Heart of Darkness

In the novel "Heart of Darkness," written by Joseph Conrad, Marlow finds himself in a position where he is faced to accept the fact that the man he has admired and looked up to is a madman. He realizes that Kurtz's methods are not only unethical, but also inhumane. Marlow comes to realize that Kurtz is evil, and that he himself is also evil, thus Marlow’s disillusion makes his identification with Kurtz horrifying. As …

…is a savage beast in himself, and in all men in his mind. There are a lot of problems that Marlow faces and he maintains his composure. It’s Kurtz’s lack of composure that Marlow privately admires. In "Heart of Darkness" Marlow is forced to accept his disillusion with Kurtz, and is terrified of the identification that comes along with this acceptance. It is only then when Marlow realizes the true nature of man.