The Darkness of Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of...

The Light and Dark of Colonialism in Heart of Darkness 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 anothers 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†¦show more content†¦Like Marlow, Kurtz began his employment with the ivory company with noble intentions: he wants to create a better way of life for the natives. However, because of extreme hardships placed upon him by the manager, Kurtz becomes the dark half of the soul: he symbolizes what Marlow may have become if placed in Kurtz position. As the treacherous villain of the tale the manager, signifies total darkness and blackness of the soul, as he is responsible for the severely unbalanced priorities of the company through the extreme importance given to the obtaining of ivory and the deficiency of importance given to human lives. Conrad also implements minor characters to further the unexpected distinction between dark and light, black and white. The white pilgrims are portrayed as materialistic, ivory-hungry opportunists with black souls; their behavior is violent and savage. Contrariwise, the black natives are civil, spiritual, and have white souls. In the beginning of the novel, Conrad creates the fellow seamen who accompany Marlow on his present journey and listen to his tale of the Congo to establish the contrast between the materialistic and the spiritual. The fellow sailors do not understand Marlows tale and chastise him throughout, showing their reluctance and inability toShow MoreRelated Theme of Colonialism and Imperialism in Conrads Heart of Darkness1008 Words   |  5 PagesThe Theme of Imperialism in Heart of Darkness       Of the themes in Conrads Heart of Darkness, imperialism and colonialism are probably the most important. While Heart of Darkness is actually set on the Thames River, the events Marlow describes are set on the Congo River. The Congo is the river that brought about the partition of Africa that occurred from 1880 to 1890 (McLynn 13). This event marked the beginning of the colonization of Africa. In 1884, European nations held a conference andRead MoreImperialism And Colonialism In Joseph Conrads Heart Of Darkness1302 Words   |  6 Pagesstructures such as imperialism and colonialism can affect the way in which an individual experiences the world. Those born into the so-called â€Å"First World† countries have been privileged in that they have not felt the burden of such societal structure, as compared to those born into those â€Å"Second World† countries. These individuals have dealt with the pressures of Westernized society in such a way that their entire way of l ife has been transformed. 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Primal urges such as this often accompany humans when they are forced, as in capture, to rely on their most basic instincts to survive. In this manner, natives in Africa acted upon instinct when the Europeans arrived to take their land and freedom. The short story Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell and the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad