HEART OF DARKNESS: THE CRITICS

Criticism of Joseph Conrad’s famous work is extensive. Many critics accuse Conrad as being an imperialist, a sexist, and a racist; I would like to focus on the latter. Conrad, a racist – many feel he is simply a product of his era. Most Europeans during this time denied any possibility that Africans could have their own culture. Europeans dominated and dehumanized the Africans. Chinua Achebe, an African, criticizes Conrad as an “extreme” racist. Achebe blames Conrad for playing into the Western world’s stereotyping of Africa. He believes that Conrad is prejudice of both his country and his people. He claims that Conrad held views that dehumanize Africans, their “savage” behaviour, and accuses him of encouraging Africans to be “in their place” which included performing activities such as singing, shouting etc. Also, Achebe states that Conrad attempted to create a barrier between himself and the characters by using a framed narrative, a story within a story, to resist exposure. Achebe’s accusations of Conrad being unquestionably racist are met by Wilson Harris, who comes to Conrad’s defence by saying, “he missed the point”. Harris believes the novella can be read as racist but it was made this way on purpose. He believes that Heart of Darkness is a parody; everything that the character says and thinks from the European’s colonial attitude, to his protagonist’s condescending sympathies, is intentional. Harris states that Conrad does his job so well that as a result he appears racist. Harris believes that Achebe is unable to comprehend the depth of what Conrad has written. Harris accuses Achebe of being biased and critical of any literature that is not written by an African. Achebe does not acknowledge Conrad’s message. The novella is not about a journey into the heart of the Congo, but rather a journey into the soul of man. This human experience is what Conrad is talking about. Harris believes the characters needed a place to go and where better than the unexplored part of the world to discover one’s soul.