heart of darkness - materialism

7/30/2019 Heart of Darkness - Materialism

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Materialism

In Conrads Heart of Darkness

andErdrichs Tracks


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Materialism in Heart of Darkness

Throughout Heart of Darkeness, there is an opposition between themoral mission of civilizing the Africans and the materialisticmission of accumulating wealth through the sale of ivory.

In the beginning of the novel, the two missions do not seem toconflict

She talked about weaning those ignorant millions from their horridways, till, upon my word, she made me quite uncomfortable. Iventured to hint that the company was made for profit. (Conrad 78)

Conrad compares the quest to that of the Romans, portraying thisquest for material wealth in a positive light.

Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that

stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of themight within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire. (Conrad 69)


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Continued Yet when Marlow travels to the Outer Station, the faade of

innocence that covered up the materialism is slightly diminished.

Then, alluding with a toss of the head to the tumult in the station-yard, When one has got to make the correct entries, one comes tohate those savageshate them to the death. (Conrad 89)

Instead of the Africans being viewed as uncivilized people in needof salvation, they are portrayed as empty shells, more animal thanhuman, always suffering and without livelihood.

One, with his chin propped on his knees, stared at nothing, in anintolerable and appalling manner, his brother phantom rested itsforehead, as if overcome with a great weariness; and all about others

were scattered in every pose of contorted collapse, as in some pictureof a massacre of a pestilence. (Conrad 85)


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Continued The deeper Marlow goes into the heart of darkness, the clearer it

gets that the accumulation of wealth going on does not go hand inhand with civilization; rather the accumulation of wealth is inactuality a process that undermines the humanitarian mission ofimperialism.

While stations were supposed to be beacons of civilization, it is inactuality the site at which the slaves are dehumanized and manseems to become more savage.

And between whiles I had to look after the savage who was fireman.He was an improved specimen; he could fire up a vertical boiler. Hewas there below me, and, upon my word, to look at him was as

edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat,walking on his hind-legs. A few months of training had done for thatreally fine chap. (Conrad 91)


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Continued

Therefore, in the Heart of Darkness, the

accumulation of wealth as a concept does not

itself change, but changes in virtue of the way

that the plot seems to revolve around it moreand more as it progresses.

This parallels in the way our perception of the

imperial mission shifts as becoming more savageas well as the shifting of our perception of Kurtz,

and therefore our perception of humanity.


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Materialism in Tracks

Rejecting the attractions of material wealthhow are Erdrichs motivations to demonstratethis idea exemplified through Pauline

Pauline attempts to reject the attractions ofmaterialism as means of showing her religiousdevotion. She justifies her actions by claimingthat she is doing everything in honor of God, and

practices extreme forms of her own type ofdevoutness, while still being characterized byjealousy, lust and obsession.


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Continued

I came before the priests, appeared in my blackclothesand now the picture of my life staredplain enough. Death would pass me over just asmen did, and I would live a long, strict life. (75)

Erdrich portrays the separation of NativeAmerican culture through Paulines extremeopposition to earthly things. In the beginning ofthe novel, she separates herself from her family

and only associates with those who assimilateinto white culture, for example the Catholic-mixed blood Morrissey family.


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Continued

I had the merciful scavengers heart. I became deviousand holy, dangerously meek and mild. I wore the nunscastoffs, followed in Bernadettes tracks (69)

She admires their wealth and their civilized way ofliving, however she later adapts an extreme form ofreligious adherence. By doing things such as such aswearing chafing underwear made of potato sacks,walking with her shoes on the wrong feet, and allowing

herself to go to the bathroom at sunrise and sunsetonly, Pauline rejects material comfort.


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Continued

When I woke I released myself, and then

broke the ice on the buckets. I used my hand

and no spoon. I drank only hot water, took the

thinnest of bread cutsI put burrs in the

armpits of dressI let my toenails grow until it

ached to walk again and each step reminded

me of His tread on the path to Calvary. (152)


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Kurtz v. Pauline


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Both characters are unstable

Yes, I know, I said with something like

despair in my heart, but bowing my head

before the faith that was in her, before the

great and saving illusion that shone with an

unearthly glow in the darkness (Conrad 181).

I tried to stop myself from remembering

what it was like to have companions, to havemy mother and sister around me (Edrich 15).


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Both characters are desperate

It was a distant glimpse: the dugout, four

paddling savages, and the lone white man

turning his back suddenly on the

headquarters, on relief, on thoughts of home

(Conrad 110).

I wanted to be like my mother, who showed

her half-white. I wanted to be like mygrandfather, pure Canadian (Erdrich 14).


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Both characters are obsessed with

materialistic wealth

"You should have heard him say, 'My ivory.'

Oh, yes, I heard him. 'My Intended, my ivory,

my station, my river, my ' everything

belonged to him (Conrad 172).

I became devious and holy, dangerously

meek and mild (Edrich 69).


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Both lives result in failure

Mistah Kurtz - he dead (Conrad 190).

Predictable shapes, these martyrdoms. Minetook another form (Erdrich 152).


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Authors Intent

Uses Kurtzs character to demonstrate the

vulnerability to even the strong-minded to

succumbing to material wealth and darkness

Uses Paulines character to present the torn

Native American culture. The Native

Americans were similarly unstable and

desperate causing them to sell their lands formaterial goods.


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Bibliography

1. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness.

Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England:

Penguin, 1994. Print.

2. Erdrich, Louise. Tracks a Novel. New York:

HarperFlamingo, 1998. Print.

heart of darkness - materialism

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