Marlow's Racism in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

3601 Words8 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Self reflection and realization

Marlow's Racism in Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness is an intriguing story as well as a symbol for Joseph Conrad's social commentary on imperialism. Marlow's journey takes him deep into the African Congo where he bears witness to a number of life-altering revelations. He beholds his most striking revelation when he begins to compare the "civilized European man" with the "savage African man." These two opposing forces represent the two conflicting viewpoints present in every dilemma, be it cultural, social, or otherwise. As a modern European man who believes religiously in imperialism, Marlow is inherently arrogant. Yet, although he cannot accept the African jungle as being equally important as imperialism, his experiences there lead him to believe otherwise. Essentially, this is Marlow's inner conflict. Everything he has believed in his entire life seems to crumble around him. His view of the civilized white man becomes tainted when he sees that society is merely a form of delusion, denying its members the greater truth of the world. “The superficial boundaries of society have no meaning in the jungle, and Marlow has trouble dealing with this revelation”(Bancroft 37). Marlow's inability to accept this initially prevents him from eliminating his intellectual arrogance and feelings of moral superiority over the savages. For the most part, Marlow is unaware of his prejudicial attitude, but he eventually comes to realize the whole truth of the world.

Marlow says that the colonizer who goes to Africa must meet the jungle with " 'hi...

... middle of paper ...

...
Guerard, Albert J. (1979) Conrad the Novelist. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

Hawthorn, Jeremy (1990) Joseph Conrad: Narrative Technique and Ideological Commitment. London & New York: Routledge.

Henricksen, Bruce (1992) Nomadic Voices: Conrad and the Subject of Narrative. Urbana & Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Hubbard, Francis A. 1984 (1978) Theories of Action in Conrad. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research P.

Junter, Allan (1983) Joseph Conrad and the Ethics of Darwinism. London & Camberra: Croom Helm.

Singh, Frances B. Conrad and Racism: Oliver & Boyd. 1968

Scheick, William J. (1994) The Ethos of Romance at the Turn of the Century. Austin: Univ.Texas Press.

Watts, Cedric. A Preface to Conrad. Essex: Longman Group UK Limited, 1993.

Show More
Related

  • Battles That Changed the Outcome of the American Revolution

    1484 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Americans started out as a bunch of uncivilized colonies, but after the revolutionary war, they become a strong country that beat Britain for freedom. On Christmas night General George Washington makes a bold decision to cross the Delaware and ambushed the Hessians. Although risky, Washington brought new life to his rag tag army. General Burgoyne decides that in order to win this war, he needs to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. Burgoyne’s plan sounded like a good idea to the British, but this action could be argued to be the reason why Britain did not win this war. Nearing the end of the war, the British were scarce on man and supplies. Washington took his army and his French allies to Yorktown and finished the British off ending the war. The most pivotal battles in determining the outcome of the American Revolution were battle of Trenton, Battle of Saratoga, and battle of Yorktown.

    Read More

  • Major Battles of the American Revolution

    373 Words  | 1 Pages

    These major battles had a great impact on the events in the war. Many of the outcomes of these battles decided what events would happen next such as the Battle of Saratoga convinced France that it was safe to enter the war.

    Read More

  • Prejudice in Heart of Darkness: Racism is a Relative Term

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cox, C. B. Conrad: Heart of Darkness, Nostromo, and Under Western Eyes. London: Macmillan Education Ltd., 1987.

    Read More

  • Statesmen versus Warlords

    1613 Words  | 4 Pages

    Now, years after the last Marine left Vietnamese soil, the debate continues, but evidence places the majority of the blame at the feet of America’s foreign policy makers. Because, as Paul Elliott writes in his book Vietnam: Conflict and Controversy, “Everything in Vietnam was being viewed through the distorting lens of the Cold War, and against the fear of atomic holocaust” (92), Congress and the President refused to make a total commitment to victory in Indochina. That lack of commitment led directly to American defeat.

    Read More

  • Light vs. Dark in Heart of Darkness

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch, New York: Pearson. Copyright 2004.

    Read More

  • Post War Impact of Vietnam

    1728 Words  | 4 Pages

    Vietnam war has been one of the most deadliest and expensive wars to date. Not only it resulted in massive casualties and financial losses, it also made a long lasting effect on American psyche. Following the withdrawal of US combat forces in 1973, majority of Americans tried to overlook what had transpired for the past decade. It served as a devastating blow to American image both domestically and abroad. Vietnam war was heavily protested, misunderstood and highly controversial, and although many question the necessity of the invasion, yet it has continued to shape the way American foreign policies and military have evolved over the years. While Vietnam was the first war to be comprehensively televised still it had a negative stigma to it that was exploited by the media and Hollywood. Soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, willingly or unwillingly were neglected and scorned.

    Read More

  • Heart of Darkness and Wide Sargasso Sea: Depiction and Effect Due to Colonization

    1988 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hay, Eloise Knapp. The Political Novels of Joseph Conrad: a Critical Study. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1972. 120. Print.

    Read More

  • The Impact of the Media on the Vietnam War

    1726 Words  | 4 Pages

    For the sake of conciseness, and in order to focus the bulk of the content on the main topic, this essay will make certain assumptions. Most importantly, the essay assumes that the conflict in Vietnam was, indeed, lost by the US. It also presupposes that � due to the political climate in the US � the war itself was unavoidable. Finally, the essay takes for granted that the reader has a basic knowledge of the reasons and major events behind the US military intervention in Vietnam from the mid-1950s until 1975.

    Read More

  • American Revolution Dbq

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    The soldiers were guilty of man slaughter and punished. This made Americans realize British cruelty and making colonist want to separate from Great Britain ever more.

    Read More

  • Egyptian View of the Afterlife

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Egyptians believed very much in life after death. As Taylor states in Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, “It is often observed that they appear to have devoted greater efforts and resources to preparing for the afterlife than to creating a convenient environment for living” (Taylor, 2001:12). The Egyptians viewed life on earth as one stage and death as the beginning of another. They believed that, “human existence did not end with death and that survival of the body played a part in the new life” (Taylor, 2001:12). One of the key elements in the Egyptian culture and religion was the preservation of the body. The body was the most important aspect because it was like a portal through which an individual could continue to live after death (Taylor, 2001:46). The Egyptians began building tombs for these bodies to keep them from decaying.

    Read More

  • Ancient Egypt's Religion and Its Affects on Civilization

    1373 Words  | 3 Pages

    Egypt’s culture was one of the most diverse and religious cultures of its time. Much of early Egyptian culture was based around the flooding of the Nile and the nutrients it brought for them to farm. The river was their oasis in the middle of one of the harshest environments. It was this that helped them to become a very hardened and capable society that could withstand the tests of time. Their religion also reflected their hard steadfastness since it was of their own creation. Other than a few of the well known gods of creation each village and town in Egypt had a different set of gods. With each place having the freedom to do what they wanted with the religion they could “personalize” it to suit their individual needs. Egyptian people realized that they were not perfect, this fact is clearly represented in their religion and mythology. It was also seen in their religious art, such as on the walls of pyramids, that they believed that the deceased would be judged in the afterlife for what they did. This judgment would dictate wether or not they wo...

    Read More

  • Effects & Aftermath of the Vietnam War

    1564 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Vietnam War was the first major war American’s had suffered defeat. The Vietnam war was a war of confusion, competition and biasness. The outcome of the war was far greater than an upset American nation, but a severe breakdown of the Vietnamese culture, economy, environment and government. It also had a tremendous impact on American society even up to present day. It was unclear from the beginning of the war if the American’s should even be involved. It was a war between Northern and Southern Vietnam but the U.S saw it as an indirect way to challenge the USSR’s sphere of influence in Southern Asia and to prevent the domino effect and the further spread of communism. The Vietnam War completely changed the way the United States approached military action and helped establish the role of the United States within the new world order.

    Read More

  • Afterlife Essay

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Egyptians believed that the afterlife is the continuation of the earthly one but without negative emotions like, disappointment and fear. They thought the soul disconnected from the body at death but could return in the afterlife. In order for a soul to have an afterlife and be immortal they needed to preserve the body properly. The journey through the afterlife was considered difficult and perilous and that they would need provisions, the aid of rituals and magic spells.

    Read More

  • Ambiguities Explored in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is evident that Marlow is one of the few white men on the journey that questions the belief at the time that the natives of Africa are "inhu...

    Read More

  • Marlow and Kurtz in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    By the time Marlow and Kurtz meet, Marlow is already well aware of the similarities they share. Both are imperialists, and while Marlow detests the treatment of the natives by his employers (Belgian colonists), he also makes apparent his abhorrence toward the Africans. On the other hand, Kurtz abandons the pretense of helping the natives achieve civilization, as displayed by the Europeans. Instead, he adopts their customs and becomes their leader in the never-ending quest for ivory. "He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, 'must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of the supernatural beings- we approach them with the might as of a deity' (Longman, 2000, p. 2226). Marlow also admired Kurtz' resourcefulness and survival skills, especially his perseverence through jungle fever. "The wilderness had patted him on the head....it had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own by the inconceivable ceremonies of some devilish initiation. He was its spoiled and pampered favorite." (Longman, 2000, p. 2225).

    Read More

More about Marlow's Racism in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Open Document