Kurtz's Paradox In Heart Of Darkness

It is dense. The jungle is dense with vegetation, mystery, and sorrowful whispers. The diction is dense with superfluous adjectives that sit heavily on the page, combining with the use of visual imagery to create a haunting image of Africa. The incidents that Marlow experiences with the natives and the Company are dense with racial tension and a deeper realization of their humanity. Marlow takes us on an expedition deep into the Congo that clearly reveals the dark side of the human conscious. And this heavy journey that Marlow takes is deeply impactful, not only for himself, but for the reader.

We are faced with a story of revelation, horror, but also great contradiction; Why does the Company enslave the people it claims to be enlightening?

Throughout his journey to the heart of darkness, Marlow becomes increasingly aware of the unfair practices that exists in the Company's territory. He slowly becomes disgusted with the inhumane treatment of the natives, even if he doesn’t fully see them as equals. When the harlequin calls them rebels, he is outraged: “I shocked him excessively by laughing. Rebels! What would be the next definition I was to hear? There had been enemies, criminals, workers—and these were rebels,” (98). He even goes so far as to say that “Mr. Kurtz was no idol of mine,” (97). Yet, after meeting Kurtz, Marlow becomes infatuated with his every word. "Kurtz was a remarkable man," Marlow says, because he "had something to say" and he just "said it" (48). Marlow admires Kurtz’s ability to act on his deepest impulses without much restraint. But these impulses are the same thing that disgusts Marlow. Marlow’s paradox is in his realization of the humanity in the natives, and admiration for Kurtz.

Marlow idolizes Kurtz because he cannot differentiate himself from him. Both men fall victim to the spell of the wilderness, although each choose a different path. What scares Marlow is how easily he could’ve chosen to become a barbarian like Kurtz and abandon his naive view of humans as basically equal. Marlow’s paradox of intention is yet another layer Conrad creates to distance himself from the plot. By making Marlow empathetic with Kurtz, the reader is forced to consider him as something other than a