Kurtz's Influence

Kurtz appears briefly at the end of the novel, and his influence on other major characters is illustrated throughout Part III. Kurtz has made himself into a powerful deity, and the natives worship him. It is learned that they attacked the steamship because they did not want Kurtz to be taken away from them. Situational irony exists here because the natives that are slaves to the Company have an emotional attachment to the man who embodies all of the Company's corrupt ideals.
The Russian trader has learned so much from Kurtz on an extensive range of subjects, including love. He asserts that Kurtz cannot be judged like any other man. Kurtz has surpassed the threshold of man and become divine in his rejection of European ideals and embrace of self-examination. Marlow senses an intimacy with Kurtz and asserts that "it was ordered i should never betray him--it was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice" (147). Marlow chooses to follow Kurtz's path as opposed to the manager's path. Both Kurtz and the manager embody the same evils, but a difference exists in that the manager is hypocritical about them. Kurtz openly displays the cruelty that the Company masks with its pure facade.
As Kurtz and Marlow leave the "heart of darkness," each of them takes some of the darkness with them. Kurtz's existence itself is the embodiment of darkness, and Marlow's "choice of nightmares" has placed him within this representation. Marlow is now considered "unsound" by the manager and has detached himself from the Company, just as Kurtz has detached himself from all of society.
As Marlow meets people from Kurtz's past existence back in Brussels, it becomes evident that Kurtz had a signficant impact on the lives of many people. However, Marlow has a deeper connection with Kurtz than any of these people in that he knows Kurtz for what he truly stood for instead of merely accepting him as an expert of subjects. Kurtz's Intended is extremely ignorant when it comes to Kurtz's real character. As the setting grows darker, Kurtz becomes more annoyed with her naivete but cannot bring himself to tell her the truth concerning his last words.
Most of the novel has been told from the point of view of Marlow as he encounters the evils of imperialism and the potential depravity of all individuals as the story progresses. Marlow often adopts a dark and ominous tone in his descriptions of the interior of the African jungle and the parallels it draws to the corruption and savagery of the Company. The last sentences of the novel, however, switch back to the point of view of the outside narrator, as he ends the experience with the idea that the water "seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness" (164).

Introduction to Kurtz

Throughout Part II, the character of Kurtz is given more substance. However, it is only through the voices of other people that Kurtz is characterized. The manager and his uncle discuss Kurtz in a negative light in the beginning of Part II, for they feel threatened by his desire to become the new manager. This contributes to his role as an enigmatic entity and the prize at the end of Marlow's quest. Marlow desires to match the voice with this legendary genius of ivory production and trade. The Russian trader further confirms Kurtz's mysterious existence when he tells Marlow, "You don't talk with that man--you listen to him" (132). In a sense, Marlow places Kurtz on a pedestal because of his unfathomable existence at the true "heart" of the "darkness" of the African jungle. Kurtz embarks on the African journey with the initial intent of bringing civilization to the dark area. However, Kurtz comes to contradict himself and eventually breaks off into a world of insanity. Psychological transformation could be considered another theme of Heart of Darkness in that the African jungle is known to change people. Kurtz has become "dark" in that he steals the resources of the natives in order to advance his own disposition and portrays himself as a powerful deity in their presence. Marlow hopes to find European enlightenment in Kurtz's character, but instead, he finds insanity.

More themes

The theme/motif of appearance vs. reality parallels Conrad's illustration of the Company as the colonization that is supposed to bring about good tidings actually brings about a sense of destruction. The Company's motive at first appears to mirror an economic venture, but immorality soon prevails over this drive. A theme of civilization vs. savagery also influences the plot of the novel. Irony exists in the fact that although the African natives are characterized as uncivilized from the point of view of the Company and many others (including Marlow’s aunt), the tide eventually shifts as the dark side of the Company is revealed. The innocent natives in turn become the more emotionally civilized entities of the story, even though they may not physically appear to be. This brings about another theme of Heart of Darkness, physical vs. emotional conduct. What is physically black in the story (the natives) is viewed as savage in all aspects, and what is white (the Company) is regarded as pure when it should not be.