Heart of Darkness #4

       Marlow is obsessively fixated on Kurtz because of the disquietude and  controversy revolving his actions. Kurtz is the primary supplier of ivory in the company, and his methods of production are unsettling. "To speak plainly, he [raids] the country" however, the natives "[adore] him" (135). The idea of destruction leading to adoration is a paradoxical conundrum for Marlow. Marlow has witnessed the brutality of the white imperialists leading to native sentiments of defeat and despair. In contrast, Kurtz's station is the first instance where Marlow observes idolization by the natives. The savages at the other stations are obedient out of fear and lack of freedom; however, the natives at the station led by Kurtz are additionally devoted out of a fondness for their white imperialist. Kurtz dominates the natives not only through their fear of him but also through their reverence. When the scrawny and sick Mr. Kurtz is carried on a stretcher into the cabin, "streams of human beings [are]...poured into the clearing by the dark-faced and pensive forest" (140). The natives blindly follow the bidding and leadership of Mr. Kurtz. Nature also has respect for Mr. Kurtz, for nature is the one who pours the natives out for his assistance. Therefore, an all encompassing admiration for Mr. Kurtz seems to exist. Marlow is fixated on the adoration because he has created an image that all station leaders are greedy Europeans abhorred by the natives. Marlow was not surprised that the bush natives began shooting at the steamboat, but he was in utter shock when it was revealed that their intentions were to prevent the departure of Mr. Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz encompasses a rare and uncomfortable style of leadership, which makes him such a captivating and intriguing character for Marlow to attempt to decipher.