The Conquest in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Conquest in marrow squash of Darkness The subjugation of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a unalike complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a bonny thing when you look into it too much. (Conrad 65) So stated Marlow as though this was his justification for ravaging the congo in his search for ivory. Joseph Conrads nitty-gritty of Darkness shows the disparity between the European ideal of civilization and the domain of it as is evidenced by the domination, torture, exploitation and dehumanization of the African population. Heart of Darkness is indicative of the evil and greed in humanity as personified by Kurtz and Marlow. These emissaries of light are shown to be crude, sordid and violent. They had no impress for the destruction of Africas natural environment, wantonly destroying hills in a derelict attempt to establish a railway, No change appeared on the slope of the rock....the cliff was not in the way or anything but this objectless make noise was all the work going on. (Conrad 76) This statement reveals the real motive for venturing into the Congo which was not to bring a better, more civilized lifestyle to the poor, unfortunate Africans but to satisfy their lust for power. It was just robbery with violence, aggravated kill on a great scale, and men going at it guile - as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness. (Conrad 65) Just as superordinate Frankenstein in the novel Frankenstein created a monster that was a revelation of his inner turmoil and demons, so too Kurtz and Marlows journey into Africa is an ledger entry of their inner darkness which we are all afraid to face. Like Grenouille, in Perfume and professional Frankenstein, Kurtz sought power, adoration and godlike status both(prenominal) among his European counterparts and the native Africans. Just as Grenouille bottled and collected special fragrances so too Kurtz collected human heads displaying them around his h ut as trophies. Kurtzs journey into Africa, as well as his inner journey, can be likened to Grenouilles hibernation in the cave for seven years or Victors search for his monster across the icy slopes. During this period each individual underwent a transformation and a realization of the horrors they have created. Kurtzs final words The horror The horror are comparable to Victor fleeing the scene when faced with the manifestation of his handiwork.