The Russian Trader Character Analysis in Heart of Darkness

A wanderer and trader who wears a multi-colored patched jacket that makes him look like a harlequin (a jester). Through some miraculous stroke of luck, he has ended up alone in the jungle along the Congo and survived. He is naïve and innocent and believes Kurtz is a great man beyond any conventional morality. He even nursed Kurtz back to health on a number of occasions though Kurtz once threatened to shoot him. Of all the white men in the Congo, only the Russian refrains from trying to assert control over the jungle.

The Russian Trader Quotes in Heart of Darkness

The Heart of Darkness quotes below are all either spoken by The Russian Trader or refer to The Russian Trader. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

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"I tell you," he cried, "this man has enlarged my mind."

Related Characters: The Russian Trader (speaker), Kurtz

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 50

Explanation and Analysis:

The Russian Trader Character Timeline in Heart of Darkness

The timeline below shows where the character The Russian Trader appears in Heart of Darkness. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...on board and speaks with Marlow. The man explains that he's a twenty-five year old Russian sailor who deserted and through a series of adventures working for various colonial powers ended... (full context)

The Hollowness of Civilization Theme Icon

When the Russian says that the hut with the stacked wood was his old house, Marlow returns the... (full context)

Marlow stares at the Russian in astonishment, and thinks that the Russian "surely wants nothing from the wilderness but space... (full context)

Meanwhile, the Russian begs Marlow to take Kurtz away quickly. He tells of his first meeting with Kurtz,... (full context)

Kurtz, the Russian says, is a god to the local tribesman, who adore him. They help him as... (full context)

The Russian says that Kurtz can't be judged as other men are. He adds that Kurtz "suffered... (full context)

The Russian mentions that when the native chiefs came to see Kurtz they crawled up to him.... (full context)

The Russian can't understand Marlow's scorn at Kurtz's savage actions. He says that the Company abandoned Kurtz,... (full context)

...like "an animated image of death carved out of ivory." The natives swarm forward. The Russian whispers to Marlow that if Kurtz says the word, they'll all be killed. Kurtz speaks... (full context)

...next to the ship a "savage and superb" African woman paces back and forth. The Russian's comments about her imply that she was Kurtz's mistress. (full context)

When Marlow is alone, the Russian approaches. He has decided to slip away, correctly sensing that he's in danger from the... (full context)