Motives For Imperialism Analysis

There are various motives for Imperialism attributed to the different characters in Joseph Conrad’s novel, The Heart of Darkness. Each and every character has their own opinions on the concept of imperialism. While some of them agree with one another, others disagree with one another. Just like Richard Meinertzhagen, Karl Pearson, Joseph Chamberlain, and Cecil Rhodes, they all had their own beliefs in Imperialism that may have contradicted another. In the novel the characters don’t all just complement each other there’s a bit of conflict in their view and opinions on motives for Imperialism. The various motives for Imperialism corresponds to the ideology brought forward by Richard Meinertzhagen, Karl Pearson, Joseph Chamberlain, and Cecil
He wanted to fill out the dark spots on the map that no one has explored before. Through his journey to Africa and his experience there was where he discovered the unfortunate side of Imperialism. Throughout his journey through Africa he witnesses the how unlawful and atrocious Imperialism is. He witnesses many things such as prisoners that were chained to one another, starving Africans, witnessed a handful of dying natives, and he also witnessed beheaded african heads on poles. He witnessed all the negative sides to Imperialism and how gruesome it was. Marlow states, “Just as though I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you” (Conrad 7). This portrays ideas from the White Man’s Burden where Marlow believed that it was his duty to conquer and educate the conquered. He believed that his race was superior and that it was his duty as the superior race to educate and civilize the barbaric natives. However his naivete came to an end as he spent more time in Africa. The more time he spent in Africa the more he realized how cruel they were being to the natives that were living there. He witnesses more and more cruel acts of the White abusing their powers and harming the natives and treating them crudely. It slowly came to his realization that what they were doing wasn’t right and that he didn’t want to believe in this form of
This wasn’t even everything that he witnessed. With the cruelty described on this one scene you can only imagine what else he witnessed. He described the scene as a massacre, giving you the image of limp bodies lying around, and blood every where. This isn’t what you would picture a conquered area to look like. This provides us with the idea that Marlow wasn’t pleased with what he was witnessing, as he stated “While I stood horror-struck” (Conrad 22). Marlow’s perception of Imperialism changed after everything he witnessed in Africa. He only supported Imperialism because he believed that it was a way for him to explore the world and have a intense and mysterious adventure to the lands no one has explored before. He didn’t realize what Imperialism truly was until he spent his days in