Kurtz spent the last years of his life among the natives of the Congo, he going to Africa with the intent to enlighten the natives. In his time there, he becomes a self proclaimed god, holding the power over the people of the Congo and imposing his will onto them through cruel punishments. An example of these punishments being the decapitated heads on stakes that decorate the space around home. These heads not serving any sort of purpose, the heads only showing that, “Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts” (Conrad 57). Kurtz’s blindness to his brutality towards the natives of the Congo is the core of his ignorance. It isn’t until the time of his death that he made aware of how, “uncivilized he had become and
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He being someone who would be on equal ground with Kurtz had Heart of Darkness taken place anywhere other than the Congo in a time of British Imperialism. The stories setting along with Kurtz’s ignorance lead to the Russian being treated harshly by the self-proclaimed god. However, blame is not on Kurtz and the environment alone, the Russian bringing on the harsh treatment with his idolization of Kurtz. The Russian man excusing Kurtz’s behavior towards the natives and even himself, “He declared he would shoot me unless I gave him the ivory and then cleared out of the country” (56 Conrad). Despite the threat of being killed the Russian continues to stay by his side, his infatuation with Kurtz blinds him and keeps him ignorant. This blindness does not allow him to pass any sort of judgment onto Kurtz because, “You can’t judge Mr.Kurtz as you would an ordinary man” (56 Conrad). The Russian, much like Kurtz, is able to see the error in what Kurtz had done to the people of the Congo. He eventually comes to the conclusion that Kurtz has been corrupted, but not by his own doing, the Russian believing that Kurtz , “had been corrupted by the very natives he had come to enlighten” (Wayne). Kurtz’s cruelty, ignorance and dreary death was brought by the
He being someone who would be on equal ground with Kurtz had Heart of Darkness taken place anywhere other than the Congo in a time of British Imperialism. The stories setting along with Kurtz’s ignorance lead to the Russian being treated harshly by the self-proclaimed god. However, blame is not on Kurtz and the environment alone, the Russian bringing on the harsh treatment with his idolization of Kurtz. The Russian man excusing Kurtz’s behavior towards the natives and even himself, “He declared he would shoot me unless I gave him the ivory and then cleared out of the country” (56 Conrad). Despite the threat of being killed the Russian continues to stay by his side, his infatuation with Kurtz blinds him and keeps him ignorant. This blindness does not allow him to pass any sort of judgment onto Kurtz because, “You can’t judge Mr.Kurtz as you would an ordinary man” (56 Conrad). The Russian, much like Kurtz, is able to see the error in what Kurtz had done to the people of the Congo. He eventually comes to the conclusion that Kurtz has been corrupted, but not by his own doing, the Russian believing that Kurtz , “had been corrupted by the very natives he had come to enlighten” (Wayne). Kurtz’s cruelty, ignorance and dreary death was brought by the