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J. Evans Sam Victor

M.Phil (Research Scholar)
Government Arts College (Autonomous)
Salem-7.
DISCOURSE ON IMPERIALISM IN JOSEPH CONRAD’S HEART OF
DARKNESS
ABSTRACT
Boris Pasternak, the Russian writer, says, “Literature is the art of discovering
something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something
extraordinary”(n.p).
Diasporic writing generates multiple histories instead of a single view of events and
past and present interweave to form a new space. The writing of history as a part of this effort
is important, as the historical narrative is in itself a statement of the self and an expression of
the conceptualization of the historical process. It goes over the past to understand the present
and it seeks to explain. When it fails to explain, it raises certain questions. The
conventionally marginal is placed in center stage. Diasporic writers are writing in relation
with the culture of homeland and at the same time adopt and negotiate with the culture space
of the host land. The important features of the diasporic writings are the quest for identity,
culture dilemma, nostalgia and nagging sense of guilt. Edward said emphasised, “Diasporic
writing is concerned not only of basic geographical distinction but also a whole sense of
interest” (12).
The diasporic writing has emerged into a distinct literary genre. The diasporic writers are
often concerned with giving a voice to the displaced and dislocated. A diasporic writer has
two phases of their experience. The first phase related to their religious, cultural, educational
and experimental experiences of the homeland which they are proud of and so make their
inheritance a part of their writing. The second phase is filled with their immediate
experiences in the hostile, social environment where they feel themselves doubly
marginalized.
‘Caribbean literature’ is the term generally accepted for the literature of the various
territories of the Caribbean region. Literature in English specifically from the former British
West Indies may be referred to as Anglo-Caribbean or, in historical contexts, West Indian
literature; although in modern contexts the latter term is rare.They all share, apart from the
English language, a number of political, cultural, and social ties which make it useful to
consider their literary output in a single category. The Caribbean has long been considered a
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politically, culturally, and linguistically fragmented region, giving it a uniquely diverse and
varied background. Due to the long colonization of Caribbean nations, there is continued
debate over the countries that comprise the Caribbean
“Those who read me know my conviction that the world, the temporal world, rests on
a few very simple ideas; so simple that they must be as old as the hills”, said Joseph Conrad.
Heart of Darkness (1902) is a novella describing a British man's journey deep into the Congo
of Africa, where he encounters the cruel and mysterious Kurtz, a European trader who has
established himself as a ruler of the native people there. Heart of Darkness contain the
signature elements of Conrad's writing: faraway settings; dramatic conflicts between human
characters and the brutal forces of nature; and themes of individualism, the violent side of
human nature and racial prejudice. Conrad was interested in showing psycho-political
situations that drew parallels between the inner lives of single characters and the broader
sweep of human history.

This Paper ‘Discourse on Imperialism in Heart of Darkness’ focuses on the power

politics behind the imperialist ideology in the colonized Africa, especially Congo.

Keywords: Hypocrisy, Brutality, Corruption, Lust of power, Greedy, Inhumanity,

Discrepancy between White and Black.
In the beginning of the novel Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad criticizes the evil of
Imperialism thus, “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”(HD 14). Through Conrad’s novel a clear picture
about imperialism and the demerits in the discourse in imperialism.
The power of imperialism was dethroned after the end of the Second World War. The
colonizers had become powerless and also the colonized people became independent from
their power of imperialism. The west has formed the non-Europeans as a product of their
profits and also they used them behind the darkness of Africa. Marlow in Heart of
Darknessportrays the concept of wilderness of African citizen and also wilderness of the
forest in Congo. Even though Africans have wilderness sensibility, the African also have the
knowledge of freedom of thoughts and their desire on individuality.
Marlow provides a perspective view towards the readers which has the variety of
multiple forms on the complicated situations. In Heart of Darkness, the jungle of Africa
reminds the darkness through the character of Kurtz’s Black Woman. Darkness means
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blindness, which expressed ignorance and illiteracy of Africa people. European colonizers
had considered themselves as civilizers of African people. But, actually they had collaboratec
their enterprises of deceit and also exploited the culture of Africa. Marlow noticed the
darkness of African blindness in a visual form with the help of Kurtz’s painting. In that
painting, the black African woman was described as having a bearing a torch which
represented her blindfolded, Kurtz described,“Then I noticed a small sketch in oil, on a panel,
representing a woman draped and blindfolded, carrying a lighted torch. The background was
somber-almost black. The movement of the woman was stately, and the new effect of the
torchlight on the face was sinister.” (36) The darkness of African women was ignorance
among others. They were mostly molested by not only the Europeans but also by the native
African men. African women can be enlightened by the torch of education.
Kurtz was originally inspired by the thoughts of idealist maturity towards the people
of Africa. His missionary was to civilize the uncivilized people of Africa. He tried to clear the
darkness among the Africans. While providing education, they will easily adequate their
barriers in life. The Woman who was carrying a torch in her hand portrays the symbol of
dispelling darkness. Kurtz believed that every station in Congo leads towards the pathway of
African civilization. But, the presentation of Black Woman character shows the spirit of
civilization. She was not actually blind but, blindfolded. The darkness of her blindness led
into the darkness of damnation. Marlow commented in this statement as,
I have seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire;
but by all the stars! These were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils that swayed and drove
men I tell you. But as I stood on the hillside, I foresaw that in the blinding sunshine of
that land I would be acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a
rapacious and pitiless folly. How insidious he could be too, I was only to find out
several months later and a thousand miles farther. (23)
The two concepts of colonizers are understood from the reading of the novel of
Joseph Conrad. One was the kind of greedy and violent in action. Another type was a smaller
breed of colonizers just like Kurtz. He started his manners as noble mission and finally
surrenders to the temptations and clearly used the human weaknesses arising out from
‘rapacious and pitiless folly’. Kurtz belonged to the second part of colonizers. In the
beginning he acted as revolutionary contact with the people of Africa. Later, he used their
ignorance and illiteracy as winning tool in order to settled down in their place. Even though,
he was a European, he settled down in Africa with the help of African people. It was an
essential technique which was used by the Europeans over Africans; they used to dominate
others by their intellectual effort not in physical approaches.
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Conrad had presented his novel with the theme of Darkness. It dealt with the concept
of darkness of the shades especially it resemblance in the darkness of the hell. He portrayed
Africa in his novel as a Dark Continent. Meanwhile, Marlow remarked the darkness as “I had
stepped into the gloomy circle of some Inferno.” (24). We can easily identify the symbolism
of hell in this novel. It clearly showed us that Conrad had a vision on shades especially in
hell. Eventually, he described Africans as, “black shadows of disease and starvation.” (24) He
presented the darkness of the shadows were associated with the darkest thoughts of hidden
reality which was lurking in the unconsciousness of African people and also it was the reality
in African jungle.
The reality in darkness of the jungle, darkness of blindness and darkness of shade in
were covered in the darkness of the heart. In other words, man is unaware of his hidden
primitive thoughts on their mind. The darkness is lying hidden in their unconscious state of
mind. According to this, Marlow had a perception of human nature in which it was an
essentially primitive stage of consciousness.
Heart of Darkness shows the issues of imperialism in complicated ways. Through the
journey of Marlow, the concepts of torture, cruelty and slavery in Africa especially in the
coastal region are identified. The people who were working under the control of Europeans
wanted to civilize the native people of Africa. Eventually, they tried to get their power and
leadership over the Africans with the help of this method. Africans were mostly
demonstrating as an object for the colonizers in West. They tried to attain the physical source
of African people by their intellectual method. Due to their ignorance, they were unable to
find out that what is wrong and whom does going to help them from this calamities?.
According to this, Conrad showed us that Imperialism was a concept of madness
among the human beings. The colonizers had chosen Africa for the establishment of their
power because, Africans were mentally disintegration as well as with physically brutal in
nature. The people of Africa believed that Marlow and Kurtz were came to civilized the
people from ignorance and immaturity. But, both of them were in an unstable state of mental
illness. Even though the Black Woman began to think that their mission was to enrich the
growth and development of native Africans in their country.
But both of them were considered that their job must be a white man’s burden in the
society. But they have a moral responsibility over the Africans. In the beginning of the novel,
the character of Kurtz showed us the manner having some illusion of thoughts. But, later he
came into the stage of reality. While comparing Marlow with Kurtz, he was free from some
such kind of illusions. Sometimes he felt uncomfortable in certain situations. Moreover in
the way of imperialism, he began to think about the fundamental needs of the black people in
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Africa. Marlow wonders,“It’s queer how out of touch with truth women are. They live in a
world of their own, and there had never been anything like it, and never can be. It is too
beautiful altogether, and if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset.”
(18)
African women were more conscious than men in Africa. They suffered both
physically and mentally disasters in their live hood. So Marlow had distinguished men and
women of Africa as, “Some confounded fact we men have been living contentedly with ever
since the day of creation would start up and knock the whole thing over.”(18). Not only in
Africa but also in all over the nations, women were intellectually superior to men.
Marlow vividly has the impression of the black people of Africa. His impression was
about they were always natural and true towards others. It made him to be attracted towards
the Africans. Even Europeans were not humble like Africans, thus a way Marlow was
admired by their moral activities. He felt sympathy over the black people. They were at the
stage of ignorance among other people of the world. Eventually, he described the white
people as artificial and false in their attitude. Black people were natural and true in nature.
They are true to themselves in their attitudes.
Heart of Darkness deals with the concept of reality behind the myth of colonization.
It has carried the name of hypocrisy, brutality, corruption, lust of power, greedy, inhumanity
and also discrepancy between the people of White and Black. It is known as self-deception
and also capacity of evil. The colonialism consists of three major parts of level in their
leadership at Africa. They are biological, economic and cultural. These are the fundamental
aspects of all human beings in the world. It has shown as how they intellectually performed
in the form colonialism. Diaspora writers may use to handle the concept of Third-World
conditions in their work of art. It was their responsibility to show the fundamental deficiency
of the native people those who were migrated from their native land and also wanted to
survive in an alien land.
Civilization was only an artificial approach which was led by European over Africans.
It was a primitive imposture of African civilization. Being with the name of civilization,
Europeans made their imperialistic establishment on Africa. Towards the end of the novel,
Marlow began to portray the black tribal woman of Kurtz in Africa as, “savage and superb”
(87). Meanwhile, Conrad was trying to build the novel as the study of the contradiction
between the Black and the White. He gradually began to reveal the real scenario of Africa
and also the value of their civilization which was cruel, hypocritical and unreal towards the
native people of Africa.
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Marlow has summed up his experiences in Africa as, “Nowhere did we stop long
enough to get a particularized impression, but the general sense of vague and oppressive
wonder grew upon me” (21). Meanwhile, he tried to compare his journey with the pilgrim’s
journey for their salvations. Pilgrim’s journey was associated with the concept of religious
performativity and in order to attain their salvation. But Marlow’s journey on Congo led him
into the state of good human being among the Europeans. They tried to steal the wealth and
sources of Africans. But, Marlow tried to be in the form of being humans among workers of
colonizers.
Marlow has undertaken a brutal journey over the river of Congo. Due to this bitter
experience in Congo, he began to think about the real suffering of African people in Africa.
He started his journey from Brussels to the Belgian Congo. The river must be in the shape of
very narrow, shallow and also full of snags, in which his journey was not only a difficult task
but also seemed to be the most dangerous. Due to his brutal experience, he had understood all
the difficulties of African people. Finally, he got enlightenment form his journey at Congo
river in Africa.
Marlow had witnessed that lot of people from Africa decided to go to some strange
places with full of hazards, in order to earn money for their life. It was such a terrible scene
which was seen by Marlow in Africa. It had referred to their poor economic conditions of the
people. This is because they wanted to survive in their country. This suggested us that it
happening in their nation which was created by the Europeans from their concept of
imperialism. Even the job opportunities were also created by White people and also they only
able to fixed the salary for the Black people. It just like the colonizers had set up their
colonies in some hazardous and strange lands which expressed their greed on wealth and
resources of other countries. After these bitter experiences, Marlow criticized about the
colonizers as, “I’ve seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot
desire” (23)
Marlow’s experience over his journey on Congo revealed that it was the forces of
darkness in the jungle which represented to compel a man to behave or act in a strange ways.
It consisted of both conscious and unconscious manner of human beings. The jungle has
brought us with the sense of primitive in the activities of man. Due to the greedy of human
nature everything may be happened in order to attain it. It will definitely reach in any level of
existence in life. Moreover, it will created by the imperialistic thought of an individual.
In the final stage, the streamer has reached near the port. Marlow had a second vision
on the natives of Africa. Unfortunately, they were worked as bonded labours in the Company
of Europeans. He had seen them during his journey from Brussels to mouth of Congo. His
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first was so pitiable. He says that, “A lot of people, mostly black and naked, moved about like
ants!” (21-22)This sight has made him as depressing and also miserable. Due to his bitter
experience, he presented it through the light imagery as, “A blinding sunlight drowned all this
at times in a sudden recrudescence of glare” (22). Marlow’s shocking revelation portraits us
about the miserable condition of the native Africans.
Heart of Darkness exhibits the awareness of self-dialectical relationship and the
concepts of political and social reality which was underlying the cause for the experience of
conflicts, crises, racial discriminations, injustice, and imperialism in the lives of African
people. The concepts of political and social realities of incorporated elements represent the
powerful, personal and existential reality in these characters.
The culture of Africans was demolished. It is now chaotic, disordered, violent and
almost damaged. They are in the confused stage of mind, whether they want to follow their
native culture and tradition. Unfortunately, they have lost their originality when they used to
mingle with the foreign aspects.The readers may confirm with the tragedies of Africans who
were trapped into the decline of their live hood like poverty, ignorance, political conflict, and
also emotional turmoil.
Europeans used the ignorance and illiteracy of African people in a profitable way in
order to enrich them and also their country. First and foremost they had demolished the
identity of African in their native land and then began to teach about Christianity and also
English language among the Africans. It was one of the cunning performativity of Europeans
among others. According to Noam Chomsky, “To eliminate a nation you don’t need to use
bomb. It’s enough to destroy their language.” (n.p)It was the main concept of Imperialistic
personalities.
The projection of Third-World conditions has clearly pointed out that the picture of
national crisis in the decolonized states in Africa. Africans want to express their need for re-
shaping the ideology of their national issues like class discriminations, gender biases. They
are in need of intellectuals for leading Africa and also their people towards the way of
prosperityThis could be possible in the hands of African writers. They have to present their
works of art which is the representation of their native culture and traditions. Africans were in
the state of ignorance and illiteracy. Education only satisfied their needs and also helped them
to attain enrichment in the life of Africans. They must be gradually considered to be the rigid
stratifications of the African society.
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Works Cited
Brah, Avtar. Cartographies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities. London: Routledge,
1996. Print.
Hudson-Weems, Clenora.Africana Womanism: Reclaiming Ourselves. Troy: Bedford,
1998. Print.
Narayan, Uma .Dislocating Culture, Identity, Tradition and Third- World Feminism.
New York: Routledge, 1998. Print.
Said, Edward.The Location of Culture, London: Routledge, 1994. Print.
Ray, Mohit K. “The Atlantic Critical Studies of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.”Atlantic
Publishers and Distributors, Nice Printing Press, Delhi. 2006. Print.
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New Delhi: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd.2001. Print.