"What redeems it is the idea alone. An idea behind it; not a sentimental fiction but an idea.""Those who read me know my belief that the world, the temperate world is based, in particular, on the idea of ​​Fidelity." This is a recurring theme in most of Conrad's books. As a sailor he learned that to survive, each member of the crew did the job he was assigned, and that the survival of the ship, and therefore of the community, depended on each man doing his duty. The Heart of Darkness can be read as a political critique of Western imperialism exercised by the Belgians, who more or less raped the Congo of its resources, brutalizing the country's population and making them slaves to unbridled political avarice. peak, and Britain controlled colonies and dependencies across the planet. The popular saying that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" was literally true. The main topic of Heart of Darkness is imperialism, the policy of a nation to exert influence over other areas through military, political, and economic coercion. The first narrator expresses the traditional belief that imperialism is a glorious and worthy enterprise. Indeed, in Conrad's time, "empire" was one of the central values ​​of British subjects, the fundamental term through which Britain defined its identity and purpose. From the moment Marlow opens his mouth, he distinguishes himself from his fellow travelers by evoking a past in which Britain was not the heart of civilization but the savage "end of the world". Marlow continues to talk about the ancient times when the Romans came and brought the light, which even now constantly flickers. He says that those people were not colonis... middle of paper ......ained, i.e. ivory." Tearing treasures from the bowels of the earth was their desire, with no longer any moral purpose in it. Behind it is then the fact that thieves break into a safe. "They are common thieves and criminals who pose as prophets and messengers of enlightenment. A moral purpose would have redeemed them, but they don't even have that to fall back on. For Marlow, the end justifies the means. He does not condemn the cannibals, because they were dedicated to their work. "They were men who could be worked with, and I am grateful to them." The Europeans, however, were not dedicated, thus falling to a lower level than even cannibals. These faithless pilgrims could not hope for any salvation. What they wanted was an idea and a deliberate belief: "An unselfish faith in the idea - something you can set up, before which you can bow and offer a sacrifice"…"