d light into this, one of the darkest and vilest places on the Earth. Furthermore, the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs has asked to Kurtz to submit a report, for the future reference of the Society. Marlowe, himself, has reads the report and refers to it as a beautiful piece of writing; yet, through Kurtzs rhetoric on how the superior white man has a responsibility to civilize and help the primitive natives, the report ends with a phrase scrawled in unsteady handwriting and it reads, Exterminate all the brutes! (66) The last entry into his report gives a hint at what has become to the remarkable Mr. Kurtz. Near the end of the story, we meet Mr. Kurtzs fiance. We learn from her that, once upon a time, Kurtz was a great orator, who could sway any audience to his cause. She tells us that Kurtz had so many things planned, so much to offer to the world (92-93). Earlier in the book, a Russian sailor foreshadows the fiances idealistic view of Kurtz. Apparently, the Russian had befriended Kurtz soon upon his arrival. The Russian speaks of Kurtzs prowess at reciting poetry, which he has written himself. Also, the Russian speaks, repeatedly, of Kurtz enlarging his mind (80). By the time Marlowe finally meets Kurtz, he is obsessed with this image of a white-clad knight, who is lifting this dark country into the civilized world. Yet, the reality is not what Marlowe or the reader expects. Kurtz is dying and, for all intensive purposes, insane. The Russian, along with his praises, recounts a story of Kurtz threatening to kill him for a small amount of ivory that a chief had given him. Marlowe learns of the methods Kurtz uses to obtain all of his precious ivory. Kurtz had, basically, raided the tribes surrounding his trading post and presented himself as a deity. Kurtz used his oratory skills, his immense height, and his firearms to completing his transformation into a god. Kurtz had lost a...
