Why exactly are the Europeans described as pilgrims so many times and the Africans as savages in Heart of Darkness?

Answer

Well, one reason is that it was a common European perception at the time. Much like the "pioneers" or "settlers" who first came to America... they fought "savages" as well. We as a human population tend to dehumanize anyone we want to conquer or abuse, so that we can justify the actions somehow. It is okay to take someone's land and way of life if they are uncivilized and more like animals that humans... that's the idea.

Also, the author wants to say something about this clash between races and civilizations... he wants us to feel a certain way about the characters that we encounter. Depending on how the labels are applied and how he writes his characters, we learn to love or hate the characters, and place blame for the events that happen in the book. The author guides our perceptions by the language he chooses. It doesn't mean that the author thinks of Europeans as pilgrims and the Africans as savages, but that he wants us to think about those interactions and those labels, and consider that bias as we decide what we think about the characters.

First answer by Zanbabe. Last edit by Zanbabe. Contributor trust: 583 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 18 [recommend question]