However, I argue that any redemptive interpretation attributed to Kurtz has more to do with the reader than the character. A popular analysis of these final words is one of redemption: Upon his death bed, Kurtz, now that he is no longer in the grips of the savage African wilderness, has rediscovered his humanity and recognized the brutal and horrific person he had become while in the jungle. In an already subjective and controversial novel, one of its most studied and debated lines is of Kurtz’s last words: “The horror… the horror” (Conrad 2005). Likewise, Joseph Conrad’s interpretation of both the jungles of Africa and the native Africans themselves demonstrate barbarism and savagery.
Kurtz progresses from an ambitious, charismatic, and successful ivory trader to an even more magnetic, spectral, and god-like barbarian. Kurtz is arguably the central character of Heart of Darkness. Despite his narratively limited role, Mr.
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