Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a story of a man journeying into Africa's dark heart to find a missing explorer. This is a metaphor for the journey into the dark heart of man. So although the story is set in an "other place," the novella very much deals with the European issues of imperialism, slavery, and the dominance of white ideology over the colonized.
An author can never be divorced from the values of his own society, even when writing about characters in other places where the dominant ideology of his society may not necessarily impinge. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad was written in the late 19th century and is largely a tale of an individual journeying from civilization to another place, beyond the boundaries of civilized man. The protagonist, Charlie Marlow, is physically traveling through the Congo, metaphorically penetrating the darkness of humanity's heart and spiritually descending into hell. Despite the fact that he is in these "other places", the issues that Conrad explores, relating to the colonialist, eurocentric and patriarchal ideology indicate that he is not segregated from his European background.
The notion of imperialism was part of the dominant ideology in Conrad's society where the colonizing and exploitation of other places were deemed to be for the greater good. The frame narrator serves the function of expressing this expansionist fervor in the exposition - "The dreams of men, the seed of Commonwealths, the germs of Empires." Conrad's society saw colonizers as the "white emissaries of light" in spreading the good of civilization. However, the author has sought to challenge this perception in his own society through Marlows first person retrospective account of his journey and inner self-discovery. In his tale, Marlow's ideals for exploration and adventure for their own sake have been shattered. This positions the reader to see the true darkness of the world as the author conceives it to be.
"The conquest of the earth which mostly means taking it from those with different complexions or slightly flatter noses than ourselves is not a pretty thing" is a statement by Marlow that ultimately contradicts the imperialist ideal. The revelation that a common barbarity existed in all mankind, even under the veneer of civilized sophistication subverts the social attitude of race superiority. Hence, in confronting this particular attitude in his society, Conrad shows that he is not divorced from its values. Indeed, he reveals a philosophical truth stating that all men were equal in that a potential hell exists in the heart of every man.
Conrad also criticized the eurocentric values and attitudes of his own society, demonstrated by the binary iconography. It is generally purported that whites, as the civilized, are spreading light amongst the black savages. Therefore, the setting of the tale in the Congo, considered an "other place" from the European context, still serves the purpose of conveying themes related to Conrad's European society. Through the narrator, Marlow, the writer has exposed the avaricious, materialistic and spiritually empty pursuits of these colonizers in building empires founded on monetary gain - "and make no end of coin by an overseas empire." Sympathy is also generated for the blacks due to their dehumanization and debasement, reflected by Marlow's comments on their appalling treatment - "black shapes crouched… with disease and starvation." Such portrayals of the whites' and blacks' positions in this colonialist scheme have condemned the social values in his society.
The use of devil imagery to further paint the whites in a negative light can be drawn back to the Christian ethos of the writer's society. This association of various white minor characters with the devil, such as the bricklayer, demonstrates that the author cannot be separated from the religious values of his society. The series of Satanic images in the text culminates in the form of Kurtz, who represents the ultimate evil, the absolute degeneration of man from his civilized state to the savagery of his heart - "how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own." The mix of images from pagan rites and demonic ceremonies complement the symbolism from the dark side of Christianity.
In contrast, Marlow's relations with the blacks are more positive. The need to contrast the whites and blacks highlight the appropriateness of setting the scene in these "other places". Marlow challenges the eurocentric values of the time by claiming an affinity, a sense of "remote kinship" with the blacks - "What thrilled you was just the thought that they were not inhuman." However, Conrad does use terms that could be considered racist by the modern-day reader, such as the referral to blacks as "nigger", "savage" and to the black helmsman as a "fine specimen." This shows that even Conrad, who aimed to generate sympathy for the blacks' plight is also a product of his social context. He cannot be segregated from it.
Heart of Darkness endorses certain social values in the industrialist society such as the work ethic. With the rise of the Industrial Revolution in the Victorian Era, hard work was a value held by the expanding middle classes. Conrad utilizes Marlow's character to endorse this value as, being a middle class seaman, he was a character that held hard work in high esteem - "It is what is in work - the ability to find yourself… that I appreciate." Although this social attitude is associated with industrialist, commercial Europe, bringing it to a vastly different place, the Congo, draws a greater contrast between the whites and blacks. The bricklayer, mentioned as a "papier-mache Mephistopheles" shows how much Marlow despised the idle, the lazy and those without purpose. Again, this work ethic is related to the context of the times in which the author wrote.
The patriarchal tendencies in the novella is a reflection of the masculine ideology dominating the writer's society. Conrad endorses the chivalry code, where men must protect the beautiful and pure worlds of the women from the dark, tainted reality - "Women live in this beautiful world… that is not like our own… We must keep them in that world." The gender dichotomy is enhanced by the Intended, a madonna figure who exists in the feminine world of light and illusion. The masculine world, in contrast, is a world of darkness and reality. Such depictions are vital in conveying the themes, as well as showing Conrad to be a product of the 19th century patriarchy.
In both challenging and endorsing certain values and attitudes in his own society, it is demonstrated that Conrad cannot be divorced from them. Even though Heart of Darkness is set in the Congo (though the book never mentions the name of the place), the issues interrogated are European. This is appropriate as it challenges colonial expansion, eurocentricism and imperialism. The work ethic, as part of the industrialist system of values, is endorsed, as are the patriarchal values. These attitudes were all prevalent in the context of the late 1900's in Europe.
