The Colonial Experience in Heart of Darkness

In his novel, Conrad tells the story of a man who ventured too far into the darker areas of his soul. He is presented as much affected by his locale, and there is a certain racist component in this analysis given the way Conrad contrasts the civilization of white Britain and the non-civilization of black Africa. The very image of darkness raises a question for some as to how darkness and so blackness are identified with evil. Yet, Marlow, the man who goes to Africa to find Kurtz and bring him back, has a different conception of evil and knows that it lurks in every heart. His is not a racist view but a realist's view, and he worries as much about his own soul as he does about Kurtz? soul. What may be right for one social group, given their circumstances and the way they are tied to the land and to the jungle, is very different from what is right for a society such as produced by Kurtz and Marlow.

The character of Marlow is a persona for the author used in several stories and novels. He makes a journey from civilization into the darkest part of Africa to bring back a

. . .
heir rights of sovereignty over much of the Congo Basin (Zaire: A Country Study). For almost the entire period of the Congo Free State (1885 1908), the peoples of what is now known as Zaire were subjected to a staggering sequence of wars, repression, and regimentation. The impact of this colonial experience was more devastating because the initial shock of European intrusion was followed almost immediately by a ruthless exploitation of human and natural resources (Zaire: A Country Study). This is the setting for The Heart of Darkness, and the sort of degradation to which Kurtz subjects himself suggests that the real uncivilized man may come from Europe and not from the darker regions as Marlow seems to believe. In the end, Marlow begins to see, though, that the real darkness is in the human soul, and whatever darkness is found in Africa is a consequence of colonialism. Chinua Achebe notes the ambiguity in the novel and refers to the fact that Africa is identified as "the other world," as "the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization" (Achebe 252). Achebe notes the contrast in the novel between two rivers, the Thames on which the yacht in the opening scene is found, and the River Congo up which Marlow goes to bring
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Marlow Europeans, Heart Darkness, Congo Marlow, Marlow Marlow, Kurtz Marlow, Africa Marlow, Belgian Congo, Congo Free, CP Sarvan, , heart darkness, joseph conrad, ww norton, norton 1988, york ww, york ww norton, ljopold ii, ww norton 1988, heart darkness heart, darkness heart, zaire country, darkness joseph, country study, darkness joseph conrad, zaire country study,
Approximate Word count = 1747
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

More Essays on The Colonial Experience in Heart of Darkness