Racism Exposed In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

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Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a novel set in late 19th century Africa exploring human nature and its resistance to the evils inside each man. The story follows Marlow on his journey through the Congo. During the late 19th century, the Congo was imperialized by Europeans. Marlow is working for “the Company,” a European agency that oppresses and kills the native population for valuable ivory. Throughout this journey, the perspective of the genocide is from a European. This leads to many different derogatory terms or sayings that people may find offensive. Conrad’s use of characterization and setting paint the image of an incredibly racist novel, however, inherently Heart of Darkness is not racist, but rather uses race as a driving force for the story. Conrad’s use of characterization throughout the novella provides evidence that Conrad is not being racist. During the novella, the reader meets many different characters, ranging from very important to simple, flat characters. Despite each of these characters having different lives and different character elements, they all share a common point: remaining unnamed and mostly undeveloped. The only two characters explicitly named throughout the novel are Marlow and Kurtz. All other characters, including the seemingly most important ones, are left simply as their position in society, such as the brick maker or Kurtz’s widow. This causes the reader to objectify everyone in the novel besides Marlow and Kurtz. This characterization transfers over to African people, as well. Rather than being referred as a sub-race, they are referred to as natives or prisoners and are seen as sub-human. Many people are apt to believe the novella is racist simply because it uses another race as a vehicle for the main story. However, this is not the case. According to Daniel and Birgit Maier-Katkin, professors at the Florida State University, “[Heart of Darkness] has been criticized as racist and sexist by some authors, such as African author Chinua Achebe. But Achebe is perhaps mistaken to dismiss the novella as a bad book about Africa without acknowledging that it is a very good …show more content…
Set in the Congo during the late 19th century, the Europeans have an insatiable greed towards ivory, worshipping it at a godlike level. Throughout the story, the characters travel deeper and deeper into the heart of the African wilderness. Along the way, they see many instances of European oppression during the story’s quest with Marlow. The novel is a “product of its times” and explains why Conrad specifically picked the Congo (Conrad, xv). Conrad was alive during the time period of the story. Since the Congo was a hotbed of activity during the era the book was written, it is easy to see why Conrad would pick the location. However on a deeper level, the Congo has many features that enhance Conrad’s message. Firstly, the Congo is not portrayed as a part of civilization, but instead as a completely lawless area where men are free to do nearly everything they please. In the Congo, there also existed a clash amongst cultures. This confrontation exists in the European belief that Africans are sub-human. This confrontation between ideologies is the primary reason the setting is set in the Congo. This confrontation between the two races allows Conrad to use the hate felt between the two to further his story and the meaning he is trying to

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