Heart of Darkness

             Nothing is black or white but an odd shade of gray that seems to change every time you look at it. Everything in life is driven by something that is inherent in most people, greed. But greed being one of the seven sins can only be counterbalanced by something else. Spreading the word of religion. This has been true for many centuries and Heart of Darkness is a striking example of this. Since the dawn of time and the creation of belief systems people have always felt the need to spread their ideas to their neighbors in peaceful and not so peaceful manners; ironically, since the dawn of time and the creation of belief systems people have always felt the need to take from those they were ministering to, most of the time not so peacefully. Missionaries, adventurers, thrill-seekers, and those in search of fame, glory, and money have always set their heart on going to the unknown and "discovering" it. As if it was lost. But most missions do their job very successfully. Not only do they steal but they manage to destroy cultures in the surrounding areas in the name of faith. I see King Leopold II's point when he said: Europe's aim was to "open [the Congo] to civilization the only part of our globe where Christianity has not yet penetrated and to pierce the darkness which envelopes the entire population." But it's the motives behind that penetration and piercing that is wrong. Europe wasn't in the Congo for converting them to Christians, but they were there for the same reasons they were in China and the Americas, for the booty. Heart of Darkness confirms this twist to the quote.
             The company is in Africa for profit, pure and simple. Most of the characters there are in search of personal gain. The pilgrims, the Manager, the Expeditionary force that arrives, even the brick maker were there just to make money and to advance in the company. We know this through Marlow's account where ...

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Heart of Darkness. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 07:39, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/35897.html