Despite the philanthropic justifications for European imperialism, greed and exploitation are other motives Conrad exposes in his novel. Concerning the Orient which received much of the same abuse as Africa during the time of imperialism, Edward Said argues, “The imaginative examination of things Oriental was based more or less exclusively upon a sovereign Western consciousness…according to a detailed logic governed not simply by empirical reality but by a battery of desires, repressions, investments, and projections”(Said 8). “And it is precisely those ‘desires, repressions, investments, and projections’ that Heart of Darkness exposes in the discourses of imperialism.” (Hampson XXXii) Conrad’s depiction of his characters best emulates this materialism. For example, concerning the Eldorado Exploring Expedition:

Their talk, however, was the talk of sordid buccaneers: audacity, and cruel without courage; there was not an atom of foresight or serious intention in the whole batch of them, and they did not seem aware these things are wanted for the work of the world. To tear treasure out of the bowels of the land was their desire, with no more moral purpose at the back of it than there is in burglars breaking into a safe. (Conrad 27)

Marlow proceeds to participate in the degradation, criticizing and belittling a man better than some in Europe. Kurtz, another example of a man who is conscious of the unfair treatment of natives, declares, “exterminate all the brutes” (Conrad 46). If any character should have sympathy for the indigenous people, it’s Kurtz, the man who was glorified as a god and served to pollute the native culture beyond repair. Deeming him an idol, they die for him at his command, attacking the riverboat to turn away Marlow’s men while a decent conversation between men would have served adequately. Indeed, the natives bear the brunt of imperialism while the jungle lingers “with its ominous patience, waiting for the passing away of a fantastic invasion”(Conrad 29). In truth, it still waits for the day it can return to primeval mud.

The Europeans crimes encompassed everything from ravishing the land to enslaving the natives. “Reliable sources estimate that between 1892 and 1907, more than 3 million Congolese died from European abuse.” (Adelman 35) Further, the Europeans destroyed the natives’ culture, determined to “improve” them without the intention of ever accepting them as more than savages. Conrad expresses this concept through Marlow who, despite his recognition of the racial injustices being carried out, does nothing to abolish them:

Some topics in this essay:
Heart Darkness, Diary Conrad’s, Civilization Discontents, Europe Kurtz, Africa Conrad, Hampson XXXii, Interior Station, Hampson XXiV, Joseph Conrad, Exploring Expedition, heart darkness, hampson xxxii, “white man’s burden”, personal experiences, directly linked, adelman 26, main character, repressions investments, redeeming ‘idea’, man’s burden”, anonymous narrator, redeeming ‘idea’ imperialism,