In this story Marlow's aunt represents capitalism. Her efforts to get him a job are significant because of the morally compromising nature of the work of which she seems totally ignorant. When Marlow expresses doubts about the nature of the work, she replies, "You forget, dear Charlie, that the labourer is worthy of his hire" (12). It is clear that Marlow has mixed feelings about the whole idea. At one point, trying

to justify his actions to himself, he says, "You understand it was a continental concern, that Trading Society; but I have a lot of relations on the living continent, because it's cheap and not so nasty as it looks they say" (12). Marlow finally takes the job, however, and tells himself that the pain and unusually harsh treatment the workers are subjected to is minimal.

The tension between capitalism and moral enlightenment in the first twenty pages of this story is evident. Conrad uses Marlow to depict a seemingly good-hearted person caught in the middle of the common dilemma of moral ethics and desire for monetary success. Marlow knows that there is a great deal of repugnance in what he is doing, yet he finds himself forced to deal with it in his own personal way, which is justify it or ignore it. It is clear that the company also is forced to deal with this same issue, but it does it simply by pretending that it is not dehumanizing its entire work force. This blindness allows the Company to profit and prosper, b

Some common words found in the essay are:
Africa Marlow, Trading Society, Conrad Marlow, Charlie Marlow, Heart Darkness, Joseph Conrad's, forced deal, moral enlightenment, heart darkness, 12 marlow, africa marlow,
Approximate Word count = 690
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)