Heart Of Darkness Imperialism

Once known as the “dark continent”, the mysterious lands of Africa were rather unfamiliar grounds for the vast majority of human beings during the 19th century. Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad has a hidden symbolic meaning within the title, similar to many other impressive works of literature. The suggestive title anticipates the nature of evil, which is suspected throughout the novel, rather than actually seen. The “Heart of Darkness” refers to how Conrad viewed the continent of Africa, how the humans that visit transform from civilized into savages, and the colonialism and imperialism that Europeans were practicing at the turn of the 20th century. The connection between Africa and darkness was initially introduced when the

However, when a man is removed from his typical society, the evil within him begins to creep up to the surface. This novel implies that civilizations need to be created and learned by establishing rules that hold men to higher standards. It helps to prevent men from reverting back to their darker dispositions. London England was once “one of the dark places of the earth,”(Conrad, 3) before the Romans taught them to be civilized. Civilization in society helps to restrain these savage tendencies but it does not eradicate them. An example of savagery is seen in Kurt. This can be observed when Marlow meets him for the first time and sees that Kurtz has become uncivilized and has been drawn into savagery by a dark, alienated jungle. Kurtz represents what every man will become if they are left alone without a protective or civilized environment. Finally, one of the last scenes from the book shows that Kurtz’s fate is absolute; Marlow says that “The wilderness…has taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own.”(Conrad, 28). This quote depicts how the darkness had altered Kurtz’s values, ultimately costing him his life. Likewise, as Marlow moves deeper into the “heart of darkness” and away from his military influence, his civilized profession as a military assassin begins to fade. However, Marlow refuses to be blind toward the powers that the heart of the jungle posses. Not only were the humans travelling to Africa turning dark, but the colonialism and imperialism that were being practiced were unacceptable