Marlow And Imperialism - 1469 Words

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, is a short but powerful novel about a sailor named Marlow who is recounting of his life experiences with the beloved Mr. Kurtz. Marlow s point of view in this story is a rather imperialistic view by the way he describes the congo. For example, he says, â€Å"It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind -- as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness. The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.† (Conrad, 7). Though not kind to think about, this is his justification of imperialism because†¦show more content†¦He also is implying that he is more intelligent and knows not to run when a horn sounded but the African people were not of the same intelligence and thus were frightened and ran away as they were not intelligent en ough to understand what was happening. Not only is Marlow thinking that Africans are inferior beings, but that he and Kurtz are the only people in the world that matter. Marlow spends most of the book talking or hearing about the legendary Mr. Kurtz, so it s very likely that Kurtz was very important to Marlow. Marlow, and everyone that Marlow interacted with, spoke of Kurtz in a very respectful manner and they often showed great admiration for him. He talks about wanting to see Kurtz so much that he would be willing to compromise his moral integrity. â€Å"I would not have gone so far as to fight for Kurtz, but I went for him near enough to a lie.† (Conrad,26). He is again letting the reader know that he is completely devoted to Kurtz and is willing to do most anything to please him. This quote proves that Marlow was very fond of meeting a man who he thought was an amazing genius and that he was willing to do almost anything to get the chance to meet him even if it meant getting shot by arrows. â€Å"We were being shot at! I stepped in quickly to close the shutter on the land side. That fool-helmsman, his hands on the spokes, was lifting his knees high, stampingShow MoreRelated Colonialism and Imperialism in Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay1016 Words   |  5 PagesImperialism Exposed in Conrads Heart of Darkness      Ã‚   Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness is a novel about European imperialism and its far-reaching effects. Conrad relates his personal opinions through the protagonist, Marlow, who learns a great deal about imperialism while on a journey to the African Congo. 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