Outpost of Progress | Characters & Character Analysis

Outpost of Progress Characters

Kayerts

Kayerts has been assigned as the chief of the trading station. Conrad describes him as short and fat. Before he came to Africa, he worked as a bureaucrat with the Administration of the Telegraphs. Kayerts views his assignment as a chance to distinguish himself and gain profit. He also has a daughter, Melie, for whom he is earning a dowry. His underlying reason for being in Africa is that he believes Europeans are superior in every way to Africans. He is a pawn of the notion of European Expansion, the idea that powerful European nations have a right, even a duty, to other cultures to bring civilization to them.

Kayerts is a simple man. He seems to be incapable of coming up with creative solutions to his problems. Rather, he is like a boat set adrift. Unable to stick to a coherent course, he is propelled by his circumstances. One...
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