The following essay will deal with the question whether or not Joseph Conrad’s Heart of
Darkness is a racist text.
This question comes up because this novel was written during the age of Victoria, a time of
imperialism and colonialism where the term “race” changed its meaning and became a
monolithic factor.
The term ‘race’ was first used in English literature as denoting a class of people, even
a family. In eighteen-century usage it was possible to speak of a race of animals or
birds. By the nineteenth century this imprecision was fully recognized, and it was
suggested that the term was purely subjective, and illuminated the ‘opinion of the
investigator rather than … the object of investigation.’ (1Bolt: 1971, ix).
So from then on, racism, which can be defined as “ the belief that races have distinctive cultural
characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with
an intrinsic superiority over others” (2Wehmeier:2000,1042) was often included or propagated
in literary works.
As Conrad was a member of the Victorian society it is interesting for today’s readers to
examine if he also shared this belief. Furthermore, it has recently (i.e. within the last twentyfive
years) been a frequently-discussed topic, because Chinua Achebe, the famous Nigerian
author, arose this question.
So, first of all, his accusations will be looked at more clearly, in the following, it is to be
regarded if these are actually true, and finally, one will see, if a final estimation is possible.
1 Christine Bolt, Victorian Attitudes to Race (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971) ix.
2 Sally Wehmeier (ed.) Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English,6th ed. (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2000) 1042.
Table of Contents
0. Introduction
I. Africa as the “Antithesis of Europe”
I.1 Conrad’s Personal View Reflected in His Narration
I.2 The Black’s Role in the Novel as a Further Proof for Conrad’s Racism
I.3 Becoming Insane = Going Native
II. Profound Proofs of Conrad’s Innocence
II.1 Critique of Imperialism: A Subversion of the Dichotomies
II.2 Marlow is not Conrad
II.3 The Content of the Novel: A Journey Through the Congo
II.4 A Victorian Novel Vs. A Modern “Reverse Missionary” Novel
III. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This essay aims to evaluate whether Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness" should be classified as a racist text. It critically examines the accusations leveled by critics like Chinua Achebe regarding the portrayal of Africa and the indigenous population, while weighing these against arguments that emphasize Conrad's anti-imperialistic intentions and the narrative complexity of the work.
- The Victorian perception of race and colonialism.
- Critique of the "antithesis of Europe" narrative.
- Distinction between the author, Joseph Conrad, and his narrator, Marlow.
- Comparison of "Heart of Darkness" with modern satirical works like "Darkest England".
- Analysis of the novel's anti-imperialistic message versus its use of problematic imagery.
Excerpt from the Book
I.1 Conrad’s Personal View Reflected in His Narration
Conrad’s personal background and his experiences with colonialism are said to be reflected in all of his works, consequently also in Heart of Darkness. As someone who was so keen on becoming a real member of the British community, it would not be surprising if he had also adopted their imperialistic values and attitudes. Achebe points out that it was not Conrad who invented the image of Africa which the reader is con- fronted with in the novel. It was rather the Western dominant image of Africa. In fact, Conrad lived in a time when other people were not considered equal, when the West was convinced of its superiority with regard to the rest of the “uncivilized” world. Thus, the descriptions of the Africans are often condescending like in the following example:
‘The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there – there you could look at a thing monstrous and free. It was unearthly, and the men were – No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it – this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly….’
Probably, this way of describing blacks might originate also from Conrad’s first, rather “traumatic” encounter with a black man which made him dream of for years afterwards.
Summary of Chapters
0. Introduction: Outlines the core research question of the essay, specifically focusing on whether "Heart of Darkness" constitutes a racist text within its Victorian context.
I. Africa as the “Antithesis of Europe”: Discusses the colonial view of Africa as a binary opposite to European civilization and introduces the accusations of racism.
I.1 Conrad’s Personal View Reflected in His Narration: Examines how Conrad’s background and the prevailing Western image of Africa influenced his writing.
I.2 The Black’s Role in the Novel as a Further Proof for Conrad’s Racism: Analyzes the limited and often stereotypical depiction of Africans within the narrative.
I.3 Becoming Insane = Going Native: Explores the interpretation of madness in the novel and its link to colonial fears of "going native."
II. Profound Proofs of Conrad’s Innocence: Introduces counter-arguments that defend Conrad against charges of intentional racism.
II.1 Critique of Imperialism: A Subversion of the Dichotomies: Argues that Conrad subverts colonial tropes and expresses an anti-imperialistic critique.
II.2 Marlow is not Conrad: Addresses the critical error of conflating the author's voice with that of his fictional narrator.
II.3 The Content of the Novel: A Journey Through the Congo: Explains the narrative necessity of how Africans are portrayed given the perspective of the protagonist.
II.4 A Victorian Novel Vs. A Modern “Reverse Missionary” Novel: Compares Conrad's work with Christopher Hope's "Darkest England" to contextualize the concept of racism in literature.
III. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, concluding that while the text contains ambiguous elements, it was not Conrad's intention to write a racist book.
Keywords
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, Chinua Achebe, Racism, Colonialism, Imperialism, Victorian Era, Narrator vs Author, Marlowe, Africa, Literature, Literary Criticism, Anti-imperialism, Binary Thinking, Darkest England.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental research question of this essay?
The essay explores whether Joseph Conrad’s novel "Heart of Darkness" is inherently a racist text, given its production during the height of the Victorian colonial era.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The main themes include colonial discourse, the representation of Africa as an "antithesis of Europe," the distinction between an author and their narrator, and the definition of racism in literary works.
What is the central objective of the author?
The goal is to determine if the controversial depictions in the novel were intended as racist or if they serve to critique the imperialistic values of the time.
Which scientific methods or approaches are utilized?
The paper uses literary analysis, examining both the text of the novel and external critical perspectives, such as those provided by Chinua Achebe, and draws comparisons with later post-colonial literature.
What topics are addressed in the main part?
The main part analyzes the physical and behavioral descriptions of natives in the novel, the psychological interpretations of "going native," and the structural narrative techniques that separate Conrad from his narrator, Marlow.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include "Heart of Darkness," racism, colonialism, literary criticism, anti-imperialism, and the Victorian perception of race.
How does the author treat the critique of Chinua Achebe?
The author respects Achebe's influence but critiques his methodology, arguing that he confuses the author’s intentions with the perceptions of the fictional narrator.
How is "Darkest England" used to support the author's thesis?
The author uses Christopher Hope's "Darkest England" as a comparative tool to demonstrate that more modern satirical works can actually contain more overtly problematic racist tropes than the more ambiguous "Heart of Darkness."
- Quote paper
- Christina König (Author), 2003, Heart of Darkness: A Racist Text?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/18581
