Patriotism vs. Imperialism

British Empire “They were no colonists; and their administration was merely a squeeze, and nothing more, I suspect. They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force—nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others... The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only (69-70).” This passage serves to portray Marlow’s steadfast critique of Britain’s colonialism, which contrasts strongly against the opinions of the rest of the men, who were proud of the fact that their country ruled over much of Earth. Marlow basically explains that Britain’s imperialistic nature is both obnoxious and cruel, for it simply is a play benefitting off of Britain’s luck, as well as the weakness of others. While the idea of colonizing people whom they believe to be “savage” seems wholesome and perhaps even helpful, Marlow suggests that, in reality, the act is quite terrible and unwarranted. Marlow’s crewmates, however, are so disenchanted by Marlow’s point of view that they barely listen. The other men do not even grunt in protest of Marlow, but seem to simply tune out and offer no response whatsoever. Interestingly, this shows that the basic attitude of the British Empire at the time was to ignore any criticisms; the British were so sure of their superiority that anything or anyone begging to differ was not worth their time. Overall, much of this book has to deal with the idea of patriotism, and if the love for ones country or “place” is so strong that we believe our “place” to be better than others. Marlow understands, even at a time during which anti-colonialism seems ungodly, that it is unfair for one country to take the privilege of conquering another. Because Marlow’s thoughts went against the norm of his time, he was exploring mentally, while other men simply explored geographically. Because much of the book was a portrayal of these men and their thoughts, rather than the act of colonizing, the story was more about intellectual travel than physical. Although Conrad makes Marlow out to seem a little silly, he seems to side with his open-mindedness toward change in opposition to the perhaps overly patriotic crewmates.