Kurtz in Heart of Darkness - Essay Example

In becoming part of the uncivilized world, Kurtz surrenders the so-called ‘civilizing’ mission with which allegedly he embarked on. The real agenda of the journey to the Dark Continent is revealed by Marlow: “To tear treasure out of the bowels of the land was their desire, with no more moral purpose at the back of it than there is in burglars breaking into a safe” (Conrad 81). This essay presents a sociological criticism of Joseph Conrad’s Hear of Darkness, particularly in relation to the character of Kurtz.

The fundamental conflict in this novel stems from a dual objective; Conrad aims both to promote the traditional Victorian moral ideals and to articulate his fears about the impending 20th-century tragedy — the irrepressible rise of propaganda. This disagreement between the promotions and the apprehensions is most thoroughly shown in the relationship between Kurtz and Marlow. The novel is somewhat visionary. Prior to the world wars that would contribute to the growth of propaganda, Conrad already revealed in the novel that the imprecision of truth influences his capability to differentiate his own literary work from propaganda.

The novel enters both ends: the collapsing dividing line between truth and lies in the hesitant allegiance of Marlow to Kurtz and the appearance of the expert propagandist in Kurtz’s character. All interpretations of the novel should consider the important relationship between Kurtz and Marlow, and the propagandistic medium helps explain the reasons for the hesitant support of Marlow. Marlow’s search for Kurtz turns out to be a pursuit of the truth. At first, Marlow views Kurtz as a noble man because he believes that Kurtz has done something that no man would be willing to do, that is to stay behind in a world of hardships and forget about the comforts of a European lifestyle.

But Conrad showed here that Marlow’s noble opinion of Kurtz is nothing more but an outcome of an elaborate propaganda. Kurtz, who actually symbolizes European greed for profit, is publicized as a man of valor and as a missionary whose sole purpose is to carry out the ‘civilizing’ mission. Eventually, when Marlow gets hold of the truth about Kurtz real intentions, Marlow strongly refuses to name Kurtz as his ‘idol’. Marlow here symbolizes the public. He is immersed into a world of lies in order to discourage him from going against the real order of things.

But the truth eventually revealed itself to Kurtz. Marlow and almost all of the people around Kurtz are brainwashed into believing that Kurtz should be admired for his quest for dominance and ivory. Brainwashing is one of the most potent instruments of propaganda. The way these people view Kurtz with reverence sheds light on the insincerity of the ‘civilizing’ ideals. In a time inundated by propaganda, the quest for the truth is constantly at risk of being invited by entities outside an individual’s control, like Marlow and the company people.

In spite of their anger, fears, and doubts, are still working for the company that savagely exploits the African people. Kurtz is an epitome of barbaric savagery. He perpetrated several acts of atrocities and brutality like impaling the rebels’ heads and putting them around his station. These kinds of savagery were witnessed by Conrad himself. As Marlow stated, “