Heart Of Darkness Research Paper

Words: 1349
Pages: 6

To continue, in addition to examining the cultural divides of natives and those who are “civilized”, Heart of Darkness reveals the persecution of indigenous peoples. As discussed above, Heart of Darkness is a captivating novel that portrays the colonization of Congo by Belgium. To accurately construe the goals of the Belgian king during the colonization of the Congo, Marlow says “they were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force - nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others. They grabbed what they could get for the sake of what was to be got.” Belgium did not colonize the Congo for practical reasons, they colonized for the sake of colonizing and gaining power. …show more content…
When Maslow arrives to the first station where he is to recover his steam boat, he comes across a field of dying natives, the scene is gruesome, the bodies are unrecognizable only the whites of the eyes are viewable, the rest of the bodies mesh together to form a quilt of decaying forms covering the grass. Marlow recounts the bodies being as light as air; all bone (pg. 17). The indigenous people were exposed to foreign diseases and brutality. Those who died were not given a burial ceremony, they were left where they had fallen to decompose with time. Even the previous captain of the colonizing company, who was a Dane, was killed in a scuffle with the natives and left in the spot he was killed, his body was not moved or recovered but left to wither like a “savage” (pg 9). Even in death the bodies of the tormented were left to …show more content…
By comparison with the ancient civilizations modern progress is much more barbaric at heart. We are defeated”(195). With this statement by Puran the recurring theme of what is civilized and what is savage is finally solidified. The darkness that divides the society of Puran from that of the native people is a self imposed hatred, hatred created by today’s society. Such a hatred massed together and put toward one specific group is enough for Puran to believe the new age society to be uncivilized. He says “we are defeated”, society has lost to natives. The indigenous people hold a simplistic and peaceful life, when discovered and scrutinized by the outside world, it is today's society who has destroyed and tarnished the tribal culture. Puran is stating it is his society that has destroyed the indigenous people, his society are the barbaric civilization. “We have slowly destroyed a continent in the name of