How Does Mr. Kurtz Change Throughout The Novel

In the Heart of Darkness novel, Marlow is depicted as a rational, and independent-minded man. The one other named character in the novel who Marlow is so intrigued by during his voyage to the Congo is the character named Mr. Kurtz who is, in short terms, a manipulator who uses his charisma to lead the savages. Mr. Kurtz symbolizes everything Marlow is seeking to find during his journey in the “heart of darkness” and therefore affects Marlow’s adventurous quest. In the first couple of instances Mr. Kurtz is mentioned to Marlow, Marlow feels annoyed by it rather than amused. The accountant, who basically praises Mr. Kurtz’s accomplishments, first introduces Mr. Kurtz to Marlow. Later, he eavesdrops the manager and his uncle’s conversation, which reveals that Mr. Kurtz once changed his mind and decided to return back to his station after he had already set off to Europe. Subsequent to hearing this discussion, Marlow starts to feel somewhat more interested in Mr. Kurtz though previously he had been completely apathetic regarding all discussion about him.
After finally meeting Mr. Kurtz, Marlow ends
Kurtz in his own journey, Marlow observed that everyone, Mr. Kurtz included, seemed to be telling “white lies,” and it started to rub off turning him into a liar as well. Although Mr. Kurtz had gone native, through his use of lies, he was able to convince the savages to believe and treat him as if he were some kind of demigod; and therefore live a “double life.” Since he wanted to continue living this way, he went to the extent of attacking the ship that was coming for “his rescue.” Ultimately, Marlow’s lying trait becomes apparent once he goes to visit Mr. Kurtz’s mistress who asked him to repeat Mr. Kurtz’s last words, and instead of telling the truth, Marlow lies and says the mistress’s name. At this point the reader is convinced that Mr. Kurtz did indeed impact Marlow in a strong way, since he thought there was no better way to answer but to