by Graydyl

Created on: June 14, 2008

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness questions the humanity of Europeans and Africans alike through the horror of Imperialism manifested throughout the book. The Congo, as a heart of darkness, is the center of Imperialism and therefore of corruption. Africa is presented as an incorporeal battleground devoid of all identifiable civilization, into which Kurtz, the main character, enters at his risk. Conrad appears to be criticizing Imperialism and not defending it; however, he appears to sympathize and approves of his main character, Marlow. Although Conrad does not portray Marlow in a positive light, he does not criticize Marlow's character as severely as he could have. Towards the end of the novel Marlow fails to reveal the horror of Imperialism to Kurtz's Intended, further promoting the Europeans' misconceptions. Kurtz's Intended, a representation of the general European population, acts as an antithesis to African civilization while accentuating the distorted views of anti-Imperialism in the Heart of Darkness.

Conrad depicts the Africans as dark savages and brutes, cannibals, dehumanizing them to mere animals. Kurtz repeatedly said, "Exterminate the brutes", (123) or the Africans. Marlow described his experience, "they danced the river, stamped their feet, nodded their horned heads, swayed their scarlet bodies; they shook toward the fierce river-demon a bunch of black feathers, a mangy skin with a pendent tailshouted periodically together strings of amazing words that resembled no sounds of human languagesatanic litany." (144) The Intended, back in Europe, is completely oblivious to the detrimental effects of Kurtz succumbing to a place of isolation. The Intended, whose name is never revealed to the reader, represents the general masses of Europe, both blinded and indifferent to the involvement of Imperialism in Africa. The horror of Imperialism is a major misconception among the Europeans as bringing civilization to those who are isolated, to the "barbarians".

The Intended is a refined, European counterpart to the "savage, superb, wild-eyed and magnificent" (137) African mistress of Kurtz. The Intended's black mourning clothes and angelic aura contrasts sharply with the bizarre and glittering illustration of each component of the African's ornaments, clothes, and jewelry. She is depicted as, "This fair hair, this pale visage, this pure brow, seemed surrounded by an ashy halo from which the dark eyes looked out at me. Their glance was guileless, profound, confident,

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