Heart of Darkness by Joseph

¶ … Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. Specifically it will identify one possible theme in the novel, and explain how the author nurtures and presents this theme in the text. Conrad's novel is a scathing critique on European imperialism in Africa, and the evils of this corrupt and abusive practice.

The entire theme of the dark and famous novel is the wickedness of European imperialism and the subjugation of the natives by the Europeans. This theme shows up from the very beginning of the novel, even before Marlow leaves for Africa. Conrad writes, "They [the early Belgians who took over] were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force - nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising form the weakness of others" (Conrad 4). The exploited the natives and their weaknesses, while they made enormous amounts of money harvesting natural resources, like ivory and rubber. The Belgians did not care about the people, the land, or the lives they were changing forever. They used the natives as slaves, and when they died from maltreatment, they simply found new workers. Conrad continues, "They were dying slowly -- it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now -- nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom" (Conrad 14). The actual "heart of darkness" is the Belgians themselves and the darkness and evil they bring to the jungle, and what they take away from the natives - the very heart of their lives and culture.

Conrad shows what the natives are losing throughout the novel, as well, and attributes that loss directly to the imperialism of the Belgians. He writes, "On some quiet night the tremor of far-off drums, sinking, swelling, a tremor vast faint; a sound weird, appealing, suggestive, and wild -- and perhaps with as profound a meaning as the sound of bells in a Christian country" (Conrad 17). His purpose in writing this novel is to show Europeans just what was happening in Africa in the name of commerce and capitalism, and make them more aware of the inequities of the system. Critic Benita Parry writes on the theme of imperialism in the book and how "the book's concrete references to the social locations and functions of protagonists converging as a criticism 'of the material structures of imperial capitalism'" (Parry 42), continue this theme throughout the novel. To drive his point home, critic Parry continues, "I am suggesting that what he wrote was a powerful critique of imperialism as historical undertaking and ethos" (Parry 46). Indeed, the book has become a classic, and a classic look at imperialism's affect on satellite colonies like the Congo. The practice of imperialism took place all over the world, with many different European countries participating, so it was not just Belgium that was to blame. However, they were representative of what happened around the world, which is why Conrad focused his theme on the Belgians and their treatment of the Congo and its natives.

Another aspect of this theme in the novel is Kurtz and his bouts with madness. Marlow says of him, "But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself, and, by heavens! I tell you, it had gone mad" (Conrad 61). Kurtz is driven to madness by the imperialistic attitudes of those around him, and his own greed for money via the ivory trade. He spends his life in the jungle, searching for ivory and coming to know the natives, who think he is a white God. He represents the very worst of imperialism, because he comes to know and understand the natives, and still he takes advantage of them. He loves their hero worship, and he trades for ivory with them, but he is still using them and leaving them with little or nothing in return, just as the Belgians leave the Congo when they have taken all they can get from the country and the people.