What Is Joseph Conrad's View Of Imperialism

In Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” it is apparent that he is very critical of Imperialism. The main character and narrator, Marlow, is telling the story of his trip to the Congo and his experiences with Imperialism along the way. Conrad’s critique of Imperialism has a strong focus on the affects on the Africans, such as being overworked, and starved, as well as the affects on the Europeans, such as greediness, and a hunger for power. Conrad’s critique of Imperialism focuses greatly on the mistreatment of the African natives. Marlow was exposed to both natives affected by Imperialism, and natives that haven’t been affected by it. On Marlow’s journey to the Congo, he encountered a boat being paddled by African natives near the shore.
Throughout his journey, Marlow also sees the affects Imperialism has had on the Europeans as well. Earlier in his story, Marlow says, “I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you,” meaning that he believed that the mission of Imperialism was to help civilize the African natives (Conrad, 9). When he actually got there, he saw that the motives for many of the Europeans had changed. Rather than educating and civilizing the Africans, the Europeans became motivated by money and power. An example of when it struck Marlow just how Imperialism had affected the Europeans was when he was on the ship going to find Kurtz, and there was little food for the native crew members. The natives had been cannibals, and they were absolutely starving. Marlow thought about the situation and said, “Why in the name of all the gnawing devils of hunger they didn’t go for us—they were thirty to five—and have a good tuck-in for once, amazes me now when I think of it. They were big powerful men, with not much capacity to weigh the consequences, with courage, with strength, even yet, though their skins were no longer glossy and their muscles no longer hard. And I saw that something restraining, one of those human secrets that baffle probability, had come into play there” (Conrad, 67.) When Marlow says this, he’s saying that it truly amazed
In Joseph Chamberlain’s, “The White Man’s Burden,” he discusses some of the economic factors, saying how “no nation has ever achieved real greatness without the aid of commerce” (Chamberlain.) He is stressing the need for Europeans to open new markets and expand existing ones in order to increase commerce. Also, through Imperializing, they could gain access to new territories, markets, and trading routes, which would further increase commerce, allowing the Europeans to achieve true greatness. Though economic factors played a part in Imperialism during this time, the ideological factors played an even greater part. Some of the ideological factors that played a part in Imperialism were asserting national greatness, and fulfilling a racial mission and improving the lives of others. An example of this belief is in Cecil Rhodes’, “Confession of Faith,” when he says I contend that we are the finest race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race. . . I contend that every acre added to our territory means in the future birth to some more of the English race who otherwise would not be brought into existence,” (Rhodes) which means the Europeans truly believed that they were the superior race during the time, and that it was their heavenly duty to overtake other territories and expand the English