“And I remember I confounded the beat of the drum with the
beating of my heart, and was pleased at its calm regularity” (142).
This quote demonstrates
the hypocrisy of imperialism and slightly hints to the tacit racism of the
book. The beat of the drum refers to the ceremony the natives are having. The
drum is a symbol of the African’s culture. They use instruments and songs to
express their thoughts and feelings. The Africans take pride in their
traditions and play their drums with delight. This entire book revolves around
the imperialism of the native people by the Europeans. The Europeans are seen
as “god-like” to the natives and possess a strong power over them. In this
quote, the aspect of power is flipped on Marlow. He is used to having power
over the natives, but now the natives’ instruments have power over him. The
instruments’ rhythm put Marlow in a trance to the point where he cannot decipher
between the beat of the drum and the beat of his heart. This change of power displays
the intricate theory of imperialism and the sudden modifications that go along
with it. Marlow then continues, saying that he “was pleased at [the beat of the
drum’s] calm regularity.” This indirectly implies that he originally thought
that the beat of the drum did not sound regular. He had preconceived thoughts
of the African culture coming into this exploration. Marlow’s ignorance of a
new culture guarded him of an open mind.
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