Connection: Immorality and... Respect?

Because sometimes they go together, but they shouldn't.

Marlow in Heart of Darkness has a molotov cocktail of emotions regarding Kurtz, but the two that I had the most trouble connecting were hatred and respect. He seemed disgusted by those callous, business-obsessed characters like the Manager, yet even as he condemns Kurtz's life he assures us that he was "a remarkable man", speaking with a sense of awe and reverence. Why does he link these two ideas that, for all intents and purposes, should be kept seperate?

I think Marlow has been duped by progress. The horror of Kurtz is so blatent that the fact he wasn't trying to hide it is almost impressive. Kurtz might have been able to get respect for being bold, but Marlow also can't help but be impressed by what Kurtz had accomplished, and our culture supports those who get things done. These two combined created an unbelievable man whose myths strived to live up to the real guy.

The settling of Africa was viewed as a general improvement, with some 'sacrifices'. Sacrifices? Repressing thousands of people and killing thousands of others is not a minimal issue. It got me thinking- how much are we willing to overlook in our opinion of a person? Can we truly respect someone who goes against everything we stand for? I'm not sure. I think that our respect for those who are successful is more of an enchantment than a genuine conviction that the person is someone worth admiring. We manage to fool ourselves into thinking its respect.

Respect has a meaning of a role model or someone you look up to. How could the African natives be so enthralled with Kurtz even as he enslaved them, took their lifestyles and freedom away, and killed to set examples? I don't believe their admiration can be considered respect, more of a terror they had convinced themselves was mere shame at being so 'low' compared to him. The fact that his partners were also willing to overlook this, even those with a higher moral conscience such as Marlow, is a key into the way our minds work. We truly are a world blinded by dazzling gems and strong personalities.