Summary Of Colonialism In The Heart Of Darkness

Register to read the introduction… Marlow became uncomfortable at his aunt's misinterpretation of the Company, so he "ventured to hint that the Company was run for profit" (16). Blinded by her narrow mindset, his aunt said, "You forget, dear Charlie, that the labourer is worthy of his hire" (16). Like Marlow's aunt, some Europeans put their faith in the Company's altruistic mission and trusted that the colonialists were morally driven to acculturate the Africans.

Not only did their myopic perspectives hinder them from learning the horrid truths of European colonialism, but their emotions were also too strong that it kept them oblivious to this terrible reality. …show more content…
Marlow could not tell the Intended the horrific truth about Kurtz for "it was not fit for a human being to behold" (73). He did not mean that women were "human" and men were not; by "human," he meant that women were too charitable and overly sympathetic. The author believed that men and women possessed the same moral values, but women relied more on their consciences when it came to exercising moral and immoral actions. In a way, he was right in saying that if women set up colonial empires, "it would go to pieces before the first sunset" (16). To make money in the African Congo, extreme and wicked measures had to be taken. According to Marlow, women would not be tolerant to take such actions just to make money. Women in Heart of Darkness represented the fervent supporters of civilizing the Africans. Since making profit inspired colonialists, Marlow's assertion would be better stated as: If humanitarians were to run a colonial empire, no profit would be gained. They would not have been able to carry out the same evil instincts used by the colonialists because they possessed too many humanistic