Who is Mr. Kurtz?

We hope this page will be helpful in your quest to understand the true nature of Mr. Kurtz

Play the "Pick the Real Kurtz" game!

It's easy to play, just click on the image you choose.


"'He is a prodigy,' he said at last. 'He is an emissary of pity, and science, and progress, and devil knows what else.'"

"'He could be very terrible. You can't judge Mr. Kurtz as you would an ordinary man. . . there was nothing on earth to prevent him killing whom he jolly well pleased.'"


"Man and Animal: What's the Difference?" This essay by Lillian F. Liao explores the nature of Mr. Kurtz. She shows that through Kurtz's lack of civilization we come to understand our own civilization.

Colonel Tomb's Mr. Kurtz page. Kurtz is more than a character in a story. He is interpreted as a symbol for many things, including WWII pilots, as can be seen on this page. WARNING: This has nothing to do with Joseph Conrad's text!


"We must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of supernatural beings -- we approach them with the might as of a deity. . . by the simple exercise of our will we can exert a power and good practically unbounded."


"Exterminate all the brutes!"



These pages were designed and created by Aaron Krall, Aimee Lanoue, and Matthew Pavesich
Send to questions and comments to stukrallaar@vax.colsf.edu