Heart of darkness post 5

"'Do you call [the ivory trade] unsound method?' 'Without a doubt' he exclaimed. 'Don't you?' 'No method at all,' I murmured" (Conrad 143).

Throughout the book, Conrad eludes to the incompetence of the ivory trade and the imperialist regime. The communication between leaders is terrible, the workers blow up cliffs for railroads unnecessarily, and the regime doesn't provide the materials needed for the English imperialistic endeavors. When Marlow is aquianted with the "flabby red eyed devil", he is learning the devil of incompetence. By saying that the ivory trade has "no method at all" Marlow is relating this lack of structure and method to the entire imperialist movement.

In the book, Conrad uses this blatant lack of plan to mask the moral pitfalls of imperialism. He condemns Imperialism, not because it destroys native culture and kills innocent people, but because it is unorganized, wasteful, and thus futile. He mourns the loss of English lives, time, and materials. The loss of natural materials (such as ivory) are what Conrad emphasizes in his book as the most tragic casualty of Imperialism.