race in heart of darkness

For Joseph Conrad to write Heart Of Darkness in the late nineteenth century should have been controversial. It voiced an opinion of slavery and Imperialism not welcome in civilized Europe. Conrad’s writing is fictional, and therefore attracted less attention than it might have. It’s dream-like storytelling is courtesy of a frame narrator, who is in turn relaying the story of the African journey undertaken by Marlow, Conrad’s main character. Fiction though it may be, Marlow was strategically placed in this new world to witness greedy colonial power in action, and present it to the people who are ignorant of it or choose to suppress knowledge of it. Therefore the text acts almost like a conscience for the society. Through dialogue spoken to Marlow and his personal contemplation - Marlow discovers a distaste for the white ‘Company’ values towards the Africans they so readily abuse. He pities the natives greatly, but this is problematic as he too uses them, to philosophize on their existential struggle and contemplate subconsciously why white is indeed dominant. Thus Marlow himself reinforces the social values of his time which he dislikes. This dehumanization is

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A man onboard enlightens Marlow; they are firing at ‘a camp of natives’. Through Marlow’s contemplation, the reader learns of the corruption of imperialistic and social Darwinist values put to use by whites to gain power over Africans, but also that Marlow, though disgusted, cannot seem to escape his naturalization to these values. ’ This implies the natives are timeless; they have not progressed.

Through Marlow’s contemplative monologue, the reader learns more about the corruption in Africa. It is also important to note that Marlow sometimes refers to the Africans as ‘men’ unlike so many other white characters. When Marlow passes through an abandoned village, he notes how the native dwellings were ‘pathetically childish’. Marlow is critical of the European characters he meets, and pities the natives they abuse, but still does not view Africans as equal to himself.

Marlow looks past the ideal of Imperialism and sees it for what it really is; ‘robbery with violence’. His remarks fit social Darwinist ideology in two ways; likening natives to less mentally evolved beings, and the apparent need the abuser sees to civilise them. Yet, Social Darwinism justifies the accountant’s actions. In an age when blacks were thought to be at a lesser stage of evolution, this man was seen to be helping ‘savage’ to become civilised, and thus was ‘progressing’ her in culture and mind. He then explains to Marlow, “Serve him right. Regardless of his social context, he learns to pity the blacks very quickly. ’ This man, who Marlow describes as being so ordinary, has used imperialism to gain a position of great power he would not be able to obtain in Europe. He also uses Social Darwinian ideology to gain amusement it seems, with his peculiar selection of a young Negro, who he condescendingly terms “boy” and on whom he chooses to bestow a higher status.

Common topics in this essay:
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Approximate Word count = 2024
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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