Heart of Darkness takes place entirely in first person. The second point of view, also first person, comes from Marlow, once he starts telling his tale. The majority of the novel comes from Marlow’s point of view.

Day 8/30: Speed Read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad – 144 Pages in 77 Minutes. This is day #8 of the One Book, One Day challenge. We’re going to speed read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad at 500 words per minute (WPM) using AccelaReader.com.

Kurtz

Literary Source of The horror! The horror! Kurtz speaks this line as his final words in Conrad’s novella “Heart of Darkness.” Marlowe describes how he utters the final words: “Anything approaching the change that came over his features I have never seen before, and hope never to see again.

Kurtz or Kurz is a surname first found in Switzerland. It is mainly a German and Jewish (Ashkenazic/Yiddish) surname, meaning someone who is short in height. It comes from the German word ‘kurz’ meaning ‘short’.

Kurtz means short in German. This is ironic because his name was like everything else in his life and death.

Heart of Darkness One of the most enigmatic characters in twentieth-century literature, Kurtz is a petty tyrant, a dying god, an embodiment of Europe, and an assault on European values. Kurtz is a dangerous man because he gives the lie to the Company’s “humanistic” intentions in the Congo.

The Hypocrisy of Imperialism Heart of Darkness explores the issues surrounding imperialism in complicated ways. As Marlow travels from the Outer Station to the Central Station and finally up the river to the Inner Station, he encounters scenes of torture, cruelty, and near-slavery.

Marlow. The protagonist of Heart of Darkness. Marlow is philosophical, independent-minded, and generally skeptical of those around him. He is also a master storyteller, eloquent and able to draw his listeners into his tale.

With the help of his aunt in Brussels, Marlow gets a job as a boat captain on the river with a Dutch trading company that deals in ivory.

Marlow respects Kurtz and his decisions, and also Kurtz respects Marlow, but they weren’t friends, they just had no other. In the end of the story, when Marlow meets Kurtz’s wife, he has realized that Kurtz was a sort of universal genius, because he had read Kurtz texts and was really fascinated.

When Marlow finally reaches the Inner Station, he meets Kurtz when a group of native Africans bears him down in a stretcher. He’s not looking too good, but he still has the voice of a radio announcer. The evening before they plan to leave, Kurtz makes his escape. Or, makes his pathetic attempt to escape.