"

Hear
tofDar
knessasaPost
-Col
oni
alSt
udy
"
"
Iti
spar
tofmor
ali
tynottobeathomei
none'
shome.
-EdwardSai
d"
Post colonialli
teratureconsi stspr edomi nantlyofwor kswr itt
enov er
thel astfewdecades, t
her ear estil
lmanydi scussi onsconcer ningt he
status ofaut hors who wr ote att he t urn oft he 19t h and 20t h
cent uri
es.Oft hese,oneoft hemostf requent lydi scussed i s,of
cour se,JosephConr ad,whom mostcont empor ar yschol arsseeas
beingoneoft hef i
rstpost col onialwr it
ers— someonewhocr iti
cized
the somet i
mes r uthl ess and poi ntless col oni al expansi on of
Europeanempi resandt heconceptoft heWhi t
eMansBur den.The
wor kswhi chat tr
actpar ti
cul arat tenti
onar e,ofcour se,thosewhi ch
rel
at etoConr adsAf ricanexper i
ence:AnOut postofPr ogressandt he
excel l
ent,albeitover expl oitednov elaHear
l tofDar kness.Thepl otof
Hear tofDar knessi swel lknownandt herei snoneedt opr ovidea
summar yhere.Itmaybeusef ul,howev er ,t
odi scussaf ewi mpor tant
i
ssueswhi chappeari nmosti nterpretations.Thef i
rstoft hesei st he
veryt it
leoft henov ella.Themet aphorhear tofdar knessnotonl y
suggest st hatAf ricai si magi nedt obeabeni ght ed,primitiveand
i
solat edBl ackCont inent ,butr eferstot hear chety palev ilt
hati slatent
i
n ev ery human bei ng.The dar kness her er ef erst ot hati nside
darknessoft hesocal l
edci vil
izedhumanbei ngs.
Thet i
tl
ei salsoani roni ccommentonaspeechmadei n1876byKi ng
Leopol d, whopr oclaimedt heneedt o

pi
ercet
hedar
knessenshr
oudi
ngent
ir
epopul
ati
ons.

As regar
ds the mot i
foft he jour
ney
,mostschol ar
s agree t
hat
Conradsnovel
lai
snotonl yanaccountofMarlowsexpediti
onupt he
ri
verCongo,buti
sal soaj ourneybackinti
met oplacesthatar
est i
l
l
rul
edbythemy ster
iousf orcesofnatur
e(Marlowsdigressi
onont he
RomanconquestofBr i
tainisv er
yimport
anthere)
,aswel lasbeing
thej ourneyofaEur opeani nsidehi
sownmi nd.I nthecaseofKur t
z,
thej ourneyendswhenher eachesthelayersofmonst r
osit
yt hathav e
beensuppr essedbyhi scivil
isedEuropeansuper egoandar er eleased
byt hewi ld,overwhel mingpowerofnat ure.Marlowf orhispartt ravels
upt hesnakel iker i
verinaquestf orhist r
uesel f.Tempt edbyt his
snake,Conr adspr otagonistcondemnshi mselftoself-exi
le,ast her
e
i
snor eturnfrom t heheartofdar kness—i ntowhi chhei sgoi ng—t o
an ont ol
ogically stable wor l
d wit
hi ncontrovert
ibl
ev al
ues and a
clearlydef i
nedi dentit
y.
Inhispaper ,Achebesay sthatwhenConr adwr oteHeartofDar kness,
hemockedAf ri
canlandscapesaswel lasAf ri
canpeopl e

I
nConr
adsnov
ell
a— accor
dingt
otheNi
ger
iancr
it
ic,

t
heAfri
canlandofhi
sbir
thbecomesadi ff
erent
,al
ienwor
ld— t
he
ant
it
hesisofEur
opeanci
vil
isati
on— apr i
miti
veandbrut
alpl
ace
wher
eprimor
dialinst
inct
srei
gnsupreme.

Thest
orybeginsonthesi lentRi
v erThameswhich,asConr
adwr i
tes,
sobeenoneoft
hasal hedar kplacesoftheearth.Soonaft
erwards,
howev
er,thereaderi
st akentothedi st
antRi
verCongo — oneofthe
dar
kplacesofthoseti
mes:

Goingupthatriverwasl
iketravell
ingbacktot heearl
iestbegi
nnings
oftheworld,
whenveget at
ionriotedont heearthandt hebi
gtrees
wer eki
ngs.Anempt ystr
eam, agreatsil
ence,animpenetrabl
e
f
orest

Ananaly si
soft heexper i
encethatMarlow gainsdur i
nghisj our
ney
suggeststhatther eal
i
tyofAf r
icahasleftanindelibl
eimprintonhis
psyche.Theprobl em thatAchebewishest ohi ghl
ightisthatinthe
soulsofwhi tement heBlackCont i
nentand i tsprimaevalwor l
d
rel
easet heevi
lt hathasbeensuppr essedbyEur opeancultureand
civ
il
isat
ion:
 Itr
iedt obr eakthespell— t heheavy ,mutespel loft
hewi l
derness
—t hatseemedt odrawhi mt oitspit
ilessbreastbytheawakeni ng
off orgottenandbr ut
alinsti
nct s,
byt hememor yofgrati
fi
edand
monst rouspassions.Thi salone,Iwasconvi nced,haddrivenhim
outtot heedgeoft heforest,t
ot hebush, t
owar dsthegleam offires,
thet hrobofdr ums,thedr oneofwei rdincantati
ons;thi
salonehad
beguiledhisunlawfulsoulbey ondt heboundsofper mi t
ted
aspirat
ions.

AsCar
ylPhi
ll
ipsobser
vesi
nhi
sar
ti
cleent
it
ledOutofAf
ri
ca:

I
tiswhenAchebeturnstoConr adstreatmentofAfri
canhumanity
thatheismostdisparagi
ngofConr adsvisi
on.Hequot esf
rom the
momentinthenovelwhent heEuropeansont hesteamerencounter
real-
li
feAfr
icansint hef
lesh

AsConr adwr otei nHeartofDar kness:

Theear thseemedunear thl
y .Wear eaccust omedt ol ookupont he
shackl edf or m ofaconquer edmonst er,butther e— t herey oucoul d
lookatat hi
ngmonst rousandf ree.I twasunear thly,andt hemen
wer e— No, t
heywer enoti nhuman.Wel l
,youknow, thatwast he
wor stofi t— t hi
ssuspicionoft heirnotbei ngi nhuman.I twoul d
comesl owl ytoone.Theyhowl edandl eaped, andspun, andmade
horri
df aces; butwhatt hri
lledy ouwasj ustt hethoughtoft hei r
humani ty— l ikey our
s— t het houghtofy ourr emot ekinshipwi th
thiswi ldandpassi onateupr oar .Ugl y.Yes, i
twasugl yenough; buti f
youwer emanenoughy ouwoul dadmi ttoyour selfthatther ewasi n
youj ustt hef aintesttr
aceofar esponset othet erri
blef r
anknessof
t
hatnoi se, adim suspicionoft her ebei ngameani ngi nitwhi chy ou
— andy ousor emot efrom t heni ghtoff i
rstages— coul d
compr ehend.
Thesepeopl ear eugl y,— Phi llipscont i
nues — butwhati sev en
mor edistur bi
ngi sthattheyar ei nsomewayal sohuman.Ahal f-page
l
at er,Conr adf ocusesononepar ti
cularAf ri
can,who,accor dingt o
Achebe,israre,f orheisnotpr esentedasjustli
mbsorr oll
ingey es.
Thepr obl
em ist hattheAf r
icanmani s,mostdist
urbi
ngly
,noti nhis
pl
ace.Andbet weenwhi l
esIhadt olookafterthesavagewhowasa
fi
reman.Hewasani mpr ov
edspeci men;hecoul dfir
eupav ert
ical
boil
er.Hewast herebelowme, and,uponmywor d,t
olookathi m was
asedifyi
ngasseei ngadogi napar odyofbreechesandaf eatherhat,
walki
ngonhi shi ndlegs.
Phil
li
psnotest hat

Thosecrit
icswhohavedefendedHear tofDarknessagai
nstcharges
ofraci
sm haveof
tenpoi
ntedtobot hthemet hodol
ogyofnarrat
ion
andConradsanti
-colonialpur
pose.

TheDest ructionofCol onoiali

sm bywesti soneoft hecent ralissues
discussedi nConr adsunf orgettablenov ell
aHear tofDar kness,i tis
i
nt erestingt onot et hatt hiswor k,whi chhasbeenment i
onedand
referredt osomanyt imesbypost coloni alcri
tics,st i
llev okesagr eat
deal ofcont rov ersy.
Conr adexposescol onial
ismshi ddenpur pose, whi chwasr obbi ngt he
nat i
vesoft heirr esourcesandt hereby ,treati
ngt hem i nhumanl y.On
theot herhand,hedepi ctst hecol oniser smi ser yfrom bei ngi na
foreignandunwel comeenv i
ronmentwher ehor ribletreat ment swer e
commi t
ted and al so met .ForConr ad,bey ond i t
si niti
ali nt ents,
colonisat ion can onl y br ng t
i he hor ror! v ictimizing bot ht he
coloniserandt hecol onised.I tcanbear guedt hatt heamountof
drawbackst heoppr essorandt heoppr essedf acewer enott hesame.
Howev er ,int heend,bot hdosuf fer
.Inf act,Conr adsper spect iveon
colonisat ioni st hatnobodyescapesf r
om i tsappal li
ngconsequences;
thecol oniserandt hecol onisedmeett hesamedemi ses.Hear tof
Dar knessexposest heoppr essorsandt heoppr essedasv i
ctimsof
colonisat ion,l eadingConr adt oquest i
onwhet hercol oni sationhas
anyadv ant ages.Theanswert oConr adcer t
ainlyl ingersi nt hev iewof
colonisat ionasanecessar yev i
l.ButforMar lowandal lt hev ictimsi n
Hear tofDar knesscol onisation,andespeci allyi tseffect swi llremai n
thef asci nat ionoft heabomi nat ion
Mar low t alksaboutt hef util
ityofEur opeancol oni ali
sm.Sai dput s
forwar dthat :
"Thewhol epoi ntofwhatKur tzandMar lowt alkabouti sinfact
i
mper ialmast ery ,whi teEur opeansoverbl ackAf ricans, andt heir
ivor y,civilizat ionovert hepr imi tivedar kcont inent "
ForConr ad,col oni sat ionmakest heWhi teset tlersi ndol ent ,i
trev eal s
theirweakness,puf fingt hem upwi t
ht hev ani tyofbei ngWhi teona
sav agedandconquer edl and; ital sof or ti
fiest hei ntol erablehy pocr i
sy
wi t
h whi ch t hey ,i n gener al,hi de t hei r egot isticalendeav our s.
Coloni sat ioncausest hecol oni ser st ohat eandbr ingoutt heev ilfrom
wi t
hint hem.Theappear anceoft heCompany schi efaccount ant:
highst archedcol lar, whi t
ecuf fs,al ightal pacaj acket ..
.undera
green- l
inedpar asol
whi l
ear oundhi m ev er ythingel sei schaot i
candpeopl ear edy i
ng, can
onlybev alidat edasanexampl eoft heWhi tesv ani ty,egocent ri
sm,
megal omani a,i ndif ference,and hat red.Thi shat r
ed i sev en mor e
ev i
dentwhent heaccount antt ellsMar lowt hat
onecomest ohat et hosesavages. ..
todeat h
Anot heraspectoft hewi l
dsi deofcol oni sat i
onont hecol oniseri s
greed.Gr eed,sy mbol i
zed t owar dt he expl oitation oft he nat ives
resour ces,l edt heWhi test oengagei ni nhumanact s,per petrating
awf ul crimes.Tot hi sef fectMar lownot i
ces,
Theconquestoft heear th..
.isnotapr et tyt hingwheny oul ookint oi t
toomuch
butpr obabl yint henameofpr ofit, therewer enoscr upl es.
Conr ad f inal l
y exposes t he i dea t hatcol oni sat i
on dr amat i
cal ly
transf ormed t he set tlers,maki ng t hem di ffer entf rom whatt hey
i
ni t
iallywer e.Mar low whosai dt obeappal ledbyl i
esbecausei t,
makes[ him]mi serabl eandsi ck
i
sf or cedt ol iet oKur tzswi fe.Ev ent houghi tcoul dbear guedt hathe
l
iedf oragoodr eason,t hef actst i
llr emai ns:hebecamewhathe
hates,al iar.I tcanbesai dt hatapar tofMar low di edi nAf rica
becauseoft heef fectofcol oni alism.Kur tzst ransf or mat ioni sev en
mor et ragi c.Pr evi
ousl yanal truistandgood- i
nt ent ioned- per son,he
nowf eel st heneedt oext ermi nat eal lthebr utes
Intheend,hebecomesment allyinst abl eanddi esi nasav agel and,
haunt edbywhathehel pedi nst all,thehor ror !
ThisshowshowKur tzhi msel fbecamet hev ictim oft hedest ruction
ofCol oni al i
sm.
Mar low sees f ir
sthand t he col dt ruth ofcol oni zat ion:phy sicall
y
wast ed wor ker s oper ating i n depl or able condi ti
ons,backst abbi ng
co-wor ker sj ockey ing f ort he mostpr ofitand r ecogni tion,and a
coloni zedpeopl eliteral lybei ngshackl ed. I t
'sasi ft hecompanyi sa
steamr ollerpl owing t hrough t he j ungl e,f l
at teni ng any thing and
any onet hathappenst obei ntheway ,all,ofcour se,i nt henameof
profit.
Bookerst at est hat:
"Conr ad'sChar l
ieMar lowi sopenl ycr iti
calofmuchoft heEur opean
act ivityt hatheobser vesi nAf rica, especi allyoft hebr ut alt reatment
oft hemanyoft heAf r i
cansbyt heirEur opeanmast er s.
"
Conr adwr iteswi thEngl ishr eader si nmi ndanddoesnotl ett he
nativ es speak,howev ert hei rsi lence can be i nter pr eted assi l
ent
defianceagai nstt heEur opeancol oni al
ism si nceMar l
ow doesnot
regar dt henat ivesassav ageunl iket raditi
onalcol oni zer sandont he
cont rar yhei sangr ywi thKur t
zduet ohi smi streat ment sagai nstt h
nativ es.
TheManagercondemnsKur t
zf orhi s" unsound"met hods,y etinone
senseKur t zhasachi ev ed t heul ti
mat ef orm ofcol oni zat i
on:t he
nativ esact ual l
ywor shi phi m. Asar esul t
, hebr ingsi nt hemosti vory.
Ofcour se,i tisatKur tz'sst ationwher eMar lowseest hegr eat estact
ofsav ager yandhepl acementoft hedecapi t
at edheadsof" r
ebel s".
Thedest ur ctioni sal soseenatt hei nci dentof" Gr oveofDeat h"
Att hecompanyst at i
onasMar l
owdecendsdownt hehi llhehasan
encount erwi t
hagl oomypl ace-whathecal lsthe" Gr ov eofDeat h",
whichi sagr ov eamongt het reeswher eagr oupofweakdy ingnat i
ve
l
abor er sspentt heirlastmoment s.Thi sev enti ssi gni ficantbecause
Mar lowseest hehor rorandt ragedyamongt henat iv esbuthedoesnt
feeli
tsahumantr
agedytosay .Marl
owsencounterwitht
he
account
antl
etshi
minonwhati sgoi
ngonwiththecompanyand
tel
lsKur
tzasaremarkabl
eandt al
entedman.Thi
sl eadshi
mtohi
s
j
ourneyofKur
tzandhispersonaldownfal
l
.

"Iavoidedavastartif
ici
alholesomebodyhadbeendi ggingont he
slope,thepurposeofwhi chIfounditimpossi bletodi vi
ne.Itwasn't
aquar ryorasandpi t
,anyhow.Itwasj ustahol e.Itmighthavebeen
connectedwiththephilant
hropicdesireofgi vi
ngthecr iminal
s
somet hingtodo.Idon'tknow.ThenInear lyfelli
ntoaver ynarr
ow
ravi
ne,almostnomor ethanascari nt hehil
lside."

Dist
urbedbyt hi
ssight,
Mar l
owgoestowardagr oveoftr
ees,
av oi
ding
anartif
ici
alhol
e,hegoesintoaravi
ne.But,
her eachest
heshadeof
thetreesonlytodiscovert
herear
ement here,
diseasedandstarv
ing.

Int he'Gr ov eofDeat h'Conar drepresent sanexper ienceofhuman

communi on.Fi rstMar lowwasLoi teringint heshade' whichr ecall
s
Mar l
ow' si deaofl azingaboutandt hinking.Thehor roswhathesees
ther ecausehi mt omakehast etowar dsthest ati
on.Thati s,hewant s
tomov ef rom' loitering' t
ot akeuphi sposi ti
onwor king.thisisan
av oidanceofknowi ng.Mar l
owi snotwor king,andhi sexperiencein
theGr oveofDeat hcomesbef orehi smeet ingwi tht hechief
account ant ,thebr ickmaker ,andhi si deal
izedt hought saboutwor k.
Mar l
ow' sexper iencei nthe' GroveofDeat h' i
st hecauseort he
begi nningoutofwhi chal lthel at
erexper i
encesgr owandt aket hei
r
char acter .Thei deal izat i
onofwor kgr owsoutoft heneedt obesav ed
from knowi ngsuchhor rors.Mar l
owi sappal l
edbyt heghast l
y ,i
nfernal
spect acleoft hegr ov eofdeat h,whi l
et heot hercoloni al
sshowno
concer nov eritatal l.Throught hegr ov eofdeat h,Conr adalsoshows
thisi r
onybecauset hewor ker sdyingt herewer e,

"Broughtfrom allt
herecessesofthecoasti
nallthelegal
it
yofti
me
contracts,l
ostinuncongenialsurr
oundi
ngs,f
edonunf amili
arf
ood,
theysickened,becameineffi
cient
,andwerethenall
owedt ocr
awl
awayandr est
."
Hepai nt
st hem aspat het
ic,makingt hem seem nothingmor ethan
vict
imsofTPTBwhousedt hem upunt i
ltheywer enol ongerany
good,thent hrew t
hem awayl iket r
ash.Theybr oughtthesepeople
here,workedt hem wi
thinani nchoft heirl
ives,andthensaid,inal
l
thei
rwonder fulmercy
,"Oh!Okay !You'r
ef r
eenow!Enj oytherestof
yourli
fe!
"Andt hen,wi
ththeirfreedom, t
hepoorguy shadjustenough
energytocrawl of
fanddie.

ForMarlow,thegrovei
st hedar khear tofthestat
ion.Marl
owshorror
atthegrovesuggeststhatthet r
ueev ilsofthi
scolonial
enter
pri
seare
dehumanizati
onanddeat h.Al l
Mar lowcanof fert
hesedy i
ngmenar e
afewpiecesofbiscuit
,and, despitethefactthatMarlowisnot
parti
cul
arl
ytender,t
hesituationtroubleshim.

"
Glancingdown, Isawaf acenearmyhand.Thebl ackbones
recli
nedatf ul
llengthwi t
honeshoul deragainstt hetr
ee, andslowl
y
t
heey el
idsroseandt hesunkeney esl ookedupatme, enormous
andvacant ,akindofbl ind,whitefl
ickerinthedept hsoft heorbs,
whichdiedoutsl owly.Themanseemedy oung—al mostaboy —but
youknowwi ththem it
shar dtotell
.Ifoundnot hingelset odobutto
offerhim oneofmygoodSwedesshi psbiscuitsIhadi nmypocket .
Thefinger
scl osedslowl yonitandhel d—t herewasnoot her
movementandnoot herglance."

Onecr
awlst
other
ivert
odri
nk.AsMarl
owlooksaround,hereal
i
zes
t
hatt
hisi
swher
esomeoftheworker
shave"
wit
hdrawntodie.
"

"Whi
leIst
oodhor r
or-
str
uck, oneoft hesecreatur
esroset ohi
s
handsandknees,andwentoffonal l-
fourst owar
dsther i
vertodri
nk.
Helappedoutofhishand,t
hensatupi nt hesunl
ight,
crossinghi
s
shi
nsinfr
ontofhim,andafterat i
mel ethiswoollyheadf al
lonhis
br eastbone."

ThesceneofGr ov
eofDeat hintheJosephConradsnovelHeartof
Darkness,canbeviewedassymbolictothewaylar
gecorporati
ons
areabusingvul
nerableci
ti
zensofimpoveri
shednati
ons.I
nthisscene,
therear esickandex haust ednativ
es oft heCongody i
ngundera
groupoft rees.Thedar knessoft hisgr ovehelpedshadet hem from
sight,andMar low, t
hePr otagonist,
onl yreali
zesthisashewander s
undert hegr ov e.Marlowt alksofthisbyt el
lingthereader. This
i
mager yoft heCongoi squi tesymbol i
ct owhati shappeningtodayby
massi vecor por at
ions.Thesel ar
gecompani esgointoimpov eri
shed
nationsandt akeadv ant ageofbot ht hev ulnerabl
epopulationand
naturalresour ces.Theyabuset hecitizensf orwork,somet i
mesi n
danger oussi tuati
ons, andf orminuscul eamount sofpay.Gr ov
eof
Deat hshowsusal lthatwashappeni ngi nCongoatt hatti
meont he
nameofCi v i
li
zat i
on.

Conar
d'sr
epresentat
ionofGroveofDeat
hi sacontent
iouspassage.
Chi
nuaAchebedi smi hesceneas"
ssest Bleedi
ngHeartSentiments"
,
Whil
eC.BCoxar guesthatt
hesceneexpresses"Pr
ofound
Compassi
onf orthesicknegr
oes"
Chi nua Achebe,who — whi lel ect uri
ng att he Uni v ersity of
Massachuset t
si n 1975 — decl ar
ed t hatJoseph Conr ad was a
bloodyr acist.
whi chhemoder atedi nlaterpr intedv ersionst oa" thor oughgoi ng
racist"
Fur therAchebesai d:
Conr adsawandcondemnedt heevi lofi mper ialexpl oit ati
on, Acebe
conceded, "
butwasst rangelyunawar eoft her acism onwhi chi t
shar peneditsi r
ont ooth."Hear tofDar kness, hear gued, project san
imageofAf r
icaasanant i
thesisornegat ionofEur ope, ast hef oi
l
agai nstwhi chtheachi evement sofEur opeanci vil
isat ionar emade
tost andout .Mar lowr epresentsAf ri
cansasapar toft hewi lderness.
Her educest hem t ofragment edbodypar ts" li
mbsorr olli
ngey es".
Ont heot herhand, Mar lowf indst hatanAf ricanwhodoes
somet hingmor ethanmat eri
aliseoutoft he'evi ljungl e' toscar ehim
resembl es,"adogi napar odyofbr eeches"
ThePost -
Colonialappr oacht oHear tofDar knesswasdecl aredby
Chi nuaAchebei nt hesameLect urein1975.Accor di ngt ohi mt he
nov elpor t
r ayst he i mage of Af rica as t he ot her wor ld and
cont radi ctionsbet weenEur opeandAf rica.Li keananal ogueofHear t
ofDar kness,t hepost coloni alseest heni nt eent hcent ur yast heki nd
ofunexpl or edt erritoryt obedi scov er edandused.
Conr ad' snar r
ativemakesi tpossi bl ef orr eader st oanal yset het extin
twodi ffer entway s:f irst,Ital lowst hei mper aili
sm t oof fert hewor l
d
forEur opeans.Theyl eav et heirol dcol oni esbutt heypr eservet hem
notonl yasmar ket sbutal sopl aceont hemapwhi cht heycont inuet o
ruleet hical lyandpsy chol ogi cally.
Secondl y ,Conr adsaw hi msel fandMar low r estrai nedt ot imeand
place.
Int hef ictionwomenal sohast woper soni f i
cat i
ons,t heyl i
vet hei rlif
e
basedonbot ht hev ictorianandt hepostcol oni alv alues,Vi ctor i
an
reader sconsi dert hei ntendedasf emi ni ne,beaut i
f ulandpi ous.Hi s
i
nt endedsy mbol isesci vi
li
zat i
onbuthi si str essi ssav ageandi mpur e.
ThePost col onialr eader sr egar di ntendedasaf ool i
shper son,who
mour ns a man who i s known t o her . Kur t z mi st r
ess l ives
i
ndependent lywi thoutKur tz, theAf ricanwomensi gni fiest hef actt hat
Africadoesnotneedsal vat i
onf rom ot hert er ri
tor i
es.
Phi l
lipsal sonot est hat
Achebei sawar eofConr adsambi v al encet owar dst hecol oni sing
mi ssion,andheconcedest hatt henov eli s,i npar t
,anat temptt o
exami newhathappenswhenEur opeanscomei ntocont actwi t ht his
par ti
cul arf or m ofeconomi candsoci alexpl oitat i
on.I nt hel ect urehe
remember st hatast udenti nScot landoncei nf ormedhi mt hatAf ri
ca
i
smer elyaset t
ingf ort hedi sintegr ationoft hemi ndofMrKur t
z,
whi ch i s an ar gumentt hatmanyt eacher s and cr iti
cs,l etal one
student s,hav eut ili
sedt odef endt henov el .Butt or eadt hebooki n
thiswayi st of urtherst irAchebesout rage
Cont rar yt owhatAchebesuggest si nhi sl ect ure,Hear tofDar kness
doescont ainav er ysev erecr itiqueofcol oni alism i nAf rica.Indeed, i
n
theopi nionofmanyschol arsi ti soneoft hef irstt ext st ohav ebeen
classi fi
ed asbei ng post col oni al.Themont hsConr ad spentt her e
made hi m awar e notonl yoft he av ar i
ce and i nsi ncer i
tyoft he
col onisers,whower edesper atet ogai nasmuchaspossi blei
nt he
shor testpossi bl
et ime,butal so oft hechaot icnat ur eandsheer
absur dityoft heiractions.Themostt erri
bleexperience, however,
was
thatofwi tnessingt hev iolenceandi lltreat
mentmet edoutt ot he
i
ndi genousAf r
icans.Conr adsdescr i
pti
onofpeopl ebui ldingthe
railwayl i
nef r
om Mat adi i
soneoft hemostmov i
ngi nt hewhol ebook:
Bl ackshapescr ouched, lay,satbet weent hetrees,leaningagainst
thet runks, cli
ngingt otheear th,halfcomi ngout ,halfef f
acedwithin
thedi ml ight,inalltheat t
itudesofpai n, abandonment ,anddespair.
Anot hermi neont hecl i
ffwentof f,f
ollowedbyasl ightshudderof
t hesoi lundermyf eet .Thewor kwasgoi ngon.Thewor k!Andthis
wast hepl acewher esomeoft hehel pershadwi thdrawnt odie.

Theywer edy ingslowly— i twasver yclear.Theywer enotenemi es,

theywer enotcriminals,
theywer enothingear thlynow,— not hing
butblackshadowsofdi seaseandst ar
vation,lyingconfusedlyi
nt he
greenishgloom.Br oughtfrom alltherecessesoft hecoastinallthe
l
egalityofti
mecont r
acts,losti
nuncongeni alsurroundings,
fedon
unfami l
iarfood,theysickened,
becamei nefficient,andwerethen
all
owedt ocr awlawayandr est
.Thesemor ibundshapeswer efree
asair— andnear lyast hin.

Conradpor tr
aysBr itishimper i
ali
sm intheper hapsnai vechar acterof
Marlow,who i s gl ad to see t he "vastamountofr ed"on t he
Company '
smap;si gnifyi
ngt heBr i
ti
sht er
rit
or y.Hei sgladt hat" r
eal
worki s done t her e"; meaning sal vat
ion,r el
igi
on,cul t
ure and
commer ce.Ther ealityofthecol oniali
sm ispor t
rayedbyConr adi n
the form oft he Di str
ictManager ;a r eali mperial
ist
,t aking ful
l
advantageofhi sposi ti
onandt hatoft hecol ony.Mar l
ow seest he
Manager 'sonl
yposi ti
vequalityasthef actthathewasnev erill
.From
whatMar l
owknowsofKur t
z, i
tisapparentt hatMar lowsetsKur tzon
ament alpedestal;ast hemanwhoi sbr i
ngi ngci v
ili
sati
on,t hr
ough
Imperiali
sm,tot hesav ages,andy etstil
lmanagedt or eapmor e
reward,intheshapeofi vory.
Mar l
ow'sopi nionofI mperial
ism isdent edt i
meandagai nbyhi s
witnessing the lengthst he Imperiali
stswoul d go forprofit
.This
opinionisdest royed,total
ly;whenMar l
ow act ual
lymeet sKur t
z,and
reali
sest hat;farf r
om conquer ingt hedar kness,Kurtzhi mselfhas
beenconquer edbyt hedarkness.Ther olesofKur t
z's'I
ntended'and
theAf r
icanwomanwhoappear edtobehi smi str
essar eoftennoted
tobeofgr eatimpor tance.TheEur opean'spur efait
hi nKur t
z'
sgood
naturecontrastswi thMar l
ow'sknowl edgeofhi scorrupti
on.

Theaut horWi lsonHarri

scall
s"HeartofDar kness""
AFrontierNovel
"
i
nt hesenset hatConrad,bymeansofi ronyshowst hediscourseof
colonisat
iont obebi asedandinsuff
icent,butdoesnotof feranew
discourse.Accor di
ng to Har
ri
s,Conr ad spental lhi
s energy in
exposing t he il
lusi
ons ofimperi
ali
sti
cr ehtori
c and sebsequentl
y
suffer
edf rom an

"
exhaust
ionofspi
ritt
hatf
rozehi
sgeniusandmadehimimpossi
ble
t
ocrossthefr
onti
eruponwhichhisi
ntut
ivei
magi
nat
ionhad
arr
ived.
"

Accor dingt of ewschol arsConr ad'snar rativeisabouti mper iali

sm,a
viewwhi chi scont rover si
al .Brantl
ingerpoi ntedouti nhisessayt hat
nov eli sant i-
imper ial
isti ssomeaspect s,f urtherhesai d,Conr ad
exposed mor albankr upt cy of i mper iali
sm.I f we l ook at t he
char acters,Unl i
keKur tz,Mar low sy mbol izesamanwhot ravell
edt o
Af r
icat ohel pt heunci v i
li
zedandhedi dnotchangewhenhear ri
ved
there.Hei sablet oseet hrought hemat eriali
sticidealst hatpeopl e
arref ascinatedwi t
h.Mar l
owhast het oleranceandt hesensi tiv
itybut
hedoesnothav et hepowerorcour aget ost opt heexpl oi
tati
on.
Mar lowpr ovedt hatman' sev ilsi
dei st errif
ying.But ont heot herhand
Kur tzi sani mper iali
st,whor eommendsbr ingingenl i
ghtenmentand
i
mpr ov mentt oAf rica;InHear tofDar kness,t hecol onialagenti sMr .
Kur tz.When he f istcame he was a f
r irst-cl
ass agent ,a ver y
remar kable per son,butwhen he r eached t he count r
yhi s greed
mot ivatedhi mt ogoaf terpowerandweal th.Kut r
zhi msel fisawar e
oft
het
wodi
ff
erenti
ntent
ionsi
ninnersel
f.

Marlow'
sauntispleasedwithher
selff
orhelpingtosendMar l
ow t
o
Afri
caasoneofthewor ker
s'andasanemi ssaryofl
i
ght'bear
ingt
he
taskofweani
ngthoseignor
antmil
li
onsfrom thei
rhor
ri
dway s'
.

Infact,t
heEuropeanshav esett hemselvesinCongoasthesaviour
andlightbr
inger,buti
ronical
lytheyar edoingnothi
ngbenef
ici
alfor
thenativ
esotherthansuppressi
ng, oppr
essinganddegr
adi
ngthem.

Whenhewr
it
es;

"
Eachstati
onshouldbelikebeaconont heroadtowar
dsbet t
er
thi
ngs,acent
refortr
adeof course,butalsoforhumani
zing,
improving,i
nstruct
ing."

Char
act
erofKur
tzsy
mbol
i
zesEur
ope;

"
AllEur
opecont
ri
but
edt
othemaki
ngofKur
tz"

Marlowhat esthebehav i
ourandgr eedofhiscol
legues.I
tisannoy i
ng
forhi m t o witness black chained sl
aves t
ogether.Mar low is
consideredtobei nast ationwher ehi
sstandar
dsar ecompromi sed
and hi s bel
ief
sr emainf aithf
ul;whil
e Kurt
zisi nt he pursui
tof
i
mper iali
sti
cambi t
ions.

Themanageri st heepit
omeoft henegati
veeffectsofimperial
ism.
Hei sasel f-
cent er
ed,corr
uptedandarrogantman.Her epr
esents
egoti
sm ofEur opeans,whil
ehisgoodhealthsymbolizestheabil
itof
Europeanswhoi nvadedAfri
caandheisalsother ealsymbolofev i
l
andcold-hear
ti
nessofi mperial
i
sts.

Achebescrit
ici
sm ofHeartofDarknessr
aisedsuchast
ormint he
thi
nkingofpost col
oni
alstudyt
hatoneoft heEngl
i
shprof
essors
wrotetoAchebe,

Af
terhear
ingy
outheotherni
ghtInowreali
zethatIhadneverr
eal
ly
readHear
tofDar
knessalthoughIhavetaughti
tfory
ears.
Cent
ralt o much postcoloni
alli
terat
urei s an int
errogati
on of
col
oniali
sm.Thisi nt
err
igati
on l
ocates the mostdanger ous and
per
sistentpr
obl
emsassoci at
edwit
hcol oni
alrul
e.Si
gni
ficantthemes
i
npost col
oni
ali
nter
rogat
ionofcol
oniali
sm incl
ude:

1.Cul
tur
alal
i
enat
ion

2.Nat
ional
i
sm

3.Themaki
ngofmi
micnat
ivemen

Afterst udy ingHear tofDar knessundert helightoft heset hree.I tis

noticedt hatCul turalal i
enat ioni spr ev al entint henov ellaatv ar ious
point s.A cul turedef ineswhati t'
speopl eper ceiv eaboutev il
,t he
placei tgi vest owomen,andi tsr elat ionshi pwi thot hercul tur es.
Eur opeancul tur eal sodi ffersf rom nat iv ecul tur eont heCongor iver s
i
nJosephConr ad'sHear tofDar kness.Onl yoneman,Kur tz,r eally
connect swi tht henat iv esandt heni st akenawaydy ingbyhi sf ellow
Eur opeans.Ev i
lisdef inedbyi t
'scul t
ur e, whet heri tbehowt hecul t
ure
accept sanot hercul t
ur eandcondemnsasev ilori dent i
fyingspeci fi
c
i
temsasev il
.I nHear tofDar kness,Mar low v iewedt henat iveswi t
h
whom Kur tzi sst ayingwi thasev ilandf eel
st hei rev i
lwhenhemet
them af tert rav eli
ngdownt her i
ver.Oncehehear dt hatKur tzor der ed
thenat i
v est oat tackhi sshi p,hi sv iewschangedal it
tle.Mar low
exper i
encedt heev ilthatKur tzdi d,andheev enhadt hesi cknesst hat
Kur tzdi edf rom.Speci ficpl acesr epr esentev ilt hi
ngsi ndi fferent
cultur es.Eur opeansf oundt heCongoRi v erandat ownoni t'
sbanks
andi twast houghtofasev ilbecauset heyhadn' texper iencedl iv i
ng
ther eorv inescov eringt hem ast heyt rav eledal ongt her i
v eraddedt o
theirt hinki ngofanev ilat mospher e.Acul t
ureal sodef i
nest hepl ace
ofwomeni nsoci etyandt het r
eatmentt heyr ecei vefrom member s
withint hesoci et y.
InHear tofDar kness, Mar l
owdi dn'tunder standt he
strangeni ghtcer emonyhef ollowedKur tzt o, theheadsonpost s, and
othert radi ti
onst henat iveshad.Het houghtoft het ri
beasev iland
want edt osav eKur tzf rom t hem i nst eadofget t
ingt oknowt hem as
Kur tzhad.Thi sr eact i
onwasar esultofMar low' scul turei nfluenci ng
hi
mt othi
nkoft henati
vesasevi
lwhil
ethenat
iveshadt
hei
rown
cul
tur
eandthoughtofKur
tzasagod.

Secondl
yitsNat ionali
sm,Themai npointwhichri
seshereist hat
Heartofdarknessiswr it
tenorpr esentedfr
om thevi
ewofwest ,the
whit
emen.Whi chleavesther eaverylesschanceofanynat
ionali
sm
tobeportrayedint henov el
la.Thebookonl yshowswhatwestwas
doi
ngt othenat i
ves,there'snotev enagl i
mpseofanyr ev
oltfrom
nati
vesagainstwestisshownt hr
oughoutthenovel
.

Thi r
dlyi t
sTheMaki ngofMi micmenwhi chi sshownupt oaome
extentbyt hreechar act
ers,Twomal echar actersandonef emale
char acter,Fi
rstt he manager 's Boy-
servent,His characterreveal
s
someoft het r
ait
soft hemi mi cmen,Secondmal echaracterisThe
Russi an,Hisdr essandmai nlyhi sloveforEngl i
sht obaccoshows
thathowhewasami micmanandhi sfavouringphrasesaboutKur t
z
alsodepi ctshismi micry
.TheFemal echar acteristhenativewoman
whomayber egardedasKur tz'shousekeeper .Shehasal sobeenhis
mi stress.Thesethreecharact ersshowt heMaki ngofmi cmicmeni n
Conr ad'sNov el
la.

Themostfamousaccusat
iont
hatConr
adisaraci
stcomesf
rom t
he
Niger
iannov
elstChenuaAchebe.I
i nhisessayAnImageofAfr
ica,
Achebewrot
e,

Cl
ear
lyConr
adhasapr obl
em wi
thni
ggers… hi
sinordi
nateloveof
t
hatwordi
tsel
fshoul
dbeofint
erestt
opsychoanal
ysts.

I
n Hear tOfDar kness,
Conr
ad tal
ks aboutthe Bri
ti
sh col
oni
ali
sm
(i
mper ial
ism)wherehedescri
bedthewayt henat
ivesweretr
eatedin
thei
rland, andhowt hecol
oni
alexpansi
oninAfri
caledtothespread
ofracism.

Manyreader
sseethatConradisreali
stbecausetheybeli
evedthat
hi
snov elshowed t
herealaimsofi mperi
ali
sm which cl
aim that
col
oni
ali
sm came to civ
il
ize Afr
icans.Howev er,ot herreaders
cl
assi
fi
edJosephConradasraci
stbecauseofhi sugl
ydescri
pti
onof
theblackAfr
icansandhissuppor
ttocol
onialpol
i
ciesagai
nstt
he
nati
vesinAfr
ica.So,t
hequesti
onher
eisthatwhetherConr
adwas
raci
stinhi
snovell
aornot
?

Manyr eader sseet hatt henov elisnotr acist.Itsj ustar epresent ati
on
ofcol oni ali
sm i nAf ricadur ingt he19t hcent ur y.Thenov elladoesnt
promot er acism.WhatJoseph Conr ad wr ot ei sj ustt he real i
ty
becausehewasj ustdescr ibingwhatwashappeni ngi nt heCongo
andAf rica.Thewor dsheusedi nhi sdescr iptionwer enotused
becausehewasr acist, butbecauset hesewor dswer ef ami l
iardur i
ng
thatper i
od oft ime.Conr ad i n his nov ell
a gi ves ar eali mage of
hypocr i
syoft hecol oni alef fortsandhow t heEur opeanst ri
edt o
j
ust i
fyt hei rpr esencei nAf ricaundert hecl aimt hatt heycamef or
civi
li
zat i
on.Hepor tray edt heEur opeanci vi
lizat ionasar obber yof
weal thandr awmat er ialsandhowt heywer eint er est edonl yi nmoney
withoutgi v i
ngt oomuchi mpor tancet ot heirt reat mentt oAf ri
can
peopl e.Besi des,Hear tOfDar knesswasonl yar epr esent ationoft he
horroroft hepol it
ical syst em i nt he19t hcent ur ybyshowi ngt her eal
aimsbehi ndEur opeani mper i
ali
sm.Thi smakest heAf ri
cansseem
mor epur e, l
esscor ruptandv icti
ms, whilewhi tecol oni zerswer emor e
corruptand t heypr esent ed t he wor ld ofdar kness.Fur thermor e,
Conr adwasagai nst at t
itudesoft heEur opeancol onizersandt heir
system t owar dst heAf r
icanswhosuf feredal otf rom di seasesand
starvationandshowedpi tyt owar dsthem whenhesai d:

Theyweredyingslowly— i twascl
ear.Theywerenotenemi es,
they
werenotcri
minals,
t hey werenothi
ngearthl
ynow,-not
hingbut
blackshadowsofdi seasesandst
arvat
ionly
ingconfusedl
yi nt
he
greeni
shgloom.

Conradseest hatt hewhitemanspr esencei nAfri

cat r
ansformedi t
i
nto a dar k continentand colonialpower s were whites i
nt heir
complexions but t hei
r hear
ts wer e black for they made t he
nati
vessufferal otbymaki ngt hem doinghar dwor ksandt aking
packagesorbei ngbeaten.
.ForMar l
ow,whi tepeoplewhot hi
nkt hat
theyweresuper
iorwer
ej ustdevi
lswhodehumani
zedtheAfr
icans.
Theywereasourceofviolenceandhor
ror
.Theywerecr
imi
nal
sand
thi
eveswhenhesaid:

Ihaveseent
hedevi
lofvi
olenceandt
hedevi
lofgr
eedandt
hedevi
l
ofhotdesi
re.

Whereas,ot
herreader
sseet
hatJosephConr
adsHeartOfDarkness
i
sr aci
stbecauset heyseet
hatConradissuppor
ti
ngt hecoloni
al
at
ti
tudesintheCongoandAfr
ica.

Racism i
nHear
tofDarknesswascl
earf
rom t
hebegi
nni
ngoft
he
novelwhenMar
lowsai
d:

Idonotwantt obotheryoumuchwi thwhathappenedt ome

personall
ywhi l
ehewast ell
i
ngabouthi sJourneytotheCongo.The
Europeansclai
medt hatt
heycamet oAf ri
catobringli
ghtandcivil
i
ze
thecontinentbecauset
heybelievethattheAfri
canswer esavage
peopl
ewhohav enoobjecti
vesinli
fe.Theysawt hem asanimals

Youcoul
dseefrom afarthewhit
eofthei
rey
eball
sglistening.
They
shout
ed,
sang;theirbodi
esstr
eamedwithperspir
ation.

Howev er,ifwe r ead between the l

i
ne wellnot i
ce thatt he main
objecti
vewast ogai nmoneyandst ealtheland.Inaddi ti
ontot hat,
Hear tofDar knessdescr i
best hebadliv
ingconditi
onswher eblacks
usedt ol
ive.Theysuf fer
edf r
om star
vati
onanddi seasesinadditi
ont o
racialdi
scriminationandthei l
l
-tr
eat
mentoft hewhi testot heblacks
whower ewor kingasmachi nesandenchainedtoeachot herandt hi
s
i
ssl aver
y.

t
heywerenothingearthl
ynow,-
nothingbutbl
ackshadowsof
di
seasesandstarvat
ionly
ingconfusedl
yinthegr
eenishgl
oom.

ChinuaAchebei sanAf r
icanwr i
terwhobel i
evedthatJosephConr
ad
i
sr acistandhisdescri
ptionmadet heAfri
cancontinent
,aplaceof
horrorandugl
ythings.Furthermore,AchebeseesthatConradwasnt
againstimper
ial
ism and col oni
ali
sm asheclaimedbecausehesees
t
hatMarl
owismor eraci
stt
hananti
col
onial
i
stwhenhedehumani
zed
t
heAfr
icansanddescri
bedt
hem asshapes:

bl
ackshapescr
ouched,laysetbetweent
hetr
eesleani
ngagai
nst
t
hetrunks,cl
ingi
ngtotheear
th…

Besides,thedescri
pti
onofConrad abouttheAfricanswho were
for
cedowor kharddeniedthei
deaofequalit
ybetweenblacksand
whit
eswhi chmakesthebl
acksmoreinfer
iorwhi
lethewhiteswere
superior
.

Hear
tofDarknesspor
tray
edwhatwashappeni
nginAfr
ica,andt
he
l
if
eofnat
iveswhowerethevi
cti
msofEur
opeansupr
emacy.

Therear etwopointsofview.Somebel ievet hatConradwasr aci

st
becauseofhi suglydescripti
on,whileot hersseet hathewasj ust
descri
bingwhathesaw.Conr adwasntr acistwhenhedescr ibedthe
Afri
cansi nt
hisway.Hewasj ustrepr
esent i
nghi sargument
sagainst
i
mper i
alism andtheBri
ti
shdi dntcomef orci vil
i
zingtheAfr
icans,
but
forl
ookingforthei
rowninterests.

A non- Af r
ican cri
tc, Cedr
i i
c Wat ts, takes issue wit
h t he
characterizati
on ofConr ad as a r
acist.He argues thatConrad
presentsbot htherapaci
ousi mperi
ali
stsandt hemut ebutalways
threat
ening nat i
ves with such car
toonishness t
hathe mustbe
l
ampooni ngt hewhol
esituati
on.

Watt
sar guest
hatHeartofDarknessiswrit
tenwi
thaguidingbl
ack
i
rony
:thosewhoappearciv
il
izedarenotact
uall
yci
vi
li
zedatall
.

Iti
simportanttonotethatChinuaAchebe,whodev elopedar evul
si
on
againstt
hiskindofwr i
ti
ng,vowedtowr i
teal i
terat
urethatredeemed
theblacki
mageandr i
ghtful
l
y,hisnovel
s;ThingsFallApartandArrow
ofGod,por t
rayAfri
cansasr ealbeingswithst r
engths,weaknesses,
phil
osophiesandlanguages.

Conr
adwrotethi
snov elsot
hattheEuropeanscanseethereal
it
y
si
ncecol
oni
ali
sm i
sjustli
kearobber
yormur derf
orhi
m.Thati
s,he
condemnst heevilofcolonialexpl
oit
ati
o.Thusi tcanbesaidthat
Heartofdar knessisdif
ferentf r
om tr
aditi
onalVict
ori
annovelsi
nce
thenovelleadsthereaderstot hi
nkreal
isti
cal
lyandrefl
ect
sthetr
uth
ofcoloni
ali
sm imposedbyEngl andinAfrica.

Inconsequence,Apost -col
onialstudyofHear tofdar
knessshows
the readers Af r
ica'
s suf f
eri
ng and pai n caused by European
col
oni zat
ion.The nov elgener al
l
yf ocuseson the moralconfl
i
cts
European explorati
on ofAf r
ica.Brannigan summari
zes thatthe
analysisofHeartofdarkness:

"enabl
estol
ocatet
henovelinthecomplexsyst
em ofpower
r
elati
onsandcul
tur
alr
epr
esentationswhi
chformthediscour
seof
coloniali
sm.
"

Conr adalsoshowshowaci vi
lizedmant urnsintoasav agewhent he
profitsaretakenintoconsideration.Hisnov elref
lectsthereal
it
iesof
thewor l
dinthe19t hcentury,thati s,theEuropeansr egar
dAf r
icans
aspr imiti
veandi mmat ur
et ocol onizethem.Br i
eflyitcanbeeasi ly
claimedt hatHeartofdar knessi soneoft hebestexampl esoft he
subv ersi
onofEur opeancolonialism sinceitclearlyshowst hebrutal
relati
onshipbetweentheEur opeansandt henat i
ves.

Iwoul
dli
ketoendthi
sassi
gnmentbyquot
ingI
mranKhant
her
isi
ng
her
oofPaki
stan;

Col
oni
ali
sm depr
ivesyouofyourself
-esteem andtogeti
t
backyouhavetofightt
oredressthebalance.