An important theme depicted in Heart of Darkness is the idea of ​​hypocrisy. When European countries began to colonize parts of Africa, one of the main ways to support businesses would have been through the ivory trade – something that is a staple in the trading practices of Europeans abroad. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Marlow's journey from the edges of the African lands, through good and evil, to the "heart" of the continent shows humanity's increasingly honest approach to the ivory trade. Traders working for the European "company" underestimate the extent of the ivory trade simply as a form of trade. In contrast, Kurtz is much more direct in his explanation of his trade, explaining how he acquires this ivory and materials through force and the killing of other clans who oppose him. Interestingly, even the most "civilized" Europeans trading in Africa use this strategy. find ivory for their trade, the strategy of fear and violence on the tribes. Although the more "civilized" traders see themselves as distinct from the outspoken and ruthless Kurtz, the line between the two becomes increasingly blurred as readers continue through the story. Although Kurtz implements violent methods and has embraced this trader identity, other traders have also implemented strikingly similar methods to harvest their ivory. For example, at the very beginning of the novel, Freselven begins beating an old native without regard for the results of his actions. You can also feel the conditions at the company station, with African slaves in chains and the French man-o-war bombarding a coast. These serve to provide a glimpse into the actions of Europeans as colonizers in the novel. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Joseph Conrad further highlights this idea of ​​hypocrisy by exploring the mind of Marlow himself. While the company's traders display racist traits and Kurtz is completely insane towards the African tribes, Marlow is desensitized by it all. Although Marlow does not fully understand Kurtz and criticizes European traders, calling them “flaccid devils,” Marlow's underlying hypocrisy is the fact that he does not recognize Africans at all. The helmsman is simply "a piece of machinery". Works Cited Conrad, J. (1990). Heart of Darkness. Wordsworth Classics. Said, E.W. (1978). Orientalism. Books of the Pantheon. Achebe, C. (1975). An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". Massachusetts Review, 18(4), 782-794. Bhabha, Hong Kong (1986). Of mimicry and man: the ambivalence of colonial discourse. October, 28, 125-133. Said, E.W. (1993). Culture and imperialism. Vintage. Brantlinger, P. (1988). Rule of Darkness: British Literature and Imperialism, 1830-1914. Cornell University Press. Lukács, G. (1978). The ideology of modernism. MIT Press. Pratt, M. L. (1992). Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. Routledge. Quayson, A. (2000). Calibrating the African: from Joseph Conrad to Chinua Achebe. Postcolonialism: Critical Concepts in Literary and Cultural Studies, 1, 77-101. Smith, C. (1999). Empire in green and white: an environmental history of settler societies in Africa. Ohio University Press.