The Chaos of Imperialism

The time period surrounding the Belgian occupation of Congo has an abundance of racism, poverty, death, and corruption. Robert Hayden, in an anecdote demonstrated by Marlow, displays these characteristics through careful observations of the chaos that is created by imperialistic policies. Shortly following Marlow’s description of his first day off the boat in Congo, his observations become reminiscent of what Robert Hayden believes to be the corruption of imperialism: “This was the place where some of the helpers had withdrawn to die […] they were dying slowly  […] nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation” (83). According to the Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885, the distribution of African lands among the European powers was granted to enforce prosperity on both states. The observations of Marlow show the exact opposite. Robert Hayden is conveying the message that imperialism is corrupt and chaotic, where the very people its principles are trying to protect are actually slowly killing them. The motif of observation coincides with the theme of imperialism as an absurdity in that it describes maltreatment and poverty of these African nations. The chaos of imperialism further validates the very hypocrisy of the concept; the observations point to the clear sense that more harm is being done than good in these African settlements.