Heart of Darkness Characters Analysis

Marlow - The narrator and protagonist of the novel who recounts his time as a Steamboat captain on the Congo river. He tells a company of men about discovering the legend of a famous Ivory trader called Kurtz, who had been thoroughly corrupted by the evil nature of colonialism.

Kurtz - A fabled Ivory trader who is said to supply more ivory to the company than nearly all of its agents put together. Marlow begins to hear about Kurtz from the very mouth of the river, as the Accountant regales the newly arrived Marlow about tales of his morality. It eventually turns out that Kurtz was not a successful trader or a hard worker, but rather an evil dictator who had killed several natives in the pursuit of wealth.

General Manager - The head of the company’s operations, stationed at the Centre Station. Marlow describes him as an inoffensive employee who has only managed to retain his position due to his ability to resist disease. Marlow overhears him conspiring to have Kurtz removed from the Inner station as he perceives him to be a political threat to his position in the company.

The Russian - The only other white companion that Kurtz has at the Inner Station. He is a devout follower of Kurtz’s ideology and has attempted to serve under him since he first had a conversation with him. He describes the horrific actions that Kurtz has taken to collect the Ivory, but he does not condemn him. Instead, the Russian continues to sing praises about Kurtz even after Kurtz almost has him killed over a small bit of Ivory that he receives as a present.