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

Conrads The Heart of Darkness and the atomic number 63ans Claim to Superiority neither Works Cited just beyond the biggest and greatest town on world, four men sit patiently ontheir boat, waiting for the placid waters of the Thames to ebb (65). One of the men, aBuddha, breaks the silence, saying, and this alsohas been one of the glum places of theearth (67). This pensive and peaceful idol, Marlow, explains to his apathetic listenershow a great civilisation is blindly made out of a darkness, remarking, The conquest ofthe earth, which mostly content the taking it away from those who have a differentcomplexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you guessinto 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 earnest inspection (Sarvan). As Sarvansuggests, Heart of Darkness contrasts the expression of African savagery withEuropean civility to demonstrate the in adult male of the Europeans, rather than that ofthe Africans.Conrads dehu humankindizing descriptions of the Africans serve to maneuver the inhumaneffects of colonialism, rather than to demean the African people. For example, Sarvannotes that when an African is reclaim by serving the Europeans, it is grim ironybecause he has been reclaimed to a worse 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 retire 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 anywhere. Indeed, the appearance ofa fiendish black figure with his long black legs, undulation long black arms is a mereillusion created by the fire behind him (148). The possibility that this wild andmysterious being in 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 nature 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 pietyshould protect idealism (96).Works CitedConrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. An Introduction to Literature. Terry, Joseph. New York, NY Longman, 2001. 1614-1672.