Removed from the expectations Essay Example

Removed from the expectations Essay Example Removed from the expectations Essay Removed from the expectations Essay The state of reality of a human being can be described as the truth and authenticity of that person. The image of Kurtz that is presented to Marlow the early stages of the novella is one of a real person; he is something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily. However, Marlow soon notices when he meets Kurtz that he is indeed the opposite of what many of his peers believe him to be. In the book Heart of Darkness there seems to be two types of people towards Kurtz the majority are those who admire and look up to him, and there are others who dislike him and the way he does his work. Marlow, I think, does not admire nor dislike Kurtz, but becomes gripped onto the expectations of his personality placed forward by the people that he has met before meeting Kurtz himself. Within the book Heart of Darkness there appears to be a low sense of reality as the book starts and continues. I think that the idea of reality is closely linked with the idea of madness and insanity; if someone has a grip on reality they are said to be sane, while if someone is proven to be mad then they had no hold onto reality. I believe that when the book was set Africa was responsible for mental disintegration as well as for physical illness and Kurtz, Marlow is told from the beginning, is mad. However, as Marlow forms a more complete picture of Kurtz, through over-hearing many conversations, it becomes apparent that his madness is only relative and that in the context of the Company insanity is difficult to define. The picture of Kurtz that is created by Marlow in the opening scenes of the novella is one of an ideal. Kurtz is a man of many talents we learn that he is a gifted muscian and a fine painter. Although he remains a mystery to Marlow, Kurtz exerts a powerful influence on the people in his life. This is shown when Marlow first describes Kurtz as a man, who is so indissolubly connected with the memories of that time. Marlow is talking of the time he spent in Africa on the Congo River where he met Kurtz. This sentence suggests to the reader that Kurtz is an important figure who is going to have a great impression on Marlow. The words indissolubly connected imply that Marlow cannot talk about the story without mentioning Kurtz and the impact that he had on his life. Kurtz is viewed from others, such as the manager and chief accountant of the Central Station, as an ideal. They use such words as remarkable and best agent to describe his character and work. When mentioning his work it is also said that he will go far, very far. However, Kurtz was already the chief of the Inner Station, which suggests in itself to be a very high post but the chief accountant of the Central Station says that he will soon be assistant manager. Kurtz is portrayed as a prodigy and universal genius by his peers and this gives Marlow the impression that Kurtz should be admired and does not leave Marlow to create his own views and opinions of him. However, there are some people who dislike Kurtz and even though they do not say this directly to Marlow, he over-hears their conversations. This secretive talk manages to create an air of mystery and tension around Kurtz as no-one knows who he actually is. However, it is because of everyones conflicting views of Kurtz that makes Marlow so interested in meeting him. I think that Marlow looks forward to meeting Kurtz because he has heard so much about this person he wants to meet him so he can pass him own judgement. He seems to expect something from Kurtz, such as an ideal to look up to as this is the impression that has been created for him. I think that Kurtz is Marlows hidden motive to get to the heart of darkness as he crept on, towards Kurtz. Marlow had a sense of extreme disappointment when there was a thought that Kurtz might have died and that he would never have the chance to meet him. I think that this suggests that Marlow was becoming obsessed with the image of Kurtz. However, in a contrast to this, Marlow refers to Kurtz as hollow more than once in the story and this could be taken negatively to mean that Kurtz is not worthy of thought; it also suggests that Kurtz is not real. The opening sections of the novella suggest Kurtz to be an ideal agent and also a scoundrel but it also implies that when he is struck with an obstacle he always succeeds. An obstacle currently in his path is that he is ill and the reality is that everyone gets ill, but no body wants this to happen to Kurtz and it was hoped that it was not true. The manager of the Central Station commented that Kurtzs illness made the situation, very grave, very grave. The word grave means serious and this suggests that Kurtz was a very exceptional man within the Company and is looked up to as supreme so when he gets ill it shows that he is only the same as everyone else. This shows the reader that Kurtz is only a human and can be affected by his surroundings. I think that Kurtz is series of images constructed by others for their own use. As Marlows visits with Kurtzs cousin and his fianci e show, there seems to be no true Kurtz. To his cousin, he was a great musician and a brilliant politician and leader of men; to his fiance, a great humanitarian and genius. All of these contrast with Marlows version of the man, and he is left doubting the validity of his memories. Yet Kurtz, through his personality and overstated plans, remains with Marlow and with the reader.