the reputation and memory of Kurtz.

Whatever the case, it seems that all these people hold different memories of Kurtz. This is either due to differences in perception or else Kurtz was a master at giving people what they wanted or needed to see. It appears that perhaps none of them actually knew him. He affected all different people because he represents to each individual what they would like to see in themselves.

It is also possible that Kurtz changed while he was working in the Congo. The nature of the jungle itself must have played a role in changing the mentality of Kurtz. Marlow seemed to lose his sensitivity while on the river. There is no indication that Marlow was an insensitive man, but rather curious and caring. The reason he wanted to go to the Congo is to explore the white areas of the map of Africa. It is surprising, therefore, that when his helmsman gets killed by some natives, he simply brushes him aside.

He immediately changes his socks and shoes and instead of lamenting the death, he is upset that he lost a new pair of shoes. Perhaps the darkness of the jungle has a similar affect on all people. Freud could be wrong. He posts the heads of rebels on spikes outside his office and has somehow, it is not stated how, convinced the native tribes to worship him as if he is a god.

Removing book from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title. Are you sure you want to remove bookConfirmation and any corresponding bookmarks? My Preferences My Reading List. Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad. Her sentimentality begins to anger Marlow, but he holds back his annoyance until it gives way to pity. She says she will mourn Kurtz forever and asks Marlow to repeat his last words to give her something upon which to sustain herself.

She responds that she was certain that this was the case. Kurtz, in fact, seems to have been all things to all people—someone who has changed their life and now serves as a kind of symbolic figure presiding over their existence.

The fact that he shares Kurtz with all of these overconfident, self-important people, most of whom will never leave Brussels, causes Kurtz to seem common, and less profound. He is unsure whether his version of Kurtz has any value either as a reflection of reality or as a philosophical construct. She is a repository of conservative ideas about what it means to be white and European, upholding fine-sounding but ultimately useless notions of heroism and romance.

Suddenly, the Inner Station comes into view, somewhat decayed but still standing. A white man, the Russian trader , beckons to them from the shore. He wears a gaudy patchwork suit and babbles incessantly.

He is aware they have been attacked but tells them that everything will now be okay. The manager and the pilgrims go up the hill to retrieve Kurtz, while the Russian boards the ship to converse with Marlow. He gives a brief account of himself: he has been a merchant seaman and was outfitted by a Dutch trading house to go into the African interior.

Marlow gives him the book on seamanship that had been left with the firewood, and the trader is very happy to have it back. As it turns out, what Marlow had thought were encoded notes are simply notes written in Russian.

The Russian trader tells Marlow that he has had trouble restraining the natives, and he suggests that the steamer was attacked because the natives do not want Kurtz to leave.

The Russian also offers yet another enigmatic picture of Kurtz.