The Last Disciple: Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness When a man's life is the sea he has much time to think about that life and who he really is or might be. In Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad introduces readers to two such men who are at different stages of their quest to find out who they are. The two men, Marlow and Kurtz, possess traits that are a little common to every man's life, and seem to be heading in a similar direction. The career Kurtz has made for himself is not one of admiration. Kurtz had been considered in the past to be an honorable man, but his exposure to the jungle and the evil within that jungle has turned him into a sick and evil man. Despite all of this Marlow maintains that "Kurtz was a remarkable man" (1480) and remains "loyal to Kurtz at the last" (1481).
English: The Thames river at Marlow, Buckinghamshi...
Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad (High Quality C...
Le vapeur “Roi des Belges” dans le Haut-Congo ...Marlow says this of Kurtz because he, like Kurtz, entered the Congo with what he believed to be good intentions, and even though he may see that Kurtz is doing the wrong thing he admirers him because in the end Kurtz has a revelation before his death in which he discovers himself and how horrible the duplicity of man can be.
As Marlow makes his journey up the river all he can think about is Kurtz. In this mission to find Kurtz, Marlow compares everyone he meets to him. As well as trying to find Kurtz, Marlow is in fact trying to find himself. As Kurtz continues he finds himself "getting savage" which implies that he was becoming more like Kurtz. Kurtz is a murderer, thief, persecutor, and worst of all he allows himself to be worshiped as a God. Marlow is...