Heart Of Darkness Imperialism Essay

Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad is dramatic tale of an arduous trek into the darkest part of Africa at the turn of the twentieth century. The story follows the protagonist Marlow, an English marine merchant, as he travels through the African jungle up the Congo river in search for a mysterious man named Kurtz. Through Marlow's narration, Conrad provides a searing indictment of European colonial exploitation inflicted upon African natives. Through his use of irony, characters, and symbolism in the novel, Conrad aims to unveil the underlying horrors of colonialism. By shedding light on the brutality of colonialism in Heart of Darkness, Conrad shows that European values have been irrevocably eclipsed by darkness.

This sentence serves as an embodiment of the imperialist theory as whole, which Conrad attacks, through Marlow, throughout the novella. Marlow wholeheartedly disagrees with the treatment of the natives, because he has a strong belief in the importance of work ethic and the sacredness of humanity, as shown by his sympathy for his helmsman, and

Joseph Conrad 's Heart of Darkness is both a dramatic tale of an arduous trek into the Belgian Congo at the turn of the twentieth century and a symbolic journey into the deepest recesses of human nature. On a literal level, through Marlow 's narration, Conrad provides a searing indictment of European colonial exploitation inflicted upon African natives. By employing several allegoric symbols this account depicts the futility of the European presence in Africa.

From 1884 to 1885, Europe scrambled to conquer land in Africa. The Europeans began to colonize parts of Africa and it would soon be called: The Civilizing Mission. The Civilizing Mission was meant to make the Europeans look good to others, bring the Africans up to their standards, and it was an act of profound generosity to the Africans. Or so they thought. As Europeans from different countries explored the harsh environments of Africa, they soon came across vines which would turn into rubber later on. This was progress for the Europeans but was it progress for Africa? In reality, the colonized Europeans who moved down to Africa were not very nice to the Africans and they became slave; especially when the railroad was being built in Africa. When Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness, he wanted to show Europeans what was actually going on down in Africa. The Civilizing Mission was not helping Africa or the Africans at all. Three of these contradictions from the book include:

British Imperialism is the idea that it is the white man’s duty to civilize other, more primitive, people (Cody). Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, is a story about a man named Marlow who travels up the Congo River with a European trading company. In the story Marlow see’s many horrifying things, and slowly he becomes desensitized to what is really going on. In the beginning he is highly critical of the trading company, but by the end he has become so used to the things he has seen that they no longer shock him. Heart of Darkness is not only a criticism of Imperialism, but it is an explanation of how a man can go from inherently knowing something is wrong, to viewing it as normal.

   Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is, as Edward Said states a story about European "acts of imperial mastery" (1503)-its methods, and the effects it has on human nature. Furthermore I hold the presumption that Conrad incorporates much of his own experience in the Congo and his opinions about imperialism. Another recent critic also suggests: "he seems to approve of Marlow," the narrator (Achebe 1492). These revelations of the author are conveyed to the reader through Marlow's observations, descriptions, reactions, and statements.

In 1890 at the height of the colonial campaign by Europe to civilize and educate the ignorant people of Africa, (Shihada 13) King Leopold II of Belgium, and his agents were well underway with their efforts in the Congo Free State to “enlighten and civilize the lives of the Congolese natives” (Shihada 14). At this time (1890) a young man named Joseph Conrad “under the employ of the Societe Anonyme pour le Commerce du Haut-Congo plunged into the ‘dark continent’ and wrote his ‘Congo Diary’ that would later become The Heart of Darkness” (Merriman).

In the novella, Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, there are many instances where a person is infected by an unknown entity. The characters do not realize it but, they are infected by something that cannot be cured. The infection does not just effect their body, but it also effects their soul. It corrupts them to a point of no return. In serious cases it can leave a dead space inside of someone. Heart of Darkness is a degenerative disease created by imperialism that corrupts anything and anyone that make contact. So many times has the Heart of Darkness infected someone or something, and pushed it to unimaginable lengths.

In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the imperialism of Africa is described. Conrad tells the story of the cruel treatment of the natives and of the imperialism of the Congo region through the perspective of the main character, Marlow. Throughout the novel, Marlow describes how the Europeans continuously bestow poor treatment to the native people by enslaving them in their own territory. Analyzing the story with the New Criticism lens, it is evident that Conrad incorporates numerous literary devices in Heart of Darkness, including similes, imagery, personification, and antitheses to describe and exemplify the main idea of cruel imperialism in Africa discussed throughout the novella.

The Congo was ruled by King Leopold II of Belgium from 1876 — 1908. Conrad’s book, Heart of Darkness allows us to examine the structure of imperialism from the perspective of the winning side. This structure was founded upon the belief that one group’s knowledge, morals, religious and political views are superior than another.

In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, he explores the hypocrisy and false nature of colonialism. Throughout the novel, everyone but Marlow continually describes colonialism as a noble endeavor, yet Marlow’s experience while in the Congo constantly and thoroughly disproves such claims.

In Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, the interpretation of pre-colonial times is interesting in a way that supersedes other books I’ve read because it’s very honest with how the world worked it that era. The central aim which the shipmates in Heart of Darkness are pursuing is the expansion of their home countries’ empires. Yet many people are hurt in this enterprise, and it’s not only the colonized territories that are impacted negatively by imperialist Europe. Europe’s explorers that go to the Congo are constantly dying of sickness. Compare the ways in which the consequences of imperialism affect the different groups of people in the book, the more one can understand about characters’ actions.

  In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, challenges a dominant view by exposing the evil nature and the darkness associated with the colonialist ventures. It is expressed by Marlow 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 a darkness." The European colonialists are portrayed as blind lightbearers, people having a façade of progress and culture, yet are blind of their actions. They think they are brining a light to a darkness, yet they are the real darkness or evil. Conrad's critique of European colonialism is most apparent through the oppositions of light and darkness, with the

Marlow tells a story of his first trip to Africa on a steamboat with a company that gathers ivory. The real adventure begins as he goes on a journey to the Congo to find a man known as Kurtz, who he has a weird obsession with upon hearing about him. Like the framing device of the novel, the idea of the Company and trading of ivory seems structured from an outside point of view. The Company appeases their journey by calling it “economic trade” and “civilization” for the savage. But through the journey, Marlow witnesses the cruelty of the Company. The structure’s underlying chaos and corruption gives rise to the hypocrisy of imperialism in the novel. The “economic trade” and “civilization” relates to the frame of the novel while Kurtz and the actual

Imperialism and its oppressive processes have affected societies as well as individual lives for centuries. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, oppression through imperialism demonstrates how a certain civilization, the Congolese, is affected negatively by imperialism. By focusing on Africa, it allows for a graphic recount of the many years spent reigned by foreign oppressors and tyrannies. In Heart of Darkness, the Congo is oppressed by the imperialists economically and geographically. As well, the oppressed people are taken advantage of spiritually. Conrad describes how the ruling tyrant is affected by the process of conquering a local people and this draws a parallel to the ruling empire. Conrad, through his novel, attempts to