Heart Of Darkness Imperialism

The native African people and the African setting are both metaphors for darkness to enable Conrad to reveal the evil in all of humanity. Kurtz’s book stated that “we whites... ‘must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of supernatural beings’” emphasizing the European viewpoint before journeying into Africa (65). Marlow also believed that these natives were savages until he too went into Africa, but upon all the chaos and uncleanliness of Africa, the Accountant maintained “an unexpected elegance” (21). The Accountant preserves his appearance among the untidiness because he clings to his ideals of civility and organization. However, the natives are mistreated and one even “had tied a bit of white worsted round his neck” (20).

Marlow tells his shipmates on the boat (the Nelly) that the natives passed him “within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages” (16). Marlow’s story of his experience exhibits how the Europeans captured the natives and forced them to work; to strip their homeland of its resources and natural beauty. When the Europeans colonize Africa, they do not want to help the African people, but exploit them and put them to work for their own desire of obtaining ivory, rubber, and other resources and goods. As the Europeans imperialize the area, they do not build culture or assist in the development of the Congo region, but break down culture as they enslave the natives and take away their rights, along with stripping the area of resources and natural, earthly beauty, which is conveyed through the cruel physical treatment towards the natives. This treatment is also presented through the literary devices that Conrad decides to use to reveal the experiences of the natives to the

A famous criticism of Conrad’s novella is called An Image of Africa, which was written by an African native named Chinua Achebe. In Achebe’s criticisms of Heart of Darkness, he points out the difference between descriptions of the European woman and the African woman, who was Kurtz’s mistress. The narrator describes the European woman as being calm and mature, and the African woman as being “savage” (341 Norton). Even though many writers claim that Marlow is kind to the Africans by bringing light to their situation, the real problem does not lie in his description of their situations, but his descriptions of the people themselves (30 Heart of darkness Interpretations).

Joseph Conrad's novella, Heart of Darkness, describes a life-altering journey that the protagonist, Marlow, experiences in the African Congo.  The story explores the historical period of colonialism in Africa to exemplify Marlow's struggles.  Marlow, like other Europeans of his time, is brought up to believe certain things about colonialism, but his views change as he experiences colonialism first hand. This essay will explore Marlow's view of colonialism, which is shaped through his experiences and also from his relation to Kurtz.  Marlow's understanding of Kurtz's experiences show him the effects colonialism can have on a man's soul.

The sheer guise of philanthropical charity scarcely conceals the colonist’s true objective, the hunt for ivory. The colonists attempt to extinguish any and all forms of African culture in their wild quest for ivory. One night while at the camp, Marlow witnesses a fire engulf a shed housing trading goods. “One evening a grass shed full of calico, cotton prints, beads, and I don’t know what else, burst into a blaze so suddenly that you would have thought the earth had opened to let an avenging fire consume all that trash.” In a somewhat symbolic retaliation, the African culture seizes its revenge on the imposing imperialist culture. As the flames ravish the shed, Marlow watches as a man attempts to put out the fire “…[he] dipped about a quart of water and tore back again. I noticed there was a hole in the bottom of his pail.” This hopeless effort signifies the futile efforts to suppress the overbearing strength of the African culture.

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it” (Wharton). This quote by Edith Wharton presents how to spread light in the darkest of darkness just as the Congo was back in the 1888 when King Leopold brought the horror to the natives of the Congo. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart Of Darkness shows how man can be a light even in the darkest of darkness even though it may look impossible. Marlow, the narrator of the novel, tells of his story about he tries to be a light in the darkness, referring to the Congo. The theme of people being a light in darkness is displayed in Heart Of Darkness through the literary elements of symbolism, characterization, and Biblical allusions.

Conrad uses light as a symbol of civilization. Just as darkness is defined as the absence of light, the black jungle represents the absence of white man’s civilization - a civilization marked by corruption and evil. Conrad’s description of Brussels in part one is an example of how he uses detail to convey deeper meaning. “In a very few hours I arrived at a city that always made me think of a white sepulcher.” (953) It is significant that Conrad describes the building Marlow departs from as a white coffin, because the offices in that building are driven by greed and their job is sending men out to their almost certain deaths. The white men in the white town send sailors in search of their white prize, ivory. This cycle of evil begins and ends in this town. Describing the town as white is deceptive, because the town itself possesses an ominous feeling of death. This symbolizes the deception of all the sailors who come to this town in hopes of finding fortune and are sent to their deaths. Conrad makes it clear that this is a deception not found in the darkness of the jungle. When Marlow approaches dying slaves in the darkness of a shaded cove, he states: “They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now, - nothing but black

The true purpose of the book is to reveal to the European people that Africa is being raped by the ivory traders. Kurtz, the villainous ivory hunter, is portrayed in a captivating manner due to his eloquence. Kurtz is a representation of all European ivory traders, specifically Belgium, who journey to Africa in hopes of striking it rich. Europeans come to take the ivory, but while there, they destroy the land and kill the people. Marlow then meets an accountant after arriving at his post in Africa. The accountant seems to be a representation of the trading companies due to the fact that he is an accountant and dressed immaculately in all white. The trading companies just like the accountant only care about the money being made off of the ivory. The accountant is dressed so perfectly, however is corrupt on the inside.

Marlow says that, "They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force-- nothing to boast of."(p.58 Heart of Darkness) . Marlow compares his subsequent tale of colonialism with that of the Roman colonization of Northern Europe and the fascination associated with such a voyage. However, Marlow challenges this viewpoint by illustrating a picture of the horrors of colonialist ventures as we delve deeper into the novel. White Europeans are used as symbols of self-deception, and we find that Marlow sees colonization as "robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as it is very proper for those who tackle darkness."(p.58 Heart of Darkness) This shows how Conrad feels about colonialism through Marlow, because Marlow feels strongly adverse to the actions of the whites in the Congo.

The subject of colonialism has appeared in various literary works. More specifically, this subject has been viewed through a variety of different perspectives and often, these literary works tend to address the problems and consequences related to it. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness explores the hypocrisy of colonial efforts carried out by white Europeans, the brutal conditions and exploitation of the black natives and Africa, as well as the effect colonialism had on white Europeans. Conrad depicts this criticism of colonialism through his use of characters as symbolic illustrations and distinct contrasting images and concepts. The title itself allows readers to delve into the novella for any idea on what could be meant by the idea of darkness and Conrad reveals this to some extent.

Joseph Conrad uses the white colonist’s obsession with ivory to show the of imperialism. For the colonists “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it” (Conrad 95). Life for the colonists’ in the Congo revolved around Ivory. Colonization effort for the Congo orbited around ivory and other financial gains. In the desperation to become wealth the colonists change the lives of the native Africans living there. The natives soon find their world completely different from their ancestors: “Black rags were wound round their loins, and the short ends behind waggled to and fro like tails. I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his

    Throughout the novel Conrad’s opinion shines through, even when the opposite is being expressed. He opens Marlow’s adventure with a boat ride from France to the Congo, in which he sees, “Settlements some centuries old, and still no bigger than pin-heads on the untouched expanse of their background,” (14). This description of these miniscule settlements compared to the roaring industrial machine that is Europe gives a sense of fragility to the natives’ lifestyle. This fragility brings gravity to what is actually going on in Africa later on in the novella. Specifically focusing on Mr. Kurtz, Conrad addresses the censorship of information that gets back to the population residing in Europe. In efforts to spread the success of the company

As Kurtz’s title grows, he is able to work his way into the natives’ minds. He becomes their leader, even though he is an outsider. Little does Marlow know, Kurtz’s corruptness and his imperialistic and colonialist efforts to rule the African land would become his demise. In the end, Marlow understands that Kurtz is not all he is made out to be, and finds that his practices are harsher than necessary as he reads in Kurtz’s book his plans to “Exterminate all the brutes!” (50). Kurtz is referring to the natives he befriends and uses to his advantage. While Marlow and Kurtz move throughout the Congo as foreigners of a “First World” country, the Natives of the Congo are forces reconcile with Kurtz’s colonization and rule of their land and over their people. What Conrad presents in Heart of Darkness are the dangers of naiveté regarding “First World” practices of imperialism and colonialism, and then becoming aware, as Marlow gradually does, of their implications.

Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness because he wanted to expose human temptation to experiment with darkness when one’s own desires overcome one’s morals. By writing from his own experience of exploring the Congo, Conrad draws conclusions that no one is immune to the dark desires that lie in the depths of one’s own heart. While living in a place with no moral restraint, Conrad saw how people’s minds changed giving them the freedom to explore the darkness, greed in particular, of their desires with no regards for morality.

    In the opening of his novel, Heart of Darkness, Conrad, through Marlow, establishes his thoughts on colonialism. He says that conquerors only use brute force, "nothing to boast of" because it arises, by accident, from another's weakness. Marlow compares his subsequent tale of colonialism with that of the Roman colonization of Northern Europe and the fascination associated with such an endeavor. However, Marlow challenges this viewpoint by painting a heinous picture of the horrors of colonialist ventures as we delve deeper into the recesses of the novel. Here we find that Marlow sees colonization as "robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at