Was Kurtz Truly Evil or Just A Product of Imperialism?

         In "Heart of Darkness," Kurtz demonstrates some truly horrible qualities in the way he treats the African natives, bringing up the question: Is Kurtz truly evil or is he just a product of the flawed system of imperialism?  It appears that through what readers can infer from Kurtz's backstory, he had always been an eccentric man.  However, he does not seem to have always been the evil man that he was on his death bed.  Kurtz began to change after once he had become his own leader, when he went to Africa. Marlow, upon his arrival in Africa, witnesses many strange, outlandish things, like a man carrying water in a bucket with a hole in it.  It is apparent that the real cause of the Kurtz's personality change is the alien, fairly uncivilized world that he lives in.  Even Marlow begins to grow more accustomed to the strange behavior and circumstances he encounters in Africa, and in turn, exhibits personality changes of his own by the time he leaves.  Transporting civilized people into this uncivilized world creates this sense of superiority that causes insanity and evil within these people.  It is evident that Kurtz's behavior is a result of flaws in imperialism, not a predisposed evil within him.