Research Paper on:
Kurtz as a Universal Conrad Character

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
man, Kurtz. Kurtz is seen as a genius in many ways due to his intelligence as well as his eloquence. He is also seen as something of a universally evil  genius as well. But, he is also described as a very hollow man on more than one occasion throughout the novel. In the following paper we examine these two sides  of the man who is Kurtz. Universal Genius For the most part we see the universal genius of Kurtz through the eyes of those who observe him, those  who knew him long ago, and those who know him now. We do not every really see his genius when we witness the man himself, for his genius is almost  a thing of legend. We see how one man believes that "Mr. Kurtzs knowledge of unexplored regions must have been necessarily extensive and peculiar -- owing to his great abilities  and to the deplorable circumstances in which he had been placed" (Conrad Chapter III p. NA). And, although Marlow argued perhaps that Kurtzs knowledge did not extent to "the problems  of commerce or administration," his genius was seen in many ways. We find that Kurtzs cousin informed Marlow that "Kurtz had been essentially a great musician. There was the  making of an immense success" (Conrad Chapter III p. NA). Marlow could not deny such facts he really had no knowledge of, and yet also accepted them as truth for  he had come to understand that he could never truly define what "was Kurtzs profession, whether he ever had any -- which was the greatest of his talents" (Conrad Chapter  III p. NA). At times he saw Kurtz as a painter as well as journalist. "He was a universal genius -- on that point I agreed" (Conrad Chapter III p.