Heart of Darkness
Betrayal is an important theme in Joseph Conrad's the Heart of Darkness, and it is one of the most important themes in the book. Both Marlow and Kurtz betray each other, and show the consequences of betrayal on each other.
Betrayal is a regular theme in Conrad's writing, as this critic says: "Conrad's thematics of coercion, isolation, and betrayal; the complicated relations among author, narrator, and character" (Wollaeger xiv). Betrayal causes anger, disappointment, and misunderstanding, and Kurtz' betrayal of himself, and the natives create all of these things.
Kurtz betrayed the other white men in the Congo when he disappeared and lived with the natives. He betrayed Marlow when he was not the man Marlow thought he was, and Marlow betrayed him when he realized that to take Kurtz' side, or the side of the manager against Kurtz, was really to betray his own dreams and illusions. Marlow says in the book: "But then, you see, I can't choose. He won't be forgotten. Whatever he was, he was not common" (Conrad 46). Marlow cannot choose between right and wrong, and this is because Kurtz is powerful and charming, even as he betrays the people around him.
Betrayal is also an important theme because it shows how the British government betrayed the natives of the Congo when they took over the country. Conrad is showing how the British abused and killed the natives, and treated them like animals, betraying their trust, and stealing their valuable resources. So, while the characters betray each other in the novel, the bigger theme is the betrayal of Imperialism like England practiced, and how it destroyed, people countries, and the continent of Africa.
In conclusion, betrayal is a continual theme in Heart of Darkness, and Conrad's use of this theme adds more depth to the novel, and shows how betrayal can affect many people, just as it did in this novel.
References
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Dover Publications, 1990.
Feder, Lillian. "Marlow's Descent into Hell." The Art of Joseph Conrad: A Critical Symposium. Ed. Stallman, R.W. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 1960. 162-170.
Guaerard, Albert J. Conrad the Novelist. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1958.
Orr, Leonard and Theodore Billy, eds. A Joseph Conrad Companion. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.
Wollaeger, Mark A. Joseph Conrad and the Fictions of Skepticism. Stanford, CA: Stanford University, 1990.
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