Heart of Darknes
Essay by Nicolas • August 2, 2011 • Essay • 506 Words (3 Pages) • 2,175 Views
In Heart of Darkness, the author shows the European imperialist idea and finds that its outcomes are as dark as the African continent it portrays. The book's two centers are two dark hearts that fascinate Charlie Marlow, a captain sailor of a steamboat in the European Trading Company in the center of Africa where they export ivory. The book's two centers are two dark hearts that fascinate Marlow. One is found in Congo, which is the part of Africa and the other is held by Kurtz. The two hearts have a bad effect upon Kurtz, who possesses one and wants to posses the other. So Conrad frequently hides them inside of Kurtz. Conrad offers Kurtz as one whose dark nature was provoked by something dark lurking in Africa - two forces that ultimately pull Kurtz from decency and restraint.
Marlow was fascinated by Africa and everything unexplored about it, and he was thrilled by the humanity that he shared with these prehistoric people. He implied that even though he is civilized and European, he can feel a permanent part in himself responding to their shouts and that everyone has this vestigial and prehistoric instinct. Something I understood by reading this book was that Marlow believed we were all equal, and that makes me think that so did Conrad. In his book, he wrote about how imperialism had reached into personal lives and societies and affected an entire nation. He focused on a region of Africa that was long ruled by foreign oppressors and tyrannies.
Conrad also examined how oppression not only affects the local population, but also adversely affects the ruling oppressors. A great example of Conrad's theory I just mentioned is that imperialism doesn't only affect those prehistoric people, but it can also affect great, rich and noble men like Kurtz. The effect's can be seen by the adherence to the same rules, even though they were meant only for the oppressed. Kurtz was still above the prehistoric people, but the difference was that he became a whole other different and cynical person.
It is clearly evident that the Congo becomes victim to British and Roman imperialism through being conquered economically, geographically, and spiritually. In the novel, the British sincerely believe that they are offering a better way to the Congolese. The Congo is also conquered economically in terms of its resources. Marlow refers to the Congo and the many conquerors that have traveled through it in search of gold or fame. He examines the oppression of the Congo spiritually.
The geographic conquering of the Congo is probably the most imposed on the country. When Marlow reminisces about the continent's history, he is aware of its lengthy and complicated past. This clearly portrays the simple fact that white imperialists have been coming to the Congo to conquer for centuries and display ownership over it. Therefore, in The Heart of Darkness it is apparent that British and Romans have been imposing on the
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