Why is Marlow so obsessed with Mr. Kurtz? (Read and Comment)

02/07/16
While I was reading the second chapter of Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, I noticed an increasingly obvious obsession in Marlow about meeting Mr. Kurtz as he was traveling along the river bank with the manager and pilgrims. Before this chapter, I didn't recall an incident where Marlow was this transfixed on the idea of meeting the chief. I even reread a few sections to see if this desire had been growing throughout the novel. Nevertheless, whether it had or not, Marlow grew desperate to "hear [the chief's] voice" after he had eavesdropped on the manger and uncle in the beginning of the chapter. After completing this portion of the novel, my question still stands as to why Marlow was so obsessed with Kurtz in the first place.
If you look at Marlow as a character, it's evident to see that he depicts both a rational and racist sense of morality. He understands the injustice of the African community but he doesn't understand that the Europeans are the ones causing this injustice. However, even though he demonstrates signs of a classic European man of that time, he does have a sense of compassion for the African people, which is demonstrated in the scene where the crazy black helmsmen died and Marlow said that he felt as if he lost a friend. This type of "kinship" he describes, isn't seen in any other worker of the company throughout the novel so far. Although Kurtz isn't brought into the novel yet, every time he's mentioned he is referred to in a negative connotation. This is why I have trouble seeing why Marlow would want to meet a man who portrays such a different mindset than his own.
Therefore, my question is: Why is Marlow so obsessed with Mr. Kurtz and what is Conrad trying to imply by making the two characters so different?
-Rachel Robutti (Group 6)