DARK SIDE OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN

JOSEPH CONRAD’S “HEART OF DARKNESS”

“Heart of Darkness” was a novella published in Blackwood’s Magazine in the 19 th

century, and then finally published in 1942 in book form. It is an intense story that explores the
horrifying truth behind the European imperialism in Africa. The novel exposes the wretched state
the Africans were kept in by the white people after they invaded Africa and took over the land
under the pretense of bringing civilization to the people. “Heart of Darkness”, in this regard,
shows imperialism in its true evil form. The policy of taking control of one country through
martial, political or economic power is a natural part of colonization. Ultimately, it leads towards
the mistreatment of the colonized people and has negative influences on the colonized country’s
culture and history.

Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” is a true picture of imperialism in Congo. Through

Marlowe, Conrad explains how the white men, after acquiring power in that part of Africa, took
supreme positions and extracted ivory via cheap labour of the black men. The Africans were but
profit making tools for men like the Manager and Kurtz. The book is a graphic picture of how
white men exploited the black people through their beliefs, morals and lack of education in order
to extract as much raw material as was possible.

From the very start of the novel, Conrad establishes colonization as something dark.
Marlowe calls London as the “darkest place on Earth”, therefore foreshadowing how it was the
white British men who had exhibited cruelty like no other. “Heart of Darkness”, therefore, does
not only allude to Congo itself but also points to the darkness that resides in the hearts of the
white men, who stopped at nothing to gain as much ivory and other resources of Congo, as was
possible. Marlowe explains this as “They grabbed what they could get for the sake of what was
to be got. It was 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.” (p. 8) People with greed can even
resort to murder if it means that they could get what they want, and can psychologically exploit
an entire tribe for their own personal conquests. The manager is all but ready to kill Kurtz in his
envy towards the man. Similarly, Kurtz is a Belgian employee who comes to hold so much
power in the country that he begins to dominate all the inhabitants and the natives begin to look
at Kurtz as some sort of demigod. Kurtz’s greed and lust leads him into overworking the natives
to death. He exploited them until “they sickened, became inefficient, and were then allowed to
crawl away.” (p. 25) Kurtz’s obsession with profit share of the ivory was so great that Marlowe
recollects Kurtz’s words as “This lot of ivory now is really mine. The Company did not pay for it.
I collected it myself at a very great personal risk. I am afraid they will try to claim it as theirs
though. H’m. It is a difficult case. What do you think I ought to do— resist? Eh? I want no more
than justice.” (p. 123-124)

It is important to consider that all imperialism is based on the philosophy of the white
man’s burden and so, “Heart of Darkness” shows even more significantly the horrifying truth of
colonization. Under the disguise of educating and civilizing the non-white people, the Europeans
brutally starved, overworked and killed the black men for their underlying cause of extracting
ivory. This brutality is explicitly illustrated through Marlowe’s words, “they were nothing
earthly now— nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation.” (p. 25) Thus hypocrisy
becomes an integral part of imperialism. It a strategy followed by colonisers to show the outer
world that they are the trying to educate and improve the lives of native people, all the while they
have the underlying cause of exploiting the natural resources of the colonized country. It is a tool
that is used to justify the brutality and cruelty they exhibit on the natives. This phenomenon is
quite evident in the way Marlowe’s aunt believes that Marlowe is going to Africa to bring
civilisation and knowledge to an under-privileged country. “Something like an emissary of light,
something like a lower sort of apostle. There had been a lot of such rot let loose in print and talk
just about that time, and the excellent woman, living right in the rush of all the hambug, got
carried off her feet. She talked about weaning those ignorant millions from their horrid ways.”
(p. 17)

Another very integral basis of imperialism is racial discrimination, which was prominent
during the African colonial era. The title “Heart of Darkness” depicts Congo as the central point
of a ‘dark continent’. Signs of racism can be observed at various instances throughout the novel,
such as Marlowe talking about black people in words: “They shouted, sang; their bodies
streamed with perspiration; they had faces like grotesque masks—these chaps; but they had
bone, muscle, a wild vitality, an intense energy of movement, that was as natural and true as the
surf along their coast.” Marlowe mostly addresses the natives as savages and even compares
them to animals and donkeys that are forced to perform hard labour. In contrast to this, the white
men are referred to as a miracle, and Marlowe explicitly justifies this explanation with the
Accountant’s starched collar and oiled, slicked hair.

In conclusion, “Heart of Darkness” is an explicit illustration of the hypocrisy, cruelty and

racism that the African natives were subjected to by the Europeans who invaded Congo. The
inhumane and brutal treatment of the natives, by men like Kurtz, is only a fraction of the
imperialistic ways in which Europeans exploited the black people for their own cause. It depicts
the sheer hypocrisy exhibited by white people who travel far to “civilize” the uneducated tribes
and people, and yet end up committing immoral acts and crimes that surpass the border of basic
humanity.