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Essay / Intrinsic Dark Sides of Society in Heart of Darkness it is a place believed to be trapped in primordial darkness. In search of Mr. Kurtz, Marlow's character says: "To travel up that river was like traveling from the very beginnings of the world... one thought oneself bewitched and cut off forever from all that one had known formerly” (Conrad 30). ). Here the reader is presented with the idea that white people in Africa are separate from anything they consider “civilized.” Many white people in the novel believe that Africa's darkness comes from the savagery of its indigenous inhabitants. However, perhaps the conflict born from the stereotype of the licentious, idolatrous, and deceitful black man does not explain the events of the novel as well as those of the white man gone savage. In his novel, Conrad shows us that in colonial societies, the individual's superego has the dangerous potential to be ignored and perhaps even permanently suppressed in favor of the id. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay It has been argued that nations, throughout history, have justified imperial conquest by rejecting subjugated peoples as degenerate members of savage races. However, in Heart of Darkness, the character Marlow observes that in the case of conquerors, "...strength is but an accident resulting from the weakness of others" (Conrad 4). Marlow recognizes that the distribution of power in the world is not the result of the moral right of Europeans or any other group of peoples to rule over "inferior beings" in foreign lands. Yet he also says that “those who attack darkness” can be redeemed by an “idea” (Conrad 4). This idea is that of the moral obligation of Europeans to act as emissaries of light bringing civilization to the savages. Therefore, even though the environmental conditions of the European continent that allowed for rapid technological progress were the only thing that separated the people of the Caucasus from the rest of the world, by claiming that the brutal conquest was driven by divine design, they were able to maintain their high moral position. In recognizing this truth, Marlow, unlike the other white men in the novel, is able to see the hypocrisy inherent in the mission of civilization. "Marlow's business is run for profit," as he is tempted to tell his aunt, and once he arrives in Africa, he realizes that this fact creates a moral cesspool where the seven deadly sins (Conrad 10). A character who illustrates some of them is the “mch paper Méphistophélès”. As a pilgrim, he shows greed in wanting to be appointed to an ivory trading position and laziness in doing nothing about his assigned task, making bricks. Additionally, envy and anger are manifested when he intrigues against the other pilgrims and demands information from Marlow. Finally, its silver box is an example of its pride. Marlow, who is dedicated to efficiency, is disgusted by the Pilgrims' complete lack of initiative and is therefore fascinated by the stories of Mr. Kurtz, described as "an emissary of pity, science and progress" (Conrad 22 ). Perhaps there is at least one man who takes seriously the mission of “weaning these ignorant masses from their horrible ways” (Conrad 10). Nevertheless, Marlow begins to realize that, although apparently invested with a moral mission, the white man does much to exacerbate the plight of the "poor savages". Encountering a chain gang on his way to the first station, Marlow describes them,
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