Heart Of Darkness

“Internal issue: Imperialism”

Heart of Darkness is a novel written by Joseph Conrad and published in 1902. The novel is inspired in Conrad’s journey to the Congo, Africa (1890). The story begins in the latter years of the nineteenth century in the Thames River (London) when Marlow, the main character, tells the story known as Heart of Darkness. Marlow, who is a seaman on board of the Nellie, starts telling the story of his journeys while travelling around some unknown places in the world in order to meet Kurtz (the Chief of the Inner Station). As the journey goes on, Marlow can observe the incompetence and cruelty with which the Company’s stations work. He can see how natives suffer from exploitation and bad treatment by the Company’ agents. Later on, Marlow arrives at the Central Station and realizes that his ship has been sunk and that he will have to stay there until he can repair it. When he has finally repaired it, he and the manager begin the journey with some agents to which Marlow refers as pilgrims because they appeared carrying on staves of wood everywhere they go. During the journey they suffer an attack from the natives but at last they arrive to the Inner Station where they found Kurtz severely ill. Kurtz seems to have settled down as some kind of god between the natives that seeks ivory. On board of the ship a secret is revealed, Kurtz has planned the attack to the ship to make everyone believe that he was dead and in that way, to make them come back and leave him alone with his plans. During the night, Kurtz disappears and Marlow looks for him. He persuades Kurtz to come back to the ship and return the journey. Marlow continues to pilot the ship and he receives some private documents, in which there was a pamphlet with the phrase “Exterminate all the brutes!” (Conrad, J. 1899: 103, http://www.planetpdf.com/planetpdf/pdfs/free_ebooks/Heart_of_Darkness_T.pdf) The ship breaks and needs to be repaired. Kurtz dies saying “The horror, the horror!” (Conrad, J. 1899: 145, http://www.planetpdf.com/planetpdf/pdfs/free_ebooks/Heart_of_Darkness_T.pdf) After a year, Marlow goes to Europe to meet Kurtz’s fiancée and there she asks Marlow what were Kurtz’s last words before die and she lies to her saying that were that ones of her name.

Conrad places his novel in the nineteenth century when different cultural forms were crucial in the shape of “imperial attitudes, references and experiences” (Said, E. 1993: 12, Culture and Imperialism) All world powers wanted to become stronger empires, making the rest be under their authority. And this is what Conrad refers as Imperialism. Heart of Darkness is a novel dealing with the European’s decision to colonize Africa, known as the “Dark” continent. “The imperial attitude is beautifully captured in the complicated and rich narrative form of Conrad’s great novel, Heart of Darkness.” (Said, E. 1993: 22, Culture and

...