Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness and the European’s Claim to Superiority

Conrads The Heart of Darkness and the Europeans Claim to Superiority Incomplete Works Cited simply beyond the biggest and greatest town on earth, four men sit patiently ontheir boat, waiting for the serene waters of the Thames to ebb (65). unmatchable of the men, aBuddha, breaks the silence, saying, and this alsohas been one of the dark places of theearth (67). This pensive and peaceful idol, Marlow, explains to his apathetic listenershow a great civilization is blindly made out of a darkness, remarking, The conquest ofthe earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a differentcomplexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a picturesque thing when you lookinto it too much. What redeems it is the idea only (70). The irony with which Marlowlooks upon colonization suggests that this redeeming feature, Europes claim to becivilized, and therefore superior, needs enthusiastic reexamination (Sarvan). As Sarvansuggests, Heart of Darkness contrasts the app earance of African savagery withEuropean civility to demonstrate the inhu objet dartity of the Europeans, rather than that ofthe Africans.Conrads dehumanizing descriptions of the Africans serve to tape the inhumaneffects of colonialism, rather than to demean the African people. For example, Sarvannotes that when an African is reclaimed by serving the Europeans, it is grim ironybecause he has been reclaimed to a worsened state of barbarism. When Marlow reaches thefirst station, he notices one of the reclaimed in a uniform jacket missing a button andnotes, He seemed to take me into partnership in his exalted trustI also was a partof the great cause of these high and just proceedings (82). By ironically referrin... ...rlowsironic voyage of discovery could have happened allwhere. Indeed, the appearance ofa fiendish black figure with his long black legs, waving long black arms is a mereillusion created by the fire behind him (148). The possibility that this wild andmysterious being i n the midst of a great darkne ss could represent any man in any placelends a great sense of significance to Marlows inconclusive experiences (70). Theirony of this dark portrayal of human temper is that humanity must hide from its ownabomination in order to survive. Just as Marlow tells a detestable lie to hide the horrorsof one mans corrupted soul, it is ironic that the taint of death, a flavor of moralityshould protect idealism (96).Works CitedConrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. An Introduction to Literature. Terry, Joseph. New York, NY Longman, 2001. 1614-1672.