Theme of Colonization in Heat of Darkness

Theme of colonization in Heat of Darkness

The growth of liberalism and colonialism as social and political forces took place almost simultaneously in the beginning of 19th century. Colonialism is related to the concept of imperialism. The English novelists who are concerned with the problem of colonialism are mainly E.M Forster and Joseph Conrad. Colonialism and imperialism are shaping forces in their novels. Forster’s liberalism and his depiction of the colonialism are never introduced in clear and definite outlines in his novels. Conrad, however, is more exact than Forster, in his assessment of the colonial problems in the novel Heart of Darkness.

The Heart of Darkness is a distinguished masterpiece of Joseph Conrad dealing with the colonial problems in Africa. The story is told by Conrad’s famous narrator Marlow and, within its positively dense atmosphere of death, decay and the cruelties of imperialistic exploitation, it relates the effect on Marlow of the blackness of Africa.

Marlow gives a vivid picture of the oppression and economic exploitation of the black people by all whites. The company of white men was ruling the Congo. Savages and wild men were victims of them. The behaviors of the white European have been narrated by the novelist with very impressive and effective touches. Conrad is not elaborating situations like Dickens and Thackeray. All the actions and reactions are the outcome of his artistic skill. Hence the novel is very short but every detail is to the point, presenting the accurate picture of white men and the natives.

Marlow did not use the phrase ‘white man’s burden’ but he expressed this idea very implicitly and was not obtruding or moralizing in the novel. The white man had certain obligations and responsibilities towards uncivilized people whom he subdued physically and mentally. He came with various strategies to govern the country. But his motive should not be humanitarian but helped the savages on moral grounds.

In the novel ‘ivory’ is the cause behind white man’s colonial exploitation to Congo region. These white persons wanted to satisfy their lust of greed and ivory, and motivated by these two they explored the dark region of Congo and exploited men there a lot. Ivory was hovering over the thoughts of the white-people like Manager of the central station, Brick Maker, Mr.Krutz, and Russian etc. there was no moral purpose of white man coming to Congo. They were not intended to ameliorate the conditions of native’s life, their sole inclination was to exploit the black men in order to gain more power and money.

The sights seen by Marlow, when he has got down from the Swedish Captain’s steamer, are of a very depressing kind. These scenes depicted the