Sinner, Savage, or Imperialist: Which Are You?
Try this: Ask a random person walking around a mall “Are you civilized?” and they will probably respond with a strange look and a swift reply, “Yes, of course I am!” A straightforward yes or no question like this seems fairly simple, doesn’t it? However, the loaded question, if contemplated, has a deeper meaning .The concept of being civilized is not defined by being a Homo sapiens or by not acting like a feral cat. An upright citizen in society abides by the rules, even if that requires repressing instinctual desires. In spite of the best of intentions, at the end of the day, all humans are flawed; at this point the notion of sin comes into focus. Sin is allowing oneself to disobey a moral or religious principle. Often the first connection upon hearing the word “sin” is religious, despite the word’s use in colloquial life. Power and money can lure people into wrongdoings; these imperialistic temptations have occurred throughout world history. Suppressing or abusing a weaker group for material gain or power is known as imperialism, however, sin occurs piece by piece – surrendering to temptation until personal value no longer exists, and civilization is blurred with its evil twin savagery because of the thin line between the two.
One of the underlying themes of Heart of Darkness…show more content… Naively, he accepted this task without truly having the knowledge of what the job entailed. Based on his character before he went into the “heart of darkness” he would not be part of the evil imperialistic ivory trade of Europe. Once Marlow got to the inner station, only then did he realize the atrocious sins being committed against other human beings. Conrad, the author of Heart of Darkness wrote this story in part of his “anger at the barbarities of imperialistic greed”(Conrad
