Intro Paragraph: Heart of Darkness essay

In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the actions of power-hungry Kurtz are better understood after an analytical interpretation of Fredrick Karl's Psychoanalytical Criticism.  In Heart of Darkness, the actions of European Ivory hunter Kurtz are understood by the reader from a Psychoanalytical perspective.  While Kurtz, a high-class European, claims to be in Africa on an Ivory-hunting business trip, he is a megalomaniac who uses his profession as a facade for his strive for power.  Furthermore, Karl would argue that the Kurtz has created for himself an alter-persona and has become entrapped and obsessed with his fantasy of power.  "He (Kurtz) must continue to assert himself, a megalomaniac in search of further power" Karl.  Karl's inference to Kurtz's obsession with power actualizes the "Ivory-hunters" lifestyle and makes comprehendible to the reader the reason as to why Kurtz behaves as he does.  While Kurtz is a successful Ivory hunter in Africa, this megalomaniac's profession has taken a back seat to his addiction to power, and is just a facade to conceal his true intentions of remaining in Africa.