Heart Of Darkness American Imperialism Analysis

European Imperialism and the colonial expansion of the 19th and 20th centuries were met with a great deal of criticism. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness offers a vivid description of the brutality and exploitation that imperialism manufactured. Through the narration Marlow’s journey up the Congo River and into the heart of Africa, Conrad reveals his central critique and his understandings of the notions of civilization, Christianity, and commerce. Similarly to Conrad, J.A. Hobson criticized imperialism for the negative impacts brought fourth. Both writers address commerce and exploitation and the negative effects of these.. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is centered around the notions and understandings of what it is to be “civilized”. The aspect
Instead of supporting the false pretense of the westerners need to educate, spread religion and assist other countries and enlighten other races, they recognize it is for mere financial purposes. “An ambitious statesman, a frontier solider, an overzealous missionary, a pushing trader, may suggest or even initiate a step of imperial expansion, may assist in educating patriotic people public opinion to the urgent need of some fresh advance, but the final determination rests with the financial power (Hobson, 16)”. Correspondingly, some of the individuals that Hobson mentions are at the forefront of Conrad’s plotline. Conrad’s characterization of the pilgrims, Kurtz, and the agents in the Company all serve to present this notion and expose the neglect for any decent mission they have in order to serve their own monetary advancement with the ivory trade. Both writers agree on the the incentives of imperialism and the falsity behind the propaganda that promotes a noble
He finds the faults of imperialism in the impairment and destruction of restraint and the expanding of man’s underlying bestiality. Joseph Conrad’s account into the heart of Africa display the issues of what it means to be civilized, the fallacy of Christianity, and the greed of commerce. The characterization of these characters and their relationship to the natives and each other is what allows readers to understand Conrad’s critique.
Like Hobson, Conrad understands the incentive behind imperialism and the violation of noble causes in order to further financial progress. Hobson takes a more economical stance of the affects of imperialism and concentrates on the economic impacts it has on the different classes within Europe. While Conrad displays the dangers it has in the exploitation of Africans and the exploitation of western morals, Hobson provides an account of the economic havoc it reaps on the lower classes in