The theme of imperialism appears throughout Heart of Darkness and plays out through the eyes of Marlow. As Marlow ventures deeper and deeper into the Congo and further away from what he knows as civilization he slowly realizes the gravity of the destruction of man and nature that is occurring due to British imperialism. As he goes deeper he is getting closer to the truth about imperialism. In the story the British Empire is at its peak and its incessant desire for goods such as ivory and rubber cause them to ignore the inalienable rights of every man. Conrad wanted to show the dark side of imperialism in the name of progress. He accomplished that by showing the brutalities the workers suffered to bring those goods to the civilized world. A wealthy Duke in England with an ivory staircase did not see the atrocities that occurred to extract the ivory, and as an arrogant imperialist he did not care.
Marlow doesn’t really believe in the idea of imperialism but he still profits from The Company, which symbolizes everything that is wrong with the idea of unbridled imperialism. The narrator defines imperialism when he states “the conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, it is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.” (5).
Kurtz himself was considered a model imperialist but he succumbs to and dies as almost a savage, the very people that imperialist oppressed and considered less than a man. It has come full circle. Conrad accomplished his goal to shine the light on the darkness of man and what we are capable of and imperialism was darkness and brutality personified.
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Great post! Your quote wonderfully summed up Conrad's theme of imperialism. Your use of examples and the quote did a great job of supporting your topic.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is awesome! You totally captured the theme in your post. I loved the quote you used, its so powerful and plays into exactly what you are trying to say. I also think its great that you pointed out the irony of Kurtz dying as a savage, when thats who the Company was trying to opress in the first place. Well done.
ReplyDeleteWell done post, imperialism was the standout theme to me throughout the book. Conrad surely showed how imperialism can affect people, and the evil that can be involved. It is also interesting as a theme since there are parallels that can be drawn to what happened in the book and current events.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to consider how much of the nasty bits of imperialism are glossed over. Those safe at home might never know what horrors went into making their piano keys.
ReplyDeleteGood post Mr.Cool, pointing out how imperialism can affect peoples judgement..it's about greed and wealth..is that not what everyone wants?
ReplyDeleteThis is no doubt true about Conrads intentions to show the dark side of imperialism. It's a good thing that people become aware of things like the events that took place in the book. Now we don't see those things like piano keys made from ivory for no reason other than for show.
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