First Opium War Colonialism

Colonialism. Over the course of history, many ancient empires set up colonies in foreign lands, encountered the indigenous people, and often times, established a trading network between themselves; the settlers are entitled to the land’s natural resources, and the natives are allowed access to superior technology. However, such relationships between colonists and the indigenous populace did not always yield positive results. The ancient Chinese became addicted to opium marketed by the British, spurring conflicts such as the First Opium War; Indians were treated as second-class citizens, yet were obligated to fight for the British Empire in World War II; and Native Americans who came into contact with American settlers often contracted diseases …show more content…
For example, Doom, a full blooded Native American, constantly aspires to “go and fetch the steamboat,” talking about it “ever since he became Man, and about how the House was not big enough” revealing his ulterior motive of emulating white culture in the hopes of demanding more respect (Faulkner 9). However, unbeknownst to him, Boon’s outrageous attempts at dragging the boat back to his camp reveal an astonishing irony; the machines and culture which would come to give him power and veneration also eventually lead to his downfall and the destruction of his people. Despite the fact that Doom primarily emulates White culture to commandeer respect, he unknowingly undoes the key values that hold his community together: the sacredness and respect for nature, replaced by awe for machinery; balance, replaced with gaudiness; and humble spirituality, replaced with an unquenchable thirst for power. Similarly, Boon, despite his obvious efforts to understand nature and to fully accept his Indian heritage, is innately corrupted, a “walnut a little larger than a football and with a machinist’s hammer had shaped features into it and then painted it…” (206). Like a walnut, Boon represents a product of nature corrupted by human influences, a product of the wilderness subject to the willpower and needs of man; Boon may be part American Indian, but his lifestyle centers around alcoholism and hunting for sport, the polar opposite of native customs. And although he does not pre-calculate his actions for a certain benefit such as Doom, his distancing of himself from native culture still has catastrophic results, as Boon’s killing of Old Ben for acclaim and recognition as a master of the woods, in essence, destroys the significance of the feat. The mysticism and