Throughout the novel, Heart of Darkness, the character of Mr. Kurtz haunts Marlow endlessly. He is a very mysterious man who is supposedly ambitious, but self-indulgent. Kurtz is obviously a very significant character since he actually has a name and not just a title. Thanks to the Russian man, we know that Kurtz is a powerful European white man who calls the shots and directs the civilization of the African natives. It is said that he must always act like a god, and give himself the reason to lead the "savage" people to the light and civilization. According to the harlequin, the natives worship Kurtz as the false god he puts himself out to be. The question is, if Kurtz has caused so much havoc and destruction amongst the natives and their villages for the sake of initiating the culture of the Europeans, then why do the Africans continue to praise him and refuse to let him leave?
There are several things that could contribute to this, but the one idea that is the greatest possibility in being the answer is found in the letter that was written by Kurtz. The idea he established emphasizing that the deity of the Africans are the European white men has clouded the minds of the natives causing them to believe that Kurtz is basically their savior. As far as some of the Africans know, he has broadened their minds and has made it possible for the natives to progress towards civilization, but in reality this advancement is non-existent. It is undetermined whether the natives worship Kurtz out of fear or admiration. Everything appears to be disguised so that the truth is not brought to the light remaining in the shadows. What is the true meaning behind the African native’s allegiance to a man who has pulled them from the light and into the darkness?
- Valentina Mejia
- Valentina Mejia
The true meaning behind the idolization of Kurtz is to show the embodiment of power. Kurtz was a puppet in the long hierarchy of power in the company but to the natives, he was all they knew. They were loyal to him because he was familiar. This was why they were shooting at the boat when Marlow and the pilgrims were headed towards the station. They were afraid Kurtz would die and they would be shifted into another source of power they were unfamiliar with.
ReplyDelete-Rachel Robutti
I would have to agree with Rachel's statement on the fact that the natives were actually loyal to Kurtz because his was the only white person they had known, he was the only one that regarded them. The natives knew that Kurtz was associated with the people who had been destroying and invading their homeland, but Kurtz in a way, tricked them in to thinking that this chaos was to help them, help them become civilized. Later, we realized that this was not true when Kurtz began to get more anxious and eager to find more Ivory and threatened to kill one of the people who praised and valued him as a leader. Even after being constantly walked over and belittled, the natives still do not want Kurtz to leave them.
ReplyDelete-T'Nia Tention
ReplyDeleteI love the phrasing of the second question because it’s something I have often wandered about while reading along. In my opinion, The Africans fail to realize the bad effects Kurtz has brought to their society because they are so invested in the idea that they are striving for a better society and also the fact that they want to be seen as a more advanced society like the Europeans so they choose to endure the acts brought upon them by this magnificent Mr.Kurtz in their eyes. Furthermore, it is directly stated that some native Africans raided villages with Kurtz out of admiration for him ( found in pg 93 of the pdf). The admiration paragraphs could be a direct answer to the question but that is only one answer to the question. - Alicia Cornejo