Patriotic? The word empire, has become a word much too glorified. A word that many times is paralleled to "King and Country," but far too many times have these Sir Francis Drakes forgotten their principles and gone to conquest a name for themselves. The word; nation is lost and the highest bidder comes into plain view. Mercenaries.
One cannot help asking as the novel runs deeper into Africa, the true meaning of glory. "He was the only man of us who still followed the sea..." Marlow is the first to question the significance of imperialism. As he furthers into the Congo, and hears the stories of: money, ivory, and Mr. Kurtz. The connotation of glory and light starts to quickly fade away. "ELDORADO EXPLORING EXPEDITION..." suffices in expressing what this "nurturing of less privileged peoples" in Africa was all about: money. This idea of: money, foreigners, and Man-of-Wars, created a comparison to what Conrad is trying to express; BlackWater.
Even though Marlow doesn't seem to be a cold-blooded "conquistador," his whole situation of being English, working for a Belgian Company in Africa, creates an image of a Mercenary. He may not be committing the atrocities but his companions are. A "Soldier of Fortune" is the image that is created in my mind when these imperialistic descriptions are narrated. “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it." Mercenaries are often described as nationless, men living in exile. Men who have given up the nationalistic sentiments that lie in fighting for your country by selling themselves to the highest bidder. In addition, the map that illustrated the "proportions and disproportions" of Africa shows that not only King Leopold was enforcing his self-interests with foreign forces.
As Part One comes to a close, Her Majesty´s Empire seems to be not so majestic after all. And the reader is left wondering whether or not; God should save the Queen?
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