Analysis of Kurtz
(from Heart of Darkness)
(from Heart of Darkness)
A Young Adult’s Character Analysis
Written by DJ Hadoken
I recently played the role of Kurtz, who was to be put on the stand for a mock trial.
Kurtz is the primary antagonist in Joseph Conrad’s 1899 short fiction story, Heart of Darkness. He is the enigmatic commander of an ivory trading post that is located in the African Congo, who has devolved into a mad tyrant.
The “lawyers” in our mock trial desired to interact with a “reserved” Kurtz. Professional, healthy and above all, sane. Before playing the part, I took this into consideration as well as my “defense team” members’ suggestions and my own views of Kurtz.
One of my “defense team” members suggested that Kurtz should demonstrate to the jury that he was a good, loving and kind man (as well as charismatic). That he held strength and influence not only via his weapons and other technology, but that there was something within his character that also commanded respect.
I personally view Kurtz as an ambitious man. I believe that he belongs to a group of individuals who set goals in their lives and strive to achieve them. But in Kurtz’s case, not just any goal. I believe that Kurtz can be separated apart into a much smaller subgroup, a subgroup that sets their ultimate goal in life to be none other than “attain absolute power”.
In this case “absolute power” signifies attaining a position in life where one is the ultimate “alpha” individual, answering to nobody and commanding everyone. And this is not limited to the Congo, because we are presuming this to be a natural ambition Kurtz maintained from a young age.
I believe that Kurtz was a man who understood people and the way people think. This is why he was able to so easily sway the minds of those he encountered. This is why he was able to command the natives. To him, the people he encountered were tools he could utilize to reach his ultimate goal in life.
After considering how exactly Kurtz would have behaved and what circumstances led to his eventual downfall, I concluded that Kurtz at some point (perhaps right before he left to the Congo) was indeed a “good man”. The sole proof of Kurtz’s good nature can be found in how his Intended remained faithful to him (despite his lower social class) and accepted him.
I believe he was a man who earned the respect he received. Although he was not a wealthy man (in the sense of material possessions), he was a “wealthy” man because of the love and compassion he received from his Intended.
And I also believe that Kurtz was a victim of circumstance. He serves as an example of what even the strongest men can eventually succumb to in extreme conditions. The Congo proved to be a toxic environment for Kurtz’s natural ambitions.
Kurtz himself, of course, was unable to realize that the Congo was not the appropriate environment for him. Thus, I believe that he was able to maintain the strength of his influence until the very end, but failed at reaching his ultimate goal of “absolute power”.
His horror, I believe, was to see his own “achievements” vanishing before him. Yet at the same time, he was able to view exactly, truly, how far he had “made it”. He realized that he was at an existential “high point”, and would have continued if he had not been stopped.
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Dover Publications, 1990.
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