Since Kurtz is so selfish, it is clear that his ego and super ego have not matured to censor his id. When it comes to love, one of the strongest emotions one can feel, all parts of the mind should be involved. It is speculated that Kurtz has two women in his life. Marlow implies that when Kurtz returns from Africa he will marry one lover but while he is in Africa, he has “a wild and gorgeous apparition of a woman” (Conrad 74). Apparitions occur in one’s unconsciousness. Kurtz does not think about his fiance but only about pleasing himself. His hormonal impulses become action since there is no reason in him to stop. While feeling sexually secure is important to Kurtz, so is feeling powerfully secure. Despite humanity, Kurtz displays “shrunken heads” (Conrad **). These skulls are facing his bedroom and placed there to intimidate people that journey by. He doesn’t see the importance of people’s feelings or what society thinks about him. Instead of being worried about being judged by society his id allows him to inflate his confidence. The darkness of the skulls, his impulsive and selfish behavior illuminates his id. He is power hungry. With an ego and a super-ego, he would be able to hear his voice of reason and therefore, would not hurt as many people. Up until his last words “the horror, the horror” (Conrad **), Kurtz was a man of unrestrained darkness. Kurtz’ voice of reason is silenced by his id.
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