Civilized Criminals

“ And this was the place where some of the helpers had withdrawn to die. They were dying slowly - it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now, - nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom.” (Pg. 22)

This quotation is taken from ‘Heart of Darkness’ in which the protagonist Marlow has just reached the Company’s first station and has noticed the terrible conditions in which the slaves are living. He has come across an open area of land where the slaves who have been overworked, starved, and beaten to the point where they are no longer useful, are allowed to withdraw and die. This quote is significant because it is one of Marlow’s first impressions of the African Ivory Trade. Furthermore this quotation reveals the irony behind the traders who call the slaves ‘criminals’ or ‘enemies’, and then treat these people in a manner which would be considered criminal itself. These traders have come over from Europe claiming they are able tame the wild of the Congo and civilize its people, when in actual fact they are destroying the Congo and exploiting it’s people. With descriptions and impressions like this from Marlow, the reader is quick to question who the real criminals are and if anyone can honestly be considered ‘civilized’.