Heart of Darkness
The novel “heart of darkness” by Joseph Conrad is a story that looks at beneath the surface; this is clearly expressed in the book as the author has been able to explain some incidents in the relationship between the colonialists and the natives.
The book setting is at the heart of a river in Congo, Africa. This is where the novel explains the relationship that exists between the natives and the European traders and colonialists in the trade of ivory. From the narrators point of view he argues that the way the European traders treated the natives, this is according to Marlow’s point of view when he argued that the traders were ruthless to the natives. This is when they forced them in heavy activities that included the carrying of heavy logs, ivory and other activities at a minimal wage of even at no cost. On the other hand, the whites used the products for their own benefit and not even considering the welfare of the black community where the products were coming from (Conrad, 2008).
Joseph Conrad uses his book to look beneath the surface and in the process he has managed in showing the extent at which the racial discrimination and colonial oppression had invaded the native community their rights. This is when the book shows how Kurtz and his Russian Friend used a lot of force on the natives in ways aimed at making the native to perform their duties. For this reason, they did not give the time of resting or willingly offer the products to the Europeans; thus ensuring that the individuals native were abiding to the commands and demands of Europeans without them opposing the demands of the Europeans (Conrad, 2008).
The other incidence of colonialism is experienced in the novel this is when the factory that was involved in the transporting of the ivory from Africa to Europe was seen forcing the natives into carrying the ivory products into the ships. This is as a result of the fear that was instilled on them by the company managers who described the company as having been employed by the native while in real sense they were forced laborers (Conrad, 2008).