Final answer:
In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the Company's members, portrayed as European traders, interact with the African natives in a superior and exploitative manner, reflecting the colonial mindset and practices of the era.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, in which Marlow first hears about Kurtz and how the members of the company interact with the natives. Marlow was a steamboat captain for the Company and his curiosity about Kurtz grows after hearing numerous accounts of his charisma and influence. The Company members, who are European traders and explorers, interact with the African natives through a lens of exploitation and superiority. This ultimately leads to demeaning treatment, and the natives are often regarded as tools for achieving economic gains rather than as equal human beings. Conrad's novel delves into the dark realities of colonialism and the implications it had on the humanity of all involved.
Heart of Darkness, being a literary work set during the colonial era, presents complex relationships between the Europeans and the natives. The European characters, complicit in the abuses of colonial authority, primarily regard the natives as subjugated labor. The interactions depicted are a reflection of the prevalent colonial attitudes of the time and serve as a critique of the inhumanity and moral ambiguities that characterized European imperialism.