What is one critique of imperialism that Joseph Conrad makes in "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. In spare yet haunting prose, Conrad reveals the hypocrisy and savagery lurking beneath the patronizing veneer of colonization. Examining Marlow’s revelations exposes Conrad’s piercing anti-imperialist message.

Marlow's Discovery of Imperialism's Hypocrisy

At first wide-eyed about his voyage, Marlow gradually realizes the horrific abuses and exploitation perpetrated by the Belgian colonists in the Congo in order to extract riches, particularly ivory. He witnesses slaves forced into labor, chained together as they die of starvation or exhaustion. The colonists’ actions completely contradict their outward pretensions of “civilizing” Africa.

Kurtz as a Symbol of Imperialism's Madness

Through the sinister character of Kurtz, Conrad suggests imperialism's underlying rapacity and madness. Kurtz has become a tyrannical figure presiding over atrocities against local tribes in pursuit of ivory, yet is initially lionized by company men for his productivity. Only when Kurtz's methods threaten profit do they aim to stop him. Conrad implies that unrestrained greed fuels conquest, not idealistic motives.

Conclusion

Through Marlow’s chilling voyage, Conrad unveils the moral emptiness behind lofty rhetoric about colonialism’s “civilizing mission.” From enslavement for profit to outright murder, the actions Conrad depicts amount to extermination of indigenous peoples justified by racist notions of European supremacy. Conrad argues imperialism is fundamentally about the will to power, clothed in hollow humanitarian pretenses.