What aspects of and attitudes about
imperialism are revealed? In what ways does this novella represent its time
period historically, economically, and politically?
Heart of
Darkness’ exploration
of Imperialism is developed in many complicated ways, most of which result in
exposing its hypocrisy. In his own, subtle way, Conrad poses the question of
whether or not someone can have an extreme amount of power without corrupting
himself or herself. The character of Kurtz, for instance, revels in his
position as an Imperialist. He refuses to trade for ivory, but rather takes it
of his own accord, regardless of the consequences. However, the character soon
goes mad after boasting of his abuse of power, proving that one cannot attain
great dominance without fear of corruption.
In the scope of
the time period in which the novella was written (1899), Africa was experiencing
an intense, renewed interest from European companies, particularly from those
which traded ivory. In this way, Heart of Darkness directly reflected
the real-life circumstances and social issues of the time, much in the same
vein as how John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath related to the poor
middle-American families of the 1930’s. “Imperialism” in the sense of ownership
sees the trade companies -- the white men -- put in a much more successful
position than the African natives. However, does the hypocrisy and eventual
downfall of the people in these powerful positions justify the idea that the
oppressed are ultimately the more successful party?
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."--Lord Acton
ReplyDeleteCorruption or this distortion of personal integrity or motives of being may be the downfall of Mr. Kurtz. He journeys up a river. There is no rule of law, essentially, it is a state of nature, a free for all, tribe against tribe, white against black. Human beings naturally seek to gain an advantage to topple the other. It is human nature or it is something that is instilled in us from early interactions with each other. Mr. Kurtz has unlimited power. He has guns, germs, and steel. Perhaps the disadvantage experienced by the natives, and supreme and self-righteous feelings experienced through the actions of the white race, the great white burden, it is caused by our limited understandings of our origins and false perceptions. We do not know our history. Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel conveys a theory worth considering, Geographical Luck. Some societies have been blessed with resources such as animals of labor , and a temperate climate. These societies adapted quicker than others. It may be predetermined it may not be. It is really unclear as to why we have certain capacities for production and manufacturing while other countries still have no running water. It could be that Charles Darwin is right. We survive or die. It could be natural selection. Someone is going to be left behind. Someone is going to oppress another. This is certain. Is it possible to policy the world if we can not police ourselves? Are society is not perfect. Perhaps we need to policy ourselves and return to a state of isolation and seek out inward perfect before we go venturing up the Congo River.