Anđa Belić

Dr. sc. Borislav Knežević, red.prof.

British Modern Novel and the British Empire

January 3, 2019

Marlow’s Portrayal of European Presence in Africa

Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, relies on the historical period of imperialism to

illuminate its protagonist, Charlie Marlow, and his struggles through the book. The story goes

from what we originally thought as just a story of a journey into the African continent to a

story of a journey to the hearts of men, whose darkness is already implicated in the title.

Conrad’s truth in The Heart of Darkness is multi-layered in dealing with imperialism and

colonialism but leads the reader to a critique of humanity as a whole. Through the certain

European characters of this book such as The General Manager, The Brickmaker and The

Chief Accountant we will see how Conrad uses Marlow’s character, his descriptions and

language in order to reveal the deeper truth in the identities of characters and to differentiate

masked appearance from inner reality. Also how every one of these characters represents the

positive and negative sides of the Company itself as well as of the human nature that can be

very cruel, selfish, greedy and inconsiderate.

Namely, the General Manager is the head of the Company's Central Station on the

Congo River. Average in appearance and unremarkable in abilities, he has reached his

position in the Company because of his ability to produce uneasiness in those around him

coupled with an ability to withstand the dangerous jungle diseases year after year. As regards

to his physical appearance, Marlow says:

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 His eyes, of the usual blue, were perhaps remarkably cold, and he certainly could

make his glance fall on one as trenchant and heavy as an axe. But even at these times

the rest of his person seemed to disclaim the intention. Otherwise there was only an

indefinable, faint expression of his lips, something stealthy—a smile—not a smile—I

remember it, but I can't explain. It was unconscious, this smile was, though just after

he had said something it got intensified for an instant. . . He inspired uneasiness. That

was it! Uneasiness. Not a definite mistrust—just uneasiness—nothing more. (Conrad

42)

Firstly, here we can see how Marlow’s first impression of the General Manager causes in

him feelings of nervousness and discomfort. Besides his jealousy of Kurtz’s success, there is

nothing else in the General Manager. In fact, he is a total blank which means that he talks a

lot, but about nothing meaningful and even his smile is described as "seal applied on words to

make the meaning of the commonest phrase appear absolutely inscrutable." (Conrad 42)

Secondly, Marlow mentions how the manager himself says that anyone who comes to work

in the interior "should have no entrails" (Conrad 42) which implies that the wilderness of the

interior has a way of draining away what makes people human, leaving only a shell of the

former self. Since there is nothing within him, everything that the General Manager does or

says has no sincerity and it is superficial. As Marlow observes "there was nothing within

him" (Conrad 42) In other words he is incapable of creating, he can only destroy which is

exactly what British imperialists were doing to Africa and natives at the time.

Furthermore, according to Hunt Hawkins "Conrad likely didn’t show more of the

Africans because he wanted to focus on the Europeans." (Hawkins 370) In other words,

Hawkins suggests that white men’s hearts are not turned black by African people and the

Congo; they already carry the corruption of Europe within them. Also, Europeans are

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portrayed in the novel as greedy, violent, selfish and barely competent which can be seen

through Marlow’s description and the General Manager himself.

Like the Manager, the Brickmaker is also driven by ambition, but the kind of ambition

which implies that the end justifies the means. "I let him run on, this papier-mâché

Mephistopheles, and it seemed to me that if I tried I could poke my forefinger through him,

and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe." (Conrad 23) Namely, not only

do we realize from Marlow’s words that although the Brickmaker appears to have a purpose

based on his title, in reality, he is just seeking to climb the Company ladder, but also that he is

hollow inside. Marlow adds that the Brickmaker has "silver tongue" with which he easily

persuades the people and gets whatever he wants. Moreover, through these European

characters, the reader realizes that the intent of the journey is hollow and the idea of

colonizing the natives and bringing light to the Continent is the outward surface, the true

intent is shallow, selfish and oppressive.

In addition, Albert J. Guerard in his essay The Journey Within also asserts that Heart

of Darkness is a metaphor for a psychological exploration to the heart of human nature and

that true darkness is beneath our civilized appearance. "But Marlow reiterates often enough

that he is recounting a spiritual voyage of self-discovery. He remarks casually but crucially

that he did not know himself before setting out, and that he likes work for the chance it

provides to "find yourself . . . what no other man can ever know." (Guerard 329) In other

words, Guerard wants to show through Marlow’s character both hollowness of civilization

and human self-realization. On the one hand, Marlow argues that Europeans and their

"civilization" is superficial, well-meaning from the outside but hides a dark heart inside. On

the other hand, this journey enforces him to change, to find himself.

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 However, not all of the Marlow’s first impressions of European characters are bad.

For instance, he is stunned when he sees the Chief Accountant for the first time.

I met a white man, in such an unexpected elegance of get-up that in the first moment I

took him for a sort of vision. I saw a high starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca

jacket, snowy trousers, a clean necktie, and varnished boots. No hat. Hair parted,

brushed, oiled, under a green-lined parasol held in a big white hand. He was amazing,

and had a penholder behind his ear. (Conrad 84)

Namely, the Accountant is an employee of the Outer Station, perfectionist, who believes in

having no distraction, such as emotional connection to anything or anyone. From this

Marlow’s quote, it can be seen how the Accountant actually symbolizes the Company as it

wants to be seen. For example, he dresses elegantly despite the poverty of African people and

the heat in order to emphasize the Company’s professionalism. Also, he is always engaged in

his work which shows Company’s strive towards excellence and perfection. The

Accountant’s immaculate look symbolizes desire to seem "morally spotless."

What a frightful row,' he said. He crossed the room gently to look at the sick man, and

returning, said to me, "he does not hear. 'What! Dead?' I asked, startled. 'No, not yet,'

he answered, with great composure. Then, alluding with a toss of the head to the

tumult in the station-yard, 'When one has got to make correct entries, one comes to

hate those savages—hate them to death.' (Conrad 86)

Here the Accountant again shows the hollowness and superficiality of human beings. In fact

it is safe for the reader to assume that he is affected by the Congo when the Accountant fails

to recognize a man who lies dying in his office as a human being; instead, he perceives his

suffering as an annoyance.

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 Moreover, Edward W. Said in his article Two Vision in Heart of Darkness makes an

interesting observation on darkness in the text: "The darkness’ has an autonomy of its own."

(Said 428) On the one hand, there is this picture of the darkness of dark continent being

incapable of being redeemed because of its inferiority and, on the other, the darkness of

Western imperialism which is incapacitating it to see the true nature of darkness, the darkness

that is within European colonizers.

To sum up, Marlow throughout his journey discovered his own inner being that made

him alienate from the rest of the Europeans. Through his descriptions the reader is able to see

how human destructive thirst for money, power and domination over others reveals the

darkest parts of human nature.

We can point out that perhaps the true savages are not the native people, but the

European people who are working for the Company. For instance, the Accountant’s

behaviour and his irritation by another’s death can only be described as a savage. Thus, all

these characters represent people in general. They represent the darkness, shallowness and

presumptuousness that exists in every human being. Therefore the boundaries between the

Europeans and natives, between civilization and savagery became blurred. Marlow sees a

European civilization as blindly corrupt and human society as "hollow at the core." (Conrad

98)

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Works Cited:

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness: A Norton Critical Edition. 4th ed. New York: W. W.

Norton, 2006.

Guerard, Albert J. “The Journey Within” (1958) in Heart of Darkness: A Norton Critical

Edition. 4th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2006.

Hawkins, Hunt. “Heart of Darkness and Racism” (1982) in Heart of Darkness: A Norton

Critical Edition. 4th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2006.

Said, Edward W. "Two Visions in Heart of Darkness" Culture and Imperialism. New York:

Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.