Introduction:

It is a widely held belief that man is an animal that has the potential to do all sorts of things. Man can go to the extreme of civilized and learned individual – an angelic being. However, man can also go to the extreme of being a self conscious, pleasure seeking monster. Indeed, one can learn that there is a monstrous side to every innocent person on the face on the globe. In our time and age, such theories have attracted a lot of attention. Major Oxidental proponents of the monster self of man include Niccolo Machiavelli who promotes the use of fear as a tool of maintaining order with a monster like grip over people (Academon). Further, some points that Frederick Nietzsche put forward in his ‘higher man’ ideology also adhere to this conception. To explain a bit more, Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis also focuses around the concept of Id – a storehouse of evil and incarnate desires of man that have no leash whatsoever. Looking ahead, if one looks at the Oriental thinkers and theorists, a person that stresses upon the monster and self interested nature of man is Vishnu Gupta Kotlia Chankia.

Discussion:

Here, a monster personality endorsed by the thinkers mentioned in the previous paragraph will be analyzed. A character that is put forth by the work of Mr. Joseph Conrad through writing of one of the most acclaimed English literature: “The Heart of Darkness”. This novel is unlike the norm in the sense that it is similar to an elongated poem and affects the reader with the depth of ideas and the beauty of with the words are used and inspirations aroused (Topham). Mr. Conrad’s inspiration for the work basically comes from his own experience and time that he spent in the Africas and around Congo in particular. And it focuses around a person he met on that trip.

In the book this character he met is known as ‘Mr. Kurtz’. Initially portrayed as a prosperous and brilliant agent of a company that deals in ivory, Kurtz is depicted as a person that has all the symptoms of a great personality – he has charm, charisma, achievement orientation and hunger to succeed more and more. His skills have caused him to earn the reputation of an ivory trader who alones does better than the combined ranks of ivory stations. However, this has not been without a price. For through this exposure, Kurtz has been inspired more and more by the African laws of the jungle and this starts to morph his social image. This starts to give way to the monster within.

This is because before exposure to the wilds of Africa, Kurtz is depicted as an ordinary man. It is only after the exposure to the system of the jungle that a different personality starts to take over. The monster ego of Kurtz is a product of the trademark silence and unyielding ways of the native African traditions. Kurtz discovers with due course that if he wants to thrive frugally amongst these jungle tribes, he would have to do so with the impression of a powerful being i.e. God so he can change these people towards benefits and development.

However, as the content of Heart of Darkness unfolds, one finds that Kurtz does not realize that his path of leading the natives towards enlightenment would lead to the disintegration of his own civic sense. As his noble vision and Prophetic aspirations to lead and reform these people turn around his head and his own hunger and greed start to take over. For example, as an ivory trader, Kurtz finds he can succeed more if he acquires more ivory by source. Thus, Kurtz displays the monstrous tendency to ‘consume’ all that is possible. He does this by making alliances and enemies of many different tribes so as to maximize his diplomacy and ascendancy of his native teachings. Kurtz raids and razes villages in a blind rage of ambition to acquire more and more.

The obsession and closeness with his ambition can be seen where even the description of Kurtz involves aspects of ivory. For example, his head is given the similitude of an ‘ivory ball’ and his last words are said to come out of his ‘ivory face’. This tells us about the changes in Kurtz that have been the influence of his ambition coupled with environment. As Marlowe puts it, the jungle “got to his veins and consumed his flesh”. The character of Kurtz changes so much in the sight of Marlowe that Marlow identifies two distinct Kurtz – the Kurtz before entering the jungle and the Kurtz after entering the jungle.

Perhaps this is the reason the book stresses thrice that Kurtz’s problem is not just limited to the simple thought of a person going to jungle and having his psyche altered. What oiled and greased this transition of him becoming a monster was the tendency of ‘no restraint’. This makes him change by a large margin and at a very fast rate. Kurtz totally submits to the power and lure of the jungle which he sees is pampering and favoring him in a way that no one ever did. The monster is thus a mix of desires, self obsession, achievement and savagery. In the words of Marlow himself, the powers of darkness claim the character of Kurtz for their own.

Moreover, a thing that appeals most to Marlowe is Kurtz’s voice. This is because the character of Kurtz always presents itself as a voice. Here we find Kurtz giving us yet another example of a monster personality when he stresses that it is not possible to silence his speech or thought process (thus depicting the single mindedness found in monsters).

Further, Kurtz’s depiction as a God amongst the natives has its own consequences. Where the natives know white men are coming for Kurtz, yet, it cannot be said that it was Kurtz who ordered the attack or the natives themselves. So the God that Kurtz is thought of as does have certain limitations. The God is rather a monster that is well taken care of but on the same side also imprisoned by his worshippers. It is ironic that this monster can declare wars on other tribes and order the deaths of people, yet he cannot go away freely if he desires.

So what exactly is the case with Kurtz? How could such a bright and prosperous man fall prey to such lowly desires and at such a fast rate? Has Kurtz become less intelligent and submitted to his animal instincts? No! The intelligence is there but it is now being used by a different mind and soul. The intelligence is being used by the mind of a monster that has woken up in Kurtz.

This monstrosity also has the best of Kurtz as we see that the mental problem actually turns into a physical problem and Kurtz becomes sick and biologically diseased terminally. Further, the narrations also explain of how Kurtz has an empty soul. This shows how the wilderness has the capacity to extract the humanity out of a man and make him a monster. Even Kurtz final words are a result of horror about mankind.

Thus, one may ask that if Kurtz is look at as a person that is suffering and diseased why is it that this monster is still looked after as a demigod or God. The answer is simple. Kurtz as a monster is also a person that possesses the potential for more greatness, thus it is the achievement orientation and persistence of this monster, rather than the savagery and darkness of Kurtz’s monstrous inclinations that must be noted.

Conclusion:

Thus, Kurtz, is a perfect symbiosis of the ‘evil genius’ archetype of man. This evil genius is a monster that makes up for a dramatic degeneration of the nature of man. This degenerated character resembles the personas of Heathcliff from ‘Wuthering Heigthts’ and Ahab from ‘Moby Dick’ (Spark Notes).

Also, the character of Kurtz is referred to as hollow by Marlowe on more than one occasion. Even though this hollowness is to be considered a choice amongst two unfavorable options, it should not be considered harmless. Kurtz, like some mischievous people also seeks ways to consolidate his wrong ideas and actions performed under his banner. For example, One can see how Kurtz gives Marlowe a collection of mind boggling questions that prove that Marlowe’s men and Marlowe himself are not very much different then Kurtz

Moreover, Kurtz is a person that has no fixed personality or core competencies. If one analyzes, there are a multitude of personalities that Kurtz assumes in the eyes of different people. For example, Kurtz is an awesome musician for his cousin. Next, in the eyes of the journalist he was a leader and diplomat and for his fiancée, Kurtz presents the character of a bright and brilliant humanitarian.

Thus, Kurtz has the gift of appearing different to different individuals. So maybe it’s just in Marlowe’s perception that Kurtz is a monster. However, the point to note is we have learnt that Kurtz has been encouraged and given a choice to choose. And unfortunately, his choice to go for a path that prefers a backward and savage culture with a disregard for others and a craving to get what he wants gives the solid impression of a monster.

Works Cited

Academon. Essay on the Political theory of Niccolo Machiavelli. 2000. 27 January 2011 <http://www.academon.com/Essay-The-Political-Theory-of-Niccolo-Machiavelli/3123>.

Spark Notes. Spark Notes: Heart of Darkness: Analysis of Major characters. 27 january 2011 <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/heart/canalysis.html>.

Topham, James. ‘Heart of Darkness’ Review. 27 january 2011 <http://classiclit.about.com/od/heartofdarkness/fr/aa_heartdark.htm>.