Introduction to Imperialism in Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad has mixed feelings and conflicting ideas about the concept of imperialism in Heart of Darkness that could be termed ambivalence. The novel which shows a journey from within and from without also divides itself into two parallel and conflicting ideas which are often associated with imperialism. Conrad being a white and also a westerner watches the oppression with his own eyes but being a non African also seems to detach himself from what actually happens with the Africans. There are so many examples where his protagonist seems to be divided in his view point and his inclination to blacks or whites become doubtful. Therefore, it can be said that the writer’s deep ambivalence about imperialism in Heart of Darkness regarding ambivalence in the consciousness, ambivalence in the treatment of blacks and whites and ambivalence in the mode of description thus making it a novel which apparently sides the Africans but inwardly reflects the superiority of the west.
Marlow and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness
The hero of the novel goes out to explore the unexplored lands of Africa. His travel is also on two levels. One is physical travel and the other is spiritual and inner travel. The learning and exposure go on both levels. Apparently it looks that his experiences are making him enlightened and well informed as compared to his previous understanding. However, the ambivalence of the situation is that his enlightenment is in other words an experience of the more negative things and as if he were going back to the primitive age. So his description of the protagonist’s development is at the same time forward and backward. So the protagonist suffers from a split personality with conflicting ideas which oscillate him between the civilization of the west and African primitivism. In this way the description shows the conflict and ambivalence between the unconsciousness subsequently sub consciousness and the depiction of consciousness. This conflict is evident in the narrative related with wilderness, the African landscape, its society and its people. The wilderness again has two contradictory angles. One angle of it can be captured by Europe while the other aspect of supernatural type can only be left to die. This could be termed a drive exposing imperialism in Heart of Darkness.
Africa and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness
Conrad starts his assessment of Africa with the introduction of the Congo River and its comparison with the river Thames. The Thames symbolizes the purification, civilization and intelligence whereas the Congo River shows darkness and under civilized society which is still not developed. Marlow seems to mention the Thames with reverence and great care while his description of the Congo River makes him a little pessimistic. Congo River is shown as “ the mystery of an unknown earth”. (Heart of Darkness 3). Moreover, during the course of the novel we find that the Congo River has so many difficult spots around it. It passes through many dark and dangerous places. The scenes around are rough and are not maintained as if nobody had touched them. It unfolds that Africa is a place to be invaded and this mystery is to be solved and resolved and only white people can solve this mystery. Here the narrator who is the mouthpiece of the writer is ambivalent about the concept of imperialism in Heart of Darkness.
Primitivism and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness
Conrad describes African people as he had described the Congo River and associated it with ignorance and primitiveness. He declares them barbarous liable to be kept under subjugation. They need to be taught, modernized and enlightened according to the standards set by the west. Sometimes he favors these Africans by saying that they live with nature which is a positive thing. Therefore they get a supernatural power with their association with nature. He also feels a kind of association with them as a human being. On the other hand, the African people have been treated as devils as if they have come from hell” catch “im,”—”Give’im to u.”— what would you do with them? ““Eat’im!” he said curtly…. (42). In these examples we see that he identifies himself with the Africans and also detaches himself from them at the same time deeming himself as a superior person and mentioning their so called inhuman act. This shows how he in reality looks at the African people. So his purpose does not seem to be the expansion, but to take pity on the natives. So in this way his description shows how he has an ambivalent description of African people.
European Progress and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness
The word the whited sepulcher is used in the novel for the cities of the west. These cities are apparently very advanced, refined and civilized but inwardly there is evil and hypocrisy prevalent in them. This is the double standard of the so called civilized world which Marlow indicates. In the same vein, Conrad depicts Belgium as a country or city full of death or hypocrisy and we also know that Belgium was the centre of imperialism. The city shows as if it is devoid of emotions and there is no civilization left there. We can also cite example of the two women who were knitting wool because it is associated with man’s doom as we remember “ Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, where Madame Defarge knits “with the steadfastness of fate” (103). In this way, the description of the city has ambivalence as every one of them represents darkness and light, death and peace.
Conclusion
In the novel, the writer describes the details of Africa, its wilderness, the Congo River and the inhabitants of that area in a way as to compare them with the civilized world of the west in an attempt to expose imperialism in Heart of Darkness. The journey within versus journey without goes on showing the differences between the attitude of the writer towards the native Africans and the white westerners. Marlow has mixed feelings for both the Africans and the Europeans. It can be said that he has attached and detached feelings for both the Europeans and the Africans simultaneously. His identification with nature and affiliation with superior Europe makes him ambivalent toward imperialism.
Works Cited
Relevant Questions about Imperialism in Heart of Darkness
- How does the character of Kurtz exemplify the ambivalence towards imperialism in “Heart of Darkness”? What aspects of his journey and actions reflect the complex relationship between colonization and the corrupting effects of power?
- In “Heart of Darkness,” how does the narrative structure, particularly the framing of Marlow’s story within the story, contribute to the ambivalence towards imperialism? How does this layered storytelling highlight the contradictory perspectives on colonialism?
- Explore the symbolic significance of the Congo River in “Heart of Darkness.” How does the river itself represent the ambivalence surrounding imperialism, and how does Marlow’s journey along the river reflect the moral and ethical dilemmas associated with European expansion and exploitation in Africa?
