Heart of Darkness: Historical and Biographical Content

Heart of Darkness, published in 1902, is Joseph Conrad’s best known work. History develops the action behind the drama in this novella; it is an actual account of Conrad’s experiences in the Congo in 1890. The recordings of his events are entries in a diary that date back to June 13, 1890. The early part of the diary corresponds to the language and events described in Heart of Darkness. The setting of the novella is in Africa, deep in the jungle of the Congo, where Conrad exposes the horror of imperialism and close-minded European views that perpetuate racism. As a child, Conrad’s hatred for imperialism is evident. His parents believed in liberating Poland and his father’s main concern centers around fortifying resistance against Russian oppression. Conrad suffers from his family’s political involvement. At the age of four, his father is arrested; at the age of seven, his mother dies and four years later his father passes. These traumatic losses fuel his wish to flee Poland and at the age of sixteen, he pursues a life as a sailor. His experiences at sea are his inspiration to write Heart of Darkness. His novella draws heavily upon what he has witnessed as a captain of a steamboat on the Congo River.

The “darkest” aim of imperialism, ruthless colonial exploitation, is achieved in the Congo jungle. European expansion began in 1870 along with the reckless push for ivory elephant tusks. Six million Africans died during the brutal trade, overseen by the Belgians. The effects of this trade on Africa were traumatic. More than seventy percent of the African continent was exploited. These events led to the Boer War that was fought in South Africa by the British immigrants and Boers, who were the descendants of the early Dutch colonists. Conrad published his novella during this conflict. After Conrad’s publication of Heart of Darkness, the world became aware of the overwhelming problems of imperialism. It was the first time that Europeans seriously began to question their presence in Africa.