Essay about Racism Exposed in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of...

Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, effectively exposed the racism that was common during his lifetime. Through the harsh behavior and word choice of the characters and narrator, Conrad displays the uncivilized treatment of nonwhites that occurred during the period of colonization. Edward Garnett, an English writer and critic, summarized the plot of Heart of Darkness as being â€Å"an impression†¦ of the civilizing methods of a certain great European Trading Company face to face with the â€Å"nigger† (145 Heart of darkness backgrounds and Criticisms). Conrad use of harsh language and terrifying situations, which were based off of his own experiences, capture the audience’s attention and helps them see the cruelty of the European†¦show more content†¦This similar description reveals the fact that Marlow did not see much of a difference between the Africans and the savage beasts of Africa. A famous criticism of Conrad’s novella is ca lled An Image of Africa, which was written by an African native named Chinua Achebe. In Achebe’s criticisms of Heart of Darkness, he points out the difference between descriptions of the European woman and the African woman, who was Kurtz’s mistress. The narrator describes the European woman as being calm and mature, and the African woman as being â€Å"savage† (341 Norton). Even though many writers claim that Marlow is kind to the Africans by bringing light to their situation, the real problem does not lie in his description of their situations, but his descriptions of the people themselves (30 Heart of darkness Interpretations). Throughout the novella, it seems as if the narrator is describing the Africans as being almost human, but not quite. There seems to be a line drawn between African and European that is much thicker than country borders. In a description of a sick boy, the narrator says, â€Å"the man seemed young—almost a boy—but you kno w with them it’s hard to tell† (17 Norton). This statement may seem harmless, but it is completely unnecessary. It reveals how few interactions Marlow had with the Africans, and his use of the word â€Å"them† creates a ethnical barrier. Along with negative descriptions of Africans, Marlow also uses a great amount of racial slurs when speakingShow MoreRelatedHeart of Darkness on the Flaws of Imperial Authority1024 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Heart of Darkness† on the Flaws of Imperial Authority Throughout Joseph Conrad’s â€Å"Heart of Darkness† despite the many conditions of the described Africa most if not all the characters agree that these conditions indeed differ from the conditions found in Europe. 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