An Analysis of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad's early years were rather unpleasant, but he prevailed and became a prolific writer of English fiction. Joseph Conrad was born as Jozkef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski to a Polish family in a Ukrainian province on December 3, 1857 (Heart of Darkness). When Joseph Conrad was only three years old, his father was arrested on charges of revolutionary affiliation. At the age of eight, Conrad watched his mother die of tuberculosis. Her death was followed by that of her husband when Conrad was just twelve years old. He became an orphan and was taken in by his father's uncle. Under his uncle's care, he was introduced to a lifestyle at odds with his father's revolutionary ideals. Conrad was indoctrinated with conservative ideals. He was torn between his father's teachings and his uncle's, but from his uncle's teachings he made a very important decision. He decided he didn't like the Christian religion. He disliked any dogmatic belief that separated men and women because of race, nationality, or religion. In 1874 Conrad became a sailor, fascinated by the sea. He sailed to many places, especially in Africa and Asia, first as a sailor and then as a captain (British Humanist Association). During his travels he witnessed the divisions caused by religious beliefs and dogmatic attitudes in the numerous countries he visited (British Humanist Association). Conrad's childhood, humanist outlook, and experiences at sea influenced all of his great writings. His trip to the Congo in 1890 influenced his most famous novel, Heart of Darkness. During his visit to Congo he witnessed the corruption that was rampant under the rule of King Leopold II. He captured his experiences and created an image...... middle of paper...... own about imperialism. Without being completely obvious, Conrad suggests the regime of King Leopold II in the Congo. Conrad's characters reveal the hypocrisy and madness caused by the imperialism he witnessed in the Congo. They reveal the different types of rulers in imperial power and suggest that both rulers, by suppressing the natives of the other country, are participating in evil. Conrad's novel is not only a narrative of Marlow's experience, but also of his direct experience with imperialism. humanis/joseph-conrad/, 15 April 2014. Heart of Darkness, biography of Joseph Conrad, loki.stokton.edu/~kinsellt/projects/hod/bio.html, 15 April 2014. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1990. April 16, 2014.