Exploring Darkness: Greed and Colonialism in Conrad's Novel

Greed corrupts even the most civilized of men. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness this statement is entirely true. In his novel, the plot follows Charles Marlow, a sea captain, on his journey into the mysterious Congo Free State on the search for the enigmatic Mr. Kurtz. During his journey, Charles encounters disease, slavery, and mutilation at the hands of the Belgian colonial administrators. When Charles finally meets Kurtz he quickly sees Kurtz’s dark heart filled with lust and insanity. Joseph Conrad’s use of characterization and symbolism in his novel paints a gruesome picture of King Leopold’s criminal and horrific rule over the Congo and her people.

L'état de Belgique/The State of Belgium Before examining the novel, the reader must

This was not a worry for King Leopold, he enacted a brutal system that heavily favoured the colonists. His grisly and ruthless plan for action was called the Système Domanial, one of its main components “reserved all “unused” land and its fruits for the Free State. The system, which quickly led to massive bloodshed among the native population forced to harvest the country’s natural wealth.”(Strenger 752). This system would enslave hundred upon thousands of men, women, and children even the “government itself puts a premium upon the exploitation and enslavement of the natives. The commissioners of the government have been instructed "to devote all their energies to the harvesting of rubber, and to proceed as far as possible by persuasion, rather than by”(Reinsch 219). The enslaved populace became the lifeline of the Colonial Congo. To maximize production, King Leopold legislated cold-hearted labour quotas for the natives and if they failed to meet their quotas they would lose a limb. Because of this, Mutilation was very common and this practice would continue until 1960 when the Congo gained independence. To enforce his barbaric policies, he constructed one of the largest colonial armies the worlds ever saw. The Force Publique not only increased King Leopold’s grasp on the Congo but also it served as a symbol of unity in Belgian Society. For many years, the Belgian military was in shambles and lacked cutting edge tactics and was an embarrassment to the nation of Belgium. However, “The military in...the