In examining Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness through different critical perspectives on literature, I decided first to study the text through the historical perspective by examining the novel’s events and the way the novel was written (especially in terms of characterization) in relation to the events that were occurring around the world when Conrad chose to write the novel, and in particular, the attitudes, perspectives, and actions of people in Europe and Africa especially. I think the way Conrad characterized Marlow as originally having the typical European preconception of the African natives as being simply savages, that are incomprehensible, much less dependable (and the fact that he is surprised to find his opinion changed when he realizes how helpful the “cannibals” are, in comparison to his fellow white “pilgrims,” on the journey from the Central Station to Kurtz’s Inner Station), is important because it shows how Conrad realizes that many of his English-speaking readers will probably be individuals that believe in the “white man’s burden” and the need for Europeans to civilize African natives because of the superiority of whites. By characterizing Marlow as a bit of an ambivalent character in terms of his opinion towards the Europeans’ entire imperialistic enterprise ( because he doesn’t label the entire mission as either good or bad but simply admires/critiques certain aspects of it), I think Conrad is able to both allow Marlow to represent the general European attitude towards the natives and have him keep an open mind that is able to accept and make changes to that initial attitude when he actually with some of the natives. Perhaps this open mind and almost non-caring attitude toward race relations Marlow seems to have at times goes back to the fact that we discussed in class: how Marlow is a very realistic person and focuses more on actions—he’d rather people take action and get something done than waste time simply talking about what they will do but not actually doing it. However though I do not think that this aspect (Marlow’s attitude to the natives) is necessarily the main point Conrad is trying to illustrate in the novel, I do think it might be a minor commentary on the futility of imperialism and the fact that it harms everyone—both the natives and the Europeans trying to colonize it— because through Marlow’s ambivalent attitude towards the colonization effort (he’s appalled by how sick and overworked the African natives are: “They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now,--nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom…These moribund shapes were free as air—and nearly as thin… I stood horror-struck…” (Part I, paragraph 41-42), but also admires the chief accountant’s ability to keep up appearances; he’s frustrated that the “pilgrims” that “pray to the ivory” (Part I, paragraph 55) don’t actually do their work to get it, but he also sees how Kurtz’s lack of restraint causes his obsession for his work for the wrong reasons and ultimately brings his own demise (though not before he also took advantage of the native community and brought harm to them by encouraging them to look up to him as a god and then having them see him being also carted off away by the Europeans in the end) ), Conrad is able to express his opinions from his own experiences in the Congo through the imagery and extensive irony.
One example of situational irony that I felt was a bit personal for me was Kurtz’s 180 degree change (though we don’t see the details of the transformation in between) from possessing very noble humanistic goals to being solely obsessed about and driven by increasing materialistic wealth, because originally in one of my previous blogs (when we had only read up to Part I), I had posted that, based on all the other pilgrims’ descriptions of Kurtz, he seemed like the only person who was actually doing something to bring about productive change there and that he had very noble aspirations. So essentially, as a reader, I went through the same surprise transformation of my impression of Kurtz as Marlow did when he slowly realized what depths of darkness Kurtz had instead sunk to—which perhaps is what Conrad wants the readers to feel and thus it further emphasizes not only how people are suspect to the adulation of others but also how that environment so alien to the Europeans truly tested their inner characters and often exposed their hollow cores.
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