Ambivalence of Imperial Discourse in Conrad's Works

Costaguana and the Congo River were peripheral sources of wealth to the imperial powers of the center. In his two masterpieces, Heart of Darkness and Nostromo, Conrad could portray the ambivalence of the imperial discourse. Being a source of both fear and wealth, the native lands of Latin America and Africa were artistically represented by Joseph Conrad to show that the periphery, though weak and savage, was considered as pure and wealthy. It is this epitomization of the double talk that made Conrad as both a cherisher and critic of imperialism.