Bolstered first by Brexit, now the political success of Donald Trump, far-right populist parties within the U.S. and internationally have ridden the boom of nationalist and isolationist sentiment to growing popularity. The influence of Trump's 2016 campaign - which saw the electoral victory of a President-elect who espoused racist, misogynistic, and xenophobic sentiment - has seemingly emboldened those who share these same views in the public sphere. Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch far-right Freedom Party, for instance, stated in response to yesterdays inauguration, "Yesterday, a free America, today Koblenz, and tomorrow a new Europe" in hopes that his party and others in the far-right would similarly reject European Union (Reuters). The far-right appeal of isolationism in response to globalization, which is perceived as a contributor to economic strife and terrorism, has rapidly taken the stage of public politics in part due to Trump's successes.
This is, I think, a great irony that former colonizers (who, arguably, through processes of globalization, still economically colonize developing nations) are now attempting to retreat from the consequences of global interventionism and capitalist exploitation. In connection to Conrad's Heart of Darkness, it could be argued that Marlowe, upon his return to Britain, is also haunted by his experience within the Congo and attempts to escape this world of globalization that he, once optimistic, had entered. In class, we discussed the meaning of Marlowe's lie to Kurtz's intended; in the context of current trends of global isolationism, this could be read as an attempt to 'undo' the guilt and horrors that Marlowe is now burdened by. Having returned to Britain and reentered a public that is not yet globalized, Marlowe's lie that Kurtz had called his fiancée's name reasserts the romantic and idealized notions of globalization and exploration that Marlowe initially held before departing Britain and before meeting Kurtz.
Of course, there is also always the implication that any attempt Marlowe makes to remove his connections to the Congo would be futile; he still carries a deep disdain for the unaware public, and the end of the novel is so abrupt as to not leave us with a stronger conclusion than this. However, I think that given these current trends within the U.S. and those most influenced by its policies, it's not impossible to see Marlowe as a similar desire to enter global withdrawal.
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