A Man Lost in Between

Kurtz and the Magistrate are both men lost in between the world of their homeland and the world of the natives they preside over. After being immersed in the new lands for so long, the men change. Kurtz, from The Heart of Darkness, embarked on his mission to further the economy of his homeland. He was a main connection to the heart of Africa where he lived for many years. However, when first met by Marlow he seems to have lost much of his western lifestyle. Kurtz seems completely assimilated with the natives, and they seem to respect him. He came to the place as an explorer and left the place a new person. Kurtz was not a native though. His dying words exclaim of the mysterious “horror” and his postscript wishes for the natives to be exterminated. Where did this come from? Kurtz is clearly not the man he was before Africa; he has lost much of his western attitude and behavior. Nor is Kurtz true to Africa; he wants to kill its people! He is lost in between. He has become a unique type of man, forgotten in the convoluted twists of imperialism. In Waiting for the Barbarians the Magistrate has experienced something similar to Kurtz. He has lived on the frontier for thirty years. At the beginning of his stay, he was a man of the Empire, loyal and against the barbarians. After so long observing the native people, the Magistrate has become captivated by the culture and history of the area. He does not see them as a threat. Instead, he spends his days collecting and exploring the lands. He never fully learns the history, ways, or even language of the nomadic people of his region. But there is no doubt he has changed. With the arrival of Joll, it is clear the Magistrate is no longer in agreement with the Empire. He even extends his favor of the natives by hosting a native woman. He eventually returns her and is not met kindly by her people. Also, she rejects him and does leave. Toward the end of the novel, it is clear he is a lost man. The Empire has abused and abandoned him, but he is also afraid of the barbarians. The Magistrate does not belong to either world. Both he and Kurtz are explorers caught within their explorations.