Why do the natives like kurtz

Kurtz, The Savior of the African Natives? 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.

I think the knowledge came to him at last—only at the very last" 3. So why do people still look up to Kurtz? We think they see in him the potential for greatness, along with charisma and ambition. And those qualities end up being Kurtz's legacy—not his madness and brutality. Is this Conrad's own condemnation of mankind's blindness? Buckle up, set the airbags, and put on your oxygen masks : we have one more big idea about Kurtz: He's the result of progress.

Think about it. Instead, he's suggesting that progress—moving into Africa, spreading Western culture—inevitably means taking part of the dark inside you. Want a fancy word for this? We call it dialectics.

What Kurtz shows us is that progress isn't good. In fact, it's horrific. In the nineteenth century, there was a general idea in Europe that history and cultures were evolving toward a better future. Western civilization was the pinnacle of human evolution, and eventually it was going to crowd out the darkness in other parts of the world.

Conrad didn't think so, but his objection wasn't the cultural relativism that makes us roll our eyes at that idea today. Today, we tend to see all cultures as valuable—different, sure, but equally worthwhile in their own way.

Saying that Western culture is the pinnacle of human evolution and that we have a duty to educate people all over the world strikes many people as a little presumptuous and even silly.

It didn't strike Conrad as silly. It struck him as terrifying. Through Kurtz, Conrad shows us that the true result of "progress" is madness and horror. Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Joseph Conrad. Previous Next. Kurtz Click the character infographic to download. What's Up With the Ending? Marlow remarks that "All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz," and Kurtz's very existence proves this to be true: Like the Europeans involved in enterprises such as the Company, he epitomizes the greed and lust running wild that Marlow observes in the Congo.

However, unlike the Company, Kurtz is not interested in his image or how he is perceived by "noxious fools" such as the Manager. While Brussels is a "whited sepulcher" of hypocrisy, Kurtz is completely open about his lusts. He tells the Manager he is "Not so sick as you'd like to believe.

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