Part one of Heart of Darkness includes several contradictions in the instances of the sailors and the county's imperialism. The narrator describes Marlow as a seaman and a wander. Unlike most seamen who travel but maintain stationary minds, Marlow pursues with an adventurous spirit and is willing to discover distant lands. It is ironic that the narrator describes seamen as leading sedentary lives even though their job is to travel to foreign locations and brave unpredictable waters. The uncommon mindset of Marlow suggests that his pint of view may differ from what is expected of a person of his background.
Imperialism continues the contradictions in its motives compared to its outcome. The justification of taking control of another country was that their influence would improve and industrialize the developing country. The reality of the situation is that the native people of these countries, instead of being helped, faced severe oppression and violence. The irony in Heart of Darkness, present in both major and minor elements, alters the perspective in which the readers interpret the story and skew the point of view from which the characters tell it.
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