Heart of Darkness by Conrad Critique - Essay Example

Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" Rhetoric of Enigma Heart of Darkness by Conrad Joseph is a novel that explores colonial imperialism in parts of the world. The novel reflects the presence of colonists in colony that is in Africa. Conrad wrote this novel in 1890s during the time when European placed the darkest sites of the world under their control. Europeans scrambled and stretched their powers outside their continent to far parts of Africa. This novel provides an account of European imperial activities in Congo. Conrad wrote this book while he was adventuring Congo, which was a Belgian Colony. Conrad novel allude that there are flaws in the European imperialism because riots, abandonment of trade enterprises, and wars in their territories. The story in this novella focuses on Charlie Marlow who is one the main characters. Charlie Marlow is also the narrator of the story. This is despite the fact that anonymous storyteller appears on the onset of the novel. Charlie Marlow is an Englishman who has always had a passion to travel at different parts of the globe. Since he was young, Marlow used to look keenly at places in world map to adventure. These areas included even the weird ones such as North poles (Conrad 16). The author of this novel, Conrad Joseph has negative attitude towards imperialism. The mood of the novella is sympathetic and Conrad identifies with African natives. The main characters in this novel are Marlow, Kurtz, General Manager, Brickmaker, Chief accountant, and Pilgrims. Other characters in the novella comprise Cannibals, Russian trader, Helmsman, Kurtz’s African mistress, Aunt, Men abroad the Nellie, and Fresleven. Conrad uses these characters to expose the dark side of European colonization. Heart of Darkness looks at darkness at three levels namely, wilderness in Congo, European treatment of Africans, and darkness in human beings to commit atrocious acts of evil. Conrad uses a big river, which is an important tool for colonies to exert their power in different parts of the world. The picture that Marlow gives when he enters employment offices to sign contract in order to replace Fresleven is a depiction of how Europeans have scrambled to access varied areas. The map in the office in question containing different coloring such as green, yellow, blue, and other colors is a clear impression areas that Europeans have colonized (Conrad 25). Marlow secured a job with a Company as a captain to fill the space that Fresleven left after chief’s son stubbed while in Congo. Charlie Marlow’s journey is full of many encounters of brutality and inefficiency, which his new Company perpetrates. The natives of this region suffer under the ill treatment of agents of the company. The inhabitants have to overwork terribly despite the nastiness and cruelty of imperial companies. This is in regardless of the fact that number of Europeans is very small compared to that of inhabitants. Enigma and mystery give the novel its glamour and aura command. Joseph Conrad employs effectively unpredictability and situations that are very difficult for one to explain. The first pages of Conrad’s work opens with a character Charlie Marlow. Marlow gives a clear picture of England and explains to his colleagues in the ship that it was dull. Marlow continues to ponder on how the Romans got into Thames and how they faced the darkness. Marlow wondered how the Romans survived the life of wilderness, the forest, in the midst of cruel men (Conrad 8). Conrad provides readers with a picture to follow of civilization. The author draws the attention of the audience on what will happen, when the characters such as Marlow comes across wild world. Conrad refers men in the ship as waiting for tide that has bones and resembles dominoes. This is prelude to the bones, which Kurtz and Marlow encounters later in the novel. For instance, Charlie Marlow found the remains of Fresleven who inhabitants killed after a quarrel ensued over hens. Conrad suggests that society must be very cautious on the people they to civilize others in different parts of the world. This is an illusion that they should be extra-ordinary and capable of enduring in the dark continents and countries such as Congo. Marlow and Kurtz choose to enter into the darkness despite the horrible stories about Congo. Kurtz is a successful trader in ivory and amasses a lot of wealth from this deal (Conrad 87-93). Joseph Conrad presents an illumination work that focuses on inheritance of darkness of human inclinations. Europeans in the middle of jungle in Congo enjoy supremacy and control over the inhabitants. These colonists are taking everything good that belongs to this territory. For instance, characters such as Kurtz are in very profitable trade of ivory. This is stealing ivory from the people of this region and leaving them destitute. The natives do not benefit from this trade and colonists treat them like slaves. For example, the inhabitants have to overwork because they have no choice. The wages are very dismal and the natives cannot afford basic commodities such as food. Marlow offers biscuits to the inhabitants when on his journey to look for bones of his predecessor. The author points out that some of the inhabitants succumb to death after a long period of working for the white people. This is despite the fact that the natives are neither enemies nor criminals. They starve and suffer from diseases because of brutality of colonists. Conrad novel depicts colonists’ maltreatment of natives. These include, giving them strange food, which causes illness and emaciation (Conrad 14). The author points out that the inhabitants were cannibals. However, the natives displayed higher level of morals than the colonists did. The colonists received high salaries for their roles despite the fact that they were exploiting Congo. Colonial offices back at their home expected people on the territories to buy food for the inhabitants. Nonetheless, the colonizers decided to terrorize pilgrims even at times when starvation was evident. For instance, the colonizers gave the pilgrims three pieces of brass wire on a weekly basis (Conrad 102). The colonists supposed that the natives would use this amount of money to procure their requirements in the villages the river. This was the highest level of colonizers cruelty since there were no villages. In addition, the people were unfriendly. Conrad depicts that colonists committed appalling atrocities to the inhabitants of the colony in which they exerted their power. Nonetheless, Conrad alludes that there is hope for the colonized people through the change of attitude in Charlie Marlow. Marlow changes his perception about the natives when he misses his Hemsman. Charlie Marlow points out that Hemsman had indicated signs of improvements (Conrad 33). Killing of this man by Kurtz advocate’s spear affects Marlow greatly. This is because Marlow had started to treat and perceive the slain man as his equal. This man was very instrumental in watching guarding the boat’s steam boiler. The change of Marlow’s perception of inhabitants gives appealing taste to the novella. Conrad draws the attention of readers and audience that time heals everything. This is in regardless of prejudice and hate that may exist between warring parties. Charlie Marlow began to appreciate inhabitants of the colony in question after his interaction with them. Evil intruders and exploitative characters such as Kurtz have limited time to continue exploiting the colony in this novella. Kurtz fell sick and after a wrong struggle with disease, he succumbed to death (Conrad 145). Death of the Kurtz relieves tension and attitude of hatred, which readers may have developed in the course of reading the novel. Conrad asserts that colonial influence and control over their colonies is about to end when key people such as Kurtz die. Conrad paints successfully a picture of the jungle using language. For instance, the author employs strong words in expressing the physical attributes of natives, behavior, and characteristics. Words such as wild and intense that the author uses to describe inhabitants and the colony create awe in the minds of readers. The description of boat that carried loads of natives in the stream is not only primitive, but also contemptuous. The author portrays the natives’ bodies as bony, muscular, and full of energy (Conrad 78). In contrast, Conrad paints the whites as desirable, rich, pretending, and evil (Conrad 81). This is an expression of dislike of the author of civilized white to exploit the colonized people in this novel. Kurtz has remained enigmatic not only for Marlow, but also for his wife. This portrayal of Conrad’s writing style and techniques brings out intended themes for readers to analyze critically and give their interpretation. Conrad’s descriptive language from the beginning to the end of the novel provokes thoughts in the minds of readers. The onset of the novel opens with description of Nellie, Thames River and London where a group of men are waiting for tides to calm. In addition, the narrator in the first pages does not disclose his or identity. This evokes curiosity for readers to continue reading the novel in order to comprehend fully its contents. The readers understand Kurtz, who is an ivory trader in this colony, through Charlie Marlow and Kurtz’s wife (Conrad 153). Marlow reveals that Kurtz is a controversial man. Although Kurtz has a fiancee back at home, he also has relationship with other women in the colony in question. Conrad uses Kurtz to distinguish between the life and language of colonizers and the colony, which he depicts as silent and dark. Although at the time when Kurtz entered the colony he had a strong mastery of language, his interaction with the natives suppresses his command of language. Conrad intends to imply that the darkness in the colony muted Kurtz and later he dies while in the jungle (Conrad 74). The surrounding of natives absorbs Kurtz and therefore he does not continue with his ivory trade. Kurtz dying words expressing horror is an indication that whatever he expected of the colony in question has turned out to be a death jungle. Marlow is also afraid to disclose the dying utterances of Kurtz when he visited Kurtz wife. Charlie Marlow informs her that Kurtz died while uttering her name. Conrad introduces silence from the beginning of the story. Anonymous narrator starts the story of Charlie Marlow as a way to set conversation when they are in the boat. Marlow informs his colleagues that he used to be a great sailor in fresh waters (Conrad 10). Conrad employed silence in this novel to differentiate the life of colonizers and that of their colonies. Therefore, silence in Heart of Darkness can infer to death. Marlow and his group should be prepared to start a journey of silence and darkness. The conversation in the journey among Marlow acquaintances allude that they are ready for any danger that might arise while in their colony. Marlow tells the crew in the ship that observing coast as it glides by the ship resembles imagining of mystery (Conrad 19). This implies that they understand the muted nature of their destined colony. Conrad has kept the name of colony as a secret. The readers can only think of its awful and terrible nature from characters such as Charlie Marlow. Marlow points out that everything appears strange ranging from world plants to water and its silence. He asserts that this calmness did not mean peace. Instead, this is tranquility of merciless force tearing the inhabitants apart (Conrad 48). Conrad Joseph implies that human beings of this area do not have language that enables them to communicate effectively. The only thing that is present is the physical space that supports muting and unknowing muteness along the riverbanks. Conrad’s novel depicts two worlds that are unable to communicate or exist in a comprehensible and peaceful way. However, the inhabitants have a way they use to converse and understand each other. Conrad concludes his story when Marlow and his crew are on the boat on Thames returning home. The killing of Fresleven, death of Kurtz and return of Marlow back home is an indication that colonialist have lost their imperialism in their colony. In conclusion, Conrad’s Heart of Darkness depicts many things. To start with, the novel alludes that power can have destructive effects when applied on other people. The events taking place in the novel mirrors European imperialism and hunger to exert their influence on many parts of the world in 18th century. The scramble for these parts revealed that European had ill motives. The motives of European were not to civilize their colonies but to take away the endowment of this area such as natural resources. Second, Europeans were very egocentric. The sole purpose for partition many parts to exert their influence were for their own benefits. Europeans engaged in very profitable trade such as ivory. This was a strategy to get raw materials from their colonies and to export them back to their home. The same great is live in contemporary world. Countries want to use other nation’s resources in order to develop themselves. The world is full of great people and everybody looks at his or docket. This is the reason why there is a great gap between the industrialized nations and the developing world. Developing nations are grappling to set strong foundations for development while the industrialized have already made great leaps of progress socially and economically. Third, misuse of power can cause psychological regression and disturbances to the ruled. Power is good when people apply it in the right way. However, authority is the center of evil when those in control use it in the wrong way. Europeans used force on their colonies to exert their influence on their colonies. Many leaders in the contemporary word have misguided the fellow citizens. Instead of yielding what they promise, they take advantage of their authority to waste state resources. Lastly, the novel is warns the whole world that force and exploitation are not holistic way to solve contemporary problems. Those who try to use forceful ways are subject to meet tough encounters and resistance. Work Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Plain Label Books Publishers, 1975. Print. Read More