Daniel Schratz Mr. Piazza AP Literature - F 23 April 2018 The Use of Dichotomy in Heart of Darkness Thanks to its layers of narrative separation, Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness confuses many readers in regards to its message. Marlow, the main narrator, characterizes some natives of the Congo as stupid and animalistic, and his words dehumanize africans and their culture. However, Marlow also respects and gives credit to the natives he meets. He appreciates the restraint shown by the cannibals, and acknowledges the work ethic shown by most of the natives, especially in comparison to colonists like the Eldorado Exploring Expedition. In Marlow’s contemplative narrative breaks, he denounces the hypocrisy of the white colonists who claim to bring culture to those natives and instead lose their humanity through their exploitation of the Congo. So while Marlow espouses the same racist …show more content…
During periods of slavery, racism was far more clearly defined. Since white men owned black slaves, they used racial differences to justify their inhumane actions. Imperialism, however, is far more difficult to describe. In the Congo, the natives were certainly being exploited, but white colonists never claimed to have direct ownership of the people. Instead, they built support for their cause by convincing the masses that natives must be civilized and christianized. The common people saw a problem with how natives interacted with each other. Like Marlow’s aunt, they wanted to, “wean those ignorant millions from their horrid ways” (Conrad 65). Thus, racism in this context originates from a belief that one's culture is better than another, and therefore one has the responsibility to teach those lesser than them how to act properly. In reality, corporations like the company Marlow travels with use these anti-black sentiments as a means to justify their abuse of native labor and