The Importance of Professionalism in the Heart of Darkness and Secrecy SharerA reader would be hard-pressed not to see Conrad's "Tales of the Sea" as representations of imperialism. The adventurous maritime life for which Conrad is most famous drew on the strong European merchant navy, which was the vehicle for the great colonial empires of the late 19th century. And, as Conrad states, the European colonial enterprise was not motivated by humanistic impulses but by the pursuit of profits for exotic products, in Lord Jim for pepper or in Heart of Darkness for ivory. While early criticism of Conrad focused more on literary issues, such as Conrad's impressionism or the journeys of his flawed heroes, contemporary criticism draws heavily on this historical context, questioning whether Conrad is critical or supportive to imperialism, and whether it resists or reproduces the racial prejudices implicit in it. However, while the general historical context of imperialism is essential to understanding Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer, there is a more specific context that decisively informs them and which has rarely been commented on: professionalism. The ideology of modern professionalism helps explain the motivations, actions, behaviors, judgments, and loyalties of Conrad's main characters. Characters Conrad favors most: Marlow and those with whom Marlow identifies, such as the anonymous listeners on the deck of the Nellie and some of the agents he meets during his journey in Heart of Darkness, and the narrator's double in The Secret. Sharer – are crucially considered as professionals. They recognize each other in their adherence to a professional code of c......middle of paper......Capital. Ed. Pat Walker. Boston: South End P, 1979. 5-45. Glenn, Ian. “Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.” Literature and History 13 (1987): 238-56. Johnson, Terence. “Professions in Class Structure.” Case 93-110.Larson, Magali Sarfatti. The rise of professionalism: a sociological analysis. Berkeley: U of California P, 1977. Macdonald, Keith M. The sociology of professions. London: Sage, 1995. Parry, Noel and José. “Social closure and collective social mobility.” Scase 111-21. Scase, Richard, ed. Industrial society: class, divide and control. New York: St. Martin's, 1977. Watt, Ian. Conrad in the 19th century. Berkeley: University of California P, 1979. Williams, Jeffrey. “Narrative Appeal (Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim).” Theory and the novel: narrative reflexivity in the British tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1998. 146-83.