Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad has presented very dark picture of Africa in The Heart of Darkness.

 Heart of Darkness (1899) is a novella  by novelist Joseph Conrad , about a

voyage up the Congo River into the Congo Free State , in the heart of Africa. Narrator of the story is Marlow. Marlow tells his story to friends aboard a boat anchored on the River Thames, London, England.

This setting provides the frame for Marlow's story of his obsession with the ivory trader Kurtz , which enables Conrad to create a parallel between London and Africa as places of darkness. Central to Conrad's work is the idea that there is little difference between so-called civilized people and those described as savages; Heart of Darkness raises important questions about imperialism and racism.

Criticism :-

Heart of Darkness is criticized in postcolonial studies, particularly by Nigerian novelist

Chinua Achebe , who is considered to be "patriarch of the African Novel". 

In his 1975 public lecture "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness", Achebe described Conrad's novella as "an

offensive and deplorable book" that de- humanized Africans.  Achebe argued that Conrad, "blinkered...with xenophobia", incorrectly depicted Africa as the antithesis of Europe and civilisation, ignoring the artistic accomplishments of the Fang people who lived in the Congo River basin at the time of the book’s publication. Since the book promoted and continues to promote a prejudiced image of Africa that "depersonalizes a portion of the human race," he concluded that it should not be considered a great work of art.

 In 2003, Botswanan professor Dr. Peter Mwikisa concluded the book was

"the great lost opportunity to depict dialogue between Africa and Europe." In 1983,British Professor Cedric Watts published an essay expressing indignation at his perceived implication of Achebe's criticism: that only black people may accurately analyse and assess the novella. Stan Galloway writes, in a comparison of Heart of Darkness with Jungle Tales of Tarzan , "The inhabitants [of both works], whether antagonists or compatriots, were clearly imaginary and meant to represent a particular fictive cipher and not a particular African people."  Fellow novelist Caryl Phillips stated after a

2003 interview that "Achebe is right; to the African reader the price of Conrad's eloquent denunciation of colonization is the recycling of racist notions of the 'dark' continent and her people. Those of us who are not from Africa may be prepared to pay this price, but this price is far too high for Achebe." 

Heart of darkness in colonialism and  political power

“The wilderness has caressed him, loved him, embraced him, entered his blood, consumed his flesh taken complete possession of his soul”

Here I have review about Joseph Conrad novel entitled “heart of darkness” and we find that in cruelty at society see in our social party and how they ruling at people.   Conrad had begun writing while still in the service of the British merchant marines. He has based much on his work in sea journey. 

Conrad based “Heart of darkness” on his journey to Belgian Congo in Africa. This is a novella, more than an autobiographical account of the time, Conrad spent in Belgian Congo. It is a modern work that challenges the basic ethical question of good and evil in mankind, a topic explored to such other literary work. We find that many philosophical concepts by updating Conrad’s story to be Vietnam War and the south East Asian jungle of 1960s.

       

      The political environment of “Heart of darkness”

Conrad has also tackled the political environment of the Congo in heart of darkness, when king Leopold of Belgium founded the international association for the suppression of slavery and we see that opening up of central Africa, and also we see that attempted to impose civilization and order greed exploitation. As we see that in our society has follows to religious and slavery also, and must that to black people and white man means English man has ruling to black community. Conrad has to partial to how white man governed to black people and savage. It may be that Conrad visited Congo brutality and degradation was seen and not progress and enlightenment.  We know that political things are more power and rules to people.We find that novella in the subject of racism is not really treated by Conrad a theme and as much as it is simply shown to be the prevailing attitude to the day. The African natives are referred to as ‘nigger’,’cannibals’, ‘criminals’ and ‘savage’. As we see that Marlow has English man and he know that to African people and how the cruelty in society and in the jungle Kurtz  has ruling and savage to black Congo people, it has to political and cruelty between society.  

E.g.

     We know that today Indian in how the political power use to people and we know that Maharashtra in dominated party “Shivsena” has to create power and they also ruling in society. They many a time tyrannical, cruel, slavery and Gunda kind of behaves  use to people and many a people voice against to this party “Shivsena” and how they are treated to people and notorious people are face to these problems. Many a time shivsena leaders like Raj thakkre, udhhav thakkre are rule and they are use to political power and how their cruelty between society. And how people use word “Jungle Raj”.

             And in this think Conrad use to theme in situation of African Congo people life and also related to political ideas in novella. I have read “Heart of Darkness” in thematic consorts is imperialism, corruption, power and politics, deception, race and racism, colonialism etc. Conrad in given ideas between dark side of the jungle and how Kurtz governed his power to people and moral corruption in society. This all themes see in our Indian politics and whatever when they came in our society and we you are not wrong, white people are bad and question to them. The hypocrisy of imperialism

      Moral corruption
 Duty and responsibility
 The lack of truth
 Power and politics
 Alienation and loneliness
Deception and civilization
Sanity and insanity
 Race and racism
 Violence and cruelty

·                            Colonialism in “Heart of darkness”

              As we study that colonialism and post colonialism, we find that the writers are write to the native land and in society in colony at part to country.  And as we study that colonialism until civilization are more important to wealth. The colonial writers are focus to civilization and how earn money at which way and also whether wealth of native land and people colonial part them. As Heart of darkness in Marlow takes place in the Belgian Congo, the most notorious European colony in Africa for its greed and brutalization of the native people. In its depiction of the monstrous wastefulness and cruelty of the colonial agents at African natives land. Conrad has to focus in African society and how savage to white man and trended to black colonial people. But in here hypocrisy of the entire colonial effort. In Heart of darkness shows that in practice the European colonizers used the high ideas of colonization as a cove to allow them to viciously rip whatever wealth they could from Africa.

                               

 Here we find that time as pass way and colonies are broken down and also damage them. At that time we know that in Conrad much point that colonization does to the souls of white colonizers than it does to the physical death and devastation unleashed on the black natives. And we see that heart of darkness to extend its criticism of colonialism all the way back to its corrupt source the ‘civilization’ of Europe.    

Marlow tells that Kurtz has fallen a complete victim to the power of the jungle, and how Kurtz indeed become a child, and as we know that infantile in his desires, physicality, selfishness and brutality. And Marlow so beautifully says that “powers of darkness have claimed him for their own”.

So we know that how Conrad ‘s ideas see that in African Congo city cruel and how evil world and how people not argues to white man and imperial and ambiguity at time in this dark side of African society. So we can says that time pass ways in every time white man means English man are ruling manpower of politics in African people and how different between white and black man. We see that in Conrad “heart of darkness” in these colonials’ ideas and how people rules to black people.