| “ | Omeros is the root of the trouble. He's the one who gave Ishmael the harpoon gun instead of dumping it in the arboretum! | ” |
— Dr. Kurtz, The End
|
Dr. Kurtz was an islander in The End.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
| “ | Klaus is right. I remember that from my days in veterinary school. | ” |
— Dr. Kurtz, The End
|
Before washing up on the island, Dr. Kurtz went to veterinary school. It is unknown how they came to The Island nor why they chose to stay. Their job on the island is also not mentioned.
They somehow discovered that Madame Nordoff was secretly yodeling, against Ishmael's suggestion.
The End[]
- Madame Nordoff: You shouldn't be reading!
- Dr. Kurtz: Well, you shouldn't be yodeling!
While storm-scavenging the day that Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire wash ashore, Dr. Kurtz finds a silver tray. At Ishmael's suggestion, they abandon it.
They are among the crowd of islanders who go storm-scavenging the day that Count Olaf and Kit Snicket wash up ashore, with Kit on a raft of books. Klaus says that they shouldn't move Kit from her raft, as she is injured, and Kurtz agrees with him. The colonists leave to go fetch Ishmael to decide what to do, leaving Olaf under the watch of Friday Caliban and the Baudelaires. They are presumably still with the crowd when they return, and Ishmael convinces them to abandon Olaf, Kit and the Baudelaires on the coastal shelf.
When the island has a mutiny over Decision Day, Alonso grabs Willa's arm, and she shrieks while stepping on Dr. Kurtz's foot. The mutiny descends into chaos until Count Olaf arrives, declaring himself King. Ishmael shoots Olaf with a harpoon gun, which causes the Medusoid Mycelium under his robe to be released, poisoning the islanders. Kurtz blames Omeros for this, as he hid the harpoon gun for Ishmael to use.
Ishmael suggests the islanders drink cordial to try and dilute the poison, and the fermented cordial drugs them into compliance. He convinces them that the Baudelaires are the root of the trouble, and then gathers them on the outrigger and has them sail off towards Lousy Lane for a cure, though they will not make it in time to save their lives.
Probable Death[]
It is unknown if they met their fate by being poisoned by the Medusoid Mycelium. It is noted that the Incredibly Deadly Viper followed the boat with an apple, and as the Baudelaires did not know this, it is possible some islanders survived to report this to Lemony Snicket. Friday knew the snake to be friendly, and thus may have taken the apple from it; however, it is unknown if she would have been able to convince Dr. Kurtz or the drugged islanders to eat it.
Trivia[]
- They are likely named after a character in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
- In the story, Kurtz is an ivory trader in Africa who turns from a somewhat progressive man to a violent racist, inducing the natives to worship him in a similar way that Ishmael ended up making himself the sole facilitator of the colony.
- Ms. Marlow also takes her name from this novel.
- While they make no physical appearance in the Netflix Adaptation of The End, they could still potentially be one of the unnamed islanders.
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
