Social Inequality In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

Marxism sees society as being corrupted and divided into two classes; the rich or the bourgeoisie (the white men) who exploit the less powerful class; the poor natives (the Africans). This injustice and exploitation are illustrated in Conrad’s novella mentioning the atrocities of the Western imperialism as in the first part of the story when Marlow recounts what he saw as he traveled to the Congo River “I [Marlow] could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope, each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking” . It clearly depicts how the natives as the inferior class are at the mercy of the capitalist class which is represented by director of the companies.

According to Marlow, the Capitalist system, which generates social inequality, is nothing but “great demoralization of land” (Conrad 24). The rich becomes richer and the poor becomes poorer.

Hillis Miller in his article “A Deconstructive Perspective” explains that a parable is a true story, but the narrator also “unveils that which has never been seen or known before” . When Miller talks about the importance of seeing, he means by that the importance of understanding the truth. However, reading Heart of Darkness does not only require seeing but also to be more than a passive reader. Indeed, he has to see actively and to try to grab and to understand what is under the surface. In addition, he argues that “if you can understand the parable, you do not need it. If you need it you cannot possibly understand it” . He sees the story of Heart of Darkness as an ironic parable. It explores the darkness of humanity, yet it is quite ironic in the sense that if the reader does not already know about it, he will not understand and he will not get the message. On the other hand, if the reader is aware of this darkness, the story is then completely pointless since it does not provide any new