The Perversity of the Congo

A detailed Summary of The Perversity of the Congo

In the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad one of the major themes is the perversity of the Congo. What is good and evil in the European world becomes distorted and hazy in the heart of Africa. To the outside world white is good and black is evil; it is as simple as that. This philosophy is embodied in Marlow's aunt, who believes that his job is to bring light into the land of darkness and to enlighten the savages. This idea, however, becomes corrupted when white objects symbolize suffering and greed instead of good, and light images hide the presence of darkness. Symbols such as, a white rag, white imperialists and ivory, no longer represent the good will of the imperialists, on the other hand they represent the exploitation and chaos that the Europeans have brought to the Congo. The main character Marlow is faced with this confusion as he voyages through the jungle, and he must reevaluate his former opinions, which no longer hold true.

The European philosophy is shown through the conversation that Marlow has with his aunt before commencing his adventure. According to her, his job seems clear: to bring civilization and light to the "heart of darkness." Instead of focusing on the horrors of imperialism she is dis

This confusion in appearances is show again with the alternative motives of the whites. They are not humanitarians helping a civilization out of good will. They are there out of greed and corruption. Without the presence of society, the inner core of humans is revealed and what is white on the outside is sometimes black on the inside. This reversal of appearances is displayed in all the imperialists that Marlow comes across. One is the manager at the first station. He gives the allusion of being a gentleman with his European clothing and manners, yet inside he is filled with crookedness. In order to maintain this image he must train a native to follow his orders. He makes another suffer to keep the allusion of being white. This distortion of appearances is revealed again in the uncle of the manager of the second station. His skin color hides the presence of evil. Marlow remarks that he "seemed to beckon with a dishonoring flourish before the sunlit face of the land a treacherous appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart"(58). Marlow does not know what his plans are; however, he has nothing good to say about Kurtz and is focused on the betterment of his own situation.

illusioned to believe that it is all for the better. The Europeans, especially the British have no respect for other cultures or other ways of life, and they truly believe that they are helping the Africans. Not by choice but because of the "white man's burden" they feel the need to "[wean] those ignorant millions from their horrid ways"(28). To the outside this seems like an earnest motive; however, once inside Marlow begins to see new forms of corruption. Are the imperialists their to help, or are they there to make mone

Some common words found in the essay are:
None Marlow's, Joseph Conrad, Ivory Heaps, Congo Europe, alternative motives, hold true, white rag, heart darkness, europeans brought, , imperialists marlow comes, alternative motives whites, motives whites, marlow comes, light dark, imperialists marlow, white outside,

Approximate Word count = 1186
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English