Depiction of Africa in Heart of Darkness
Chinua Achebe believes that Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness is
racist based on Conrad's descriptions of Africa and it's people. Achebe,
author of Things Fall Apart, stresses Conrad's depiction of Africa as the
antithesis of Europe and civilization, and the animal imagery present
throughout the novella.
Heart of Darkness, written in 1899 during the period of British
Imperialism, concerns a British trading company and their expedition into
the Congo for ivory. The African natives are treated brutally by the
Europeans, and despite Conrad's casual condescension towards the Africans,
one cannot help feeling resentment at the unnecessary cruelty they must
endure. The novella stands as a document against the imperialist practices
-- Conrad was quite liberal for the time.
The natives are referred to as "savages" several times throughout
the story, but Conrad is not using any particularly strong words for the
time. The European audiences who would be reading would not find anything
racist about it. By today's more sensitive standards, such deference is
more serious, but turn-of-the-century England was sure to expect far
harsher. Educated people reading Conrad's novel should understand the
differences between the past and the present, and be forgiving of his
language.
The deeper the expedition progressed into the center of the
continent, the more isolation was felt by the crew. In a sense, Central
Africa IS the antithesis of Western Europe -- it lacks not only the hectic
urban structures but also the Social Darwinist attitudes of the time. It
is in this remote environment that man must face his true self without any
illusions, and the darkness of the human soul is apparent. The uncivilized
environment may mock western civilization's refinement, but this is not
derogatory towards the jungle, but rather an eye-opener to the European
audience.
By exhibiting the deeds of the Europeans, their portrayal becomes
so negative that they become the savages. Conrad clearly is sympathetic to
the plight of the Africans, and any racial epithets, if not accepted by
progressives of the time, are not meant as attacks directed at the natives.
It should be obvious that Conrad is on their side -- or is this
"undermined by the mindlessness of its context and the pretty explicit
animal imagery surrounding it"? I think not. Conrad's animal imagery is
used as a metaphor for the human spiritual being, not as a comparison to
the natives.
Heart of Darkness is not intended to be a portrait of the African
people at all. It is a story of what was inflicted upon them. It is a
story of man's introspective into himself when there is nowhere else to
turn. It is a story of an obsessed man named Kurtz and what he did for his
own gain. It is a strikingly accurate account of a historical period past,
and it should not be regarded today as a hateful spew of racism.
Partner sites: Pitbull dog, Study Spanish in Ecuador, and Free Essays and Term Papers