Joseph Conrads of Africa and Africans in the Much-Eulogized Novel the Heart of Darkness - Essay Example

of the of the Concerned English Literature 2 July Heart of Darkness and an Image of Africa Introduction Arts in general and literature in particular are considered to be the custodians of that which tends to be the most creative, representative and timeless in a civilization. However, everything that is creative or timeless may not necessarily be wholesome or enlightening. At least, Joseph Conrad’s portrayal of Africa and Africans in the much eulogized novel The Heart of Darkness do corroborates this premise beyond doubt. Every society and culture is open and susceptible to many prejudices and biases. Sadly, the social mechanisms, power structures and popular opinion in a society do tend to reflect such prejudices with varying levels of intensity. Also, it goes without saying that these biases more than often find their way into the art, literature and other forms of creative expression accepted and encouraged in a society. It does not require a socio-political expert to testify to the fact that Africa and the Africans have been subject to many stereotypical perceptions in the Western societies, a trend which has perhaps somewhat diluted with time. In that context, Joseph Conrad’s novel The Heart of Darkness needs to be taken for what it truly is, a well crafted, engaging and opinionated work of literature, whose delineation and reinforcement of the so called savageness and crudity of Africa and the Africans make it an apt sample of racism. The Two Women Even a cursory perusal of The Heart of Darkness leads to the conclusion that Conrad’s approach towards the characters in the novel is vehemently polarized, owing much not to a harmless act of imagination, but rather affiliated to a deep seated conviction and belief. The novel has only two female characters, both related to Kurtz. Surprisingly both these characters are introduced to the readers by Marlow, who draws their character sketch not on the basis of a long personal acquaintance or a lengthy conversation, but rather what he thinks them to be at the very first sight. Referring to Kurtz’s black African companion, Conrad says, “She was savage and superb, wild eyed and magnificent … She stood looking at us without a stir, and like the wilderness itself, with an air of brooding over an inscrutable purpose (35).” Now consider Marlow’s opinion of the African’s European counterpart. “She came forward, all in black, with a pale head; floating towards me in the dusk … She had a mature capacity for fidelity, for belief, for suffering (Conrad 47).” One wonders how Marlow could readily identify the salient character traits of the two women whom he had never before met or talked to. Perhaps Achebe aptly identifies the racist mindset of Conrad in his “bestowal of human expression to the one (woman) and the withholding of it from the other (Online).” Conrad’s depiction of the two women is certainly not based on an in-depth and convincing character analysis and construction, but rather on what he already believed them to be by the virtue of their color. Demonization of Africa Even the available scientific details and information pertaining to the Neanderthal Man, attribute one with much that smacks of intelligence and culture. Africa is a continent inhabited by zillions of people and tribes. Even in the times of Conrad, there must have existed many artifacts, signs and symbols in Africa that represented African art, culture and refined creativity. Astonishingly, nowhere in the novel Conrad mentions any such thing. His opinion of the Africans and their civilization is monolithic, strong and consistent throughout the novel, explained much by a register comprising of the words like savage, barbarians, cannibals, nigger, deceitful, primitive, etc. The biggest racial atrocity committed by Conrad in The Heart of Darkness is that he has systematically and consistently shown the Africans to be devoid of regular human emotions, individuality and culture. Conrad feels no scruples in labeling an entire continent as “some lightless region of subtle horrors, where pure, uncomplicated savagery was a positive relief… (33).” Achebe well points this sinister tactics of Conrad by referring to his stratagem of showcasing “Africa as a setting and backdrop which eliminates the African as a human factor (Online).” The Africans Fixation with the White Man To a great extent it would be right to say that a work of fiction to some extent betrays the worldview that its writer affiliates to. Perhaps it may be too simplistic to base such a conclusion on one single work by a writer. However, a continuation and repetition of some well identifiable themes and ideas in multiple works by a writer do give the basis to support this premise. Nowhere in The Heart of Darkness has Conrad showed an African to be capable of exercising discretion or acting independently. The African characters are always shown as either seeking strength and training from their white master or treating one as a sacred deity. Conrad introduces the African helmsman as follows, “He was the most unstable kind of fool I had ever seen. He steered with no end of a swagger while you were by; but if he lost sight of you, he instantly became the prey of an abject funk… (20).” Again somewhat similar views regarding the African fireman, “... to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody… A Few months of training had done for that really fine chap (Conrad 13).” In Conrad’s world, the whole of Africa seems to have gone crazy after a handful of white booty hunters. The very same trend is explicitly evident in Conrad’s other work Lord Jim, with the only difference being that the burden of ‘white worship’ in this novel falls on the poor Malays, again non-whites. Denial of a Voice In a work of fiction, a character to pass for human needs to have a voice and to have a voice it is requisite to have a language. Achebe rightly mentions that almost all the European characters in The Heart of Darkness allow for a clear revelation of their mindset with remarkable penetration and insight (Online). This could be simply traced to the fact that these characters are allowed to speak. They have a voice. However, the African is continually denied a voice, a trend time and again practiced and repeated in the world history. The only mode of communication that Conrad allows the Africans in the novel is howls, grunts, screams, etc. Achebe refers to this attitude as “Conrad’s withholding of language from his rudimentary souls. Language is too grand for these chaps; let’s give them dialects! (Online)”. If this denial of voice to a race, to a civilization and to a continent in a work of fiction is not racism, then what is it? Conclusion The Heart of Darkness is certainly a work of literature. In fact, as expected of a good work of literature, it has its strong points like versatility of expression, richness of imagination, terseness of plot, etc. Actually it is owing to his dexterousness with literary devices that Conrad had been able to weave a whole story around a well entrenched prejudice. It would be totally radical and totalitarian to expect the academic institutions to delete this novel from their curricula. Yet, the academic authorities and literary critics should not shy away from acknowledging and highlighting Conrad’s racial approach towards literature. They should not desist from pointing out that though Conrad excelled in style and craftsmanship, yet, he miserably succumbed to the prejudices embedded deep in the Western culture and civilization. Bringing forth the truth would certainly be a step in the right direction. Work Cited Achebe, Chinua.  "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'”. Massachusetts Review. 1977. 2 July 2011 < http://www.kirbyk.net/hod/image.of.africa.html>. Conrad, Joseph. The Heart of Darkness. New York: Dover Publications, 1990. Read More