By the turn of the twentieth century, the fever of imperialism had spread across Europe. European nations across the continent began to send trade expeditions to Africa with the hopes of discovering profitable raw materials as well as new consumer markets. Men, inspired by the ideas portrayed in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden,” opted to leave their familiar homes to “civilize” and “Christianize” peoples whom they perceived as their inferiors. Many Europeans believed that the colonization of Africa would bring great success and prosperity to their countries. Yet, at the same time, some questioned the glory in conquering other lands and peoples. Such was the case with author Joseph Conrad. In his great work Heart of Darkness (1899), Conrad examined how men’s minds changed as they obsessed over acquiring African ivory. Throughout the novel, Conrad’s diction underscores his argument that the colonization of Africa corrupts the humanity of men.
Conrad immediately establishes himself as a critic to imperialism through the voice of the narrator Marlow. When Marlow describes his curiosity of the African continent to his fellow sailors, he states how “it had become a place of darkness” and that “there was in it one river especially, a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land” (10). Conrad’s diction in this description reveals much about his overall argument. The fact that Conrad chooses a snake to symbolize the Congo River conveys the theme that Africa is a place of danger and evil; in the Garden of Eden, it is the devil masked as the snake who corrupts and convinces Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Moreover, with the word “darkness”, Conrad creates a sombre and almost melancholy tone to the novel rather than an overly zealous or nationalistic tone. The word “darkness” has a dual purpose in the novel: to describe the setting as well as to symbolize the corrupted human heart. When Marlow finally meets the legendary Mr. Kurtz, he finds that Mr. Kurtz does not live up to his expectations: that Mr. Kurtz is not a smooth, charismatic tradesman but rather an expeditionary who is so devoted to acquiring ivory that he holds no concern for his own life. Because Mr. Kurtz only focuses on his own material wealth and fame, Marlow–and Conrad–view Mr. Kurtz as living an empty life. The trading of ivory has stripped Mr. Kurtz of his humanity and has left him only with “a barren heart of darkness” (103). Once again, Conrad uses the word “darkness” to symbolize danger and evil, and thus conveys his criticism of imperialism.
Conrad additionally criticizes those who colonize. Marlow perceives his trade manager to be unsettling, and points out he has “no learning, and no intelligence” (31). Furthermore, he concludes that the man, however unqualified, has reached the position as manager because he has not fallen ill and that “triumphant health in the general rout of constitutions is a kind of power in itself” (31). In this statement lies Conrad’s argument that those who colonize are unfit to do so, and that they could actually create more problems in Africa rather than “solve” them. Conrad further criticizes the colonists by referring to them as “pilgrims” repeatedly. Marlow states that he calls the traders “pilgrims” because they carry staves, but there is additionally meaning behind this diction. A pilgrim, by definition, is someone who travels to a foreign land as a devotee. On the surface, it may appear that the colonists travel to Africa as Christian devotees–to spread the Christian faith to “uncivilized” peoples. However, in the context of the rest of the novel, it becomes clear that Conrad uses the word “pilgrim” ironically–that those who travel to Africa do so because they are devoted to the money associated with trading ivory. Through this word choice, Conrad expresses his anti-imperialist sentiments.
Whereas many of contemporaries championed imperialism and the colonization of Africa, Conrad questioned the effects of imperialism on the human mind. Through his diction in Heart of Darkness, Conrad argued that imperialism in Africa would lead to greed and materialism, and ultimately, corrupt the human mind into a heart of darkness. Conrad immediately establishes himself as a critic to imperialism through the voice of the narrator Marlow. When Marlow describes his curiosity of the African continent to his fellow sailors, he states how “it had become a place of darkness” and that “there was in it one river especially, a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land” (10). Conrad’s diction in this description reveals much about his overall argument. The fact that Conrad chooses a snake to symbolize the Congo River conveys the theme that Africa is a place of danger and evil; in the Garden of Eden, it is the devil masked as the snake who corrupts and convinces Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Moreover, with the word “darkness”, Conrad creates a sombre and almost melancholy tone to the novel rather than an overly zealous or nationalistic tone. The word “darkness” has a dual purpose in the novel: to describe the setting as well as to symbolize the corrupted human heart. When Marlow finally meets the legendary Mr. Kurtz, he finds that Mr. Kurtz does not live up to his expectations: that Mr. Kurtz is not a smooth, charismatic tradesman but rather an expeditionary who is so devoted to acquiring ivory that he holds no concern for his own life. Because Mr. Kurtz only focuses on his own material wealth and fame, Marlow–and Conrad–view Mr. Kurtz as living an empty life. The trading of ivory has stripped Mr. Kurtz of his humanity and has left him only with “a barren heart of darkness” (103). Once again, Conrad uses the word “darkness” to symbolize danger and evil, and thus conveys his criticism of imperialism.
Conrad additionally criticizes those who colonize. Marlow perceives his trade manager to be unsettling, and points out he has “no learning, and no intelligence” (31). Furthermore, he concludes that the man, however unqualified, has reached the position as manager because he has not fallen ill and that “triumphant health in the general rout of constitutions is a kind of power in itself” (31). In this statement lies Conrad’s argument that those who colonize are unfit to do so, and that they could actually create more problems in Africa rather than “solve” them. Conrad further criticizes the colonists by referring to them as “pilgrims” repeatedly. Marlow states that he calls the traders “pilgrims” because they carry staves, but there is additionally meaning behind this diction. A pilgrim, by definition, is someone who travels to a foreign land as a devotee. On the surface, it may appear that the colonists travel to Africa as Christian devotees–to spread the Christian faith to “uncivilized” peoples. However, in the context of the rest of the novel, it becomes clear that Conrad uses the word “pilgrim” ironically–that those who travel to Africa do so because they are devoted to the money associated with trading ivory. Through this word choice, Conrad expresses his anti-imperialist sentiments.
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