What does Joseph Conrad aim to criticize in his book "Heart of Darkness"?
Though a slim volume, Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness delivers a scathing moral indictment of imperialism through protagonist Charlie Marlow’s disturbing voyage down the Congo River. Conrad draws back the veil on colonization to expose the hypocrisy, greed, and brutality lurking beneath its veneer of noble ideals. Examining the revelations of Marlow’s journey exposes Conrad’s piercing anti-imperialist message.
Stripping Away the Facade of Colonial Idealism
At first, Marlow buys into the rhetoric of bettering indigenous peoples through colonial projects to “civilize” Africa. However, Conrad methodically strips away this facade as Marlow realizes the unbridled horrors perpetrated by the Belgian colonists in pursuit of profit. Systemic enslavement, torture, and murder expose the dark underbelly exploiting the Congo’s resources and people under the guise of European supremacy.
Kurtz as a Dark Emblem of Imperialism's Morality
The character of Kurtz embodies the ultimate indictment of imperialism’s warped morality. Kurtz tyrannically brutalizes local tribes in order to extract vast quantities of ivory. Yet other company men praise Kurtz for his productivity rather than condemn his methods, implying a larger institutional sickness. Greed and power, not compassion, emerge as the central motives of conquest.
The Moral Emptiness of Imperialism
From start to bitter end, Conrad unveils the moral emptiness behind imperialism’s grand illusions of spreading light through the “dark continent.” Racist notions of superiority sought to justify the subjugation and extermination of indigenous peoples to feed European wealth and egos. Only darkness emerges from these empty lights.
Conclusion
Through Marlow’s chilling voyage, Joseph Conrad launches a far-reaching broadside against the hypocrisy undergirding colonial projects across Africa and beyond. Heart of Darkness ruthlessly tears down pretenses of humanitarianism to reveal the naked will to power fueling the engine of empire. The riches plundered came at a terrible human cost, truths Conrad unflinchingly exposes.
