Heart of darkness why is kurtz sick

Come to think of it, everything we know about Kurtz is secondhand. So, let's start with what we do know. Kurtz represents a normal—if ambitious—man who realizes that to thrive in the Interior, he has to act like a god, someone who can lead these "primitive" people to the proverbial light and civilization.

But then greed gets in the way. His insatiable hunger for ivory drives him to make alliances and enemies among the native Africans, raiding village after village with the help of his African friends as he searches for ivory. The jungle has "got into his veins, consumed his flesh" 2. Maybe that's why Marlow tells us repeatedly that Kurtz has "no restraint" 2.

It's not as simple as "Kurtz goes to jungle; Kurtz becomes like native Africans; Heads on sticks ensue. The horror! See, Africans do have a sense of decency and restraint. Think of the cannibals who eat rotten hippo meat instead of attacking the pilgrims whom they outnumber five to one.

But not Kurtz. Kurtz has fallen a complete victim to the power of the jungle, has transformed into its "spoiled and pampered favorite. He's basically become a child, and not a nice one, either: a greedy, selfish, and brutal playground bully. Or as Marlow so beautifully says, the "powers of darkness have claimed him for their own" 2. Marlow ends up refining his obsession with Kurtz all the way down to one particular aspect: his voice.

He's not excited about seeing Kurtz or shaking his hand or talking about last night's Lakers game, he says—just hearing him talk. This little narrative interruption drives home just how important Kurtz's voice is. Now consider this: Marlow, sitting on the Nellie and telling his story in the pitch-dark, is explicitly described as "no more to us than a voice" to the men that listen 2. And then, When he finds an "appeal" in the "fiendish row" of the Africans dancing on shore, he negates it with the claim, "I have a voice, too, and for good or evil mine is the speech that cannot be silenced" 2.

So is this voice business merely another tool to establish connections between Marlow and Kurtz? If Marlow's voice is never silenced, what about Kurtz's?

The guy dies, after all. But are his last words resonant for us? Does Heart of Darkness end on a note of "horror"? The native Africans worship Kurtz like a god, even attacking to keep Kurtz with them. Previous Marlow. Next The Manager. Removing book from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title. Are you sure you want to remove bookConfirmation and any corresponding bookmarks?

My Preferences My Reading List. Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad. Then flies, the symbol of slow, mundane decay and disintegration as opposed to catastrophic or dramatic destruction , swarm throughout the ship, as if to mark the actual moment. Finally, the servant arrives to bring the moment to its close with his surly, unpoetic words. It is interesting to consider why T. Furthermore, an element of metaphorical contagion seems to be involved, as Kurtz transmits both his memory and his poor health to Marlow.

Unlike Kurtz, though, Marlow recovers. He does not slip into the deadly paradox of wanting to be both free of society and an influence on it, and he will not have to sacrifice himself for his ideas. Remaining loyal to Kurtz is best done by remaining true to his experience, and by not offering up his story to those who will misinterpret or fail to understand it.

Marlow keeps these principles in mind once he arrives in Brussels. His reasons for telling this story to his audience aboard the Nellie are more difficult to discern. Ace your assignments with our guide to Heart of Darkness! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. What is Kurtz doing in the Congo? Why does Kurtz go crazy?

What does Kurtz talk to Marlow about on the boat?