Another look into the Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a book that many critics say is "among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language." Though I can say that it is nice to finally be able to look at this novel from another point of view. Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, looks at Heart of Darkness in a completely different perspective.

He wrote the article "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" which is what I would say to be a very insightful look into the writing style and idea behind Heart of Darkness. When reading the, I had a hard time with Conrad's wording and Archebe speaks on that withing his article. This quote sums it up better than I surely ever could. I truly also felt that Conrad uses decriptive words to the point that is becomes too much and Archebe notes that...

"When a writer while pretending to record scenes, incidents and their impact is in reality engaged in inducing hypnotic stupor in his readers through a bombardment of emotive words and other forms of trickery much more has to be at stake than stylistic felicity."

Archebe makes so many insightful remarks of Heart of Darkness that is hard to not go on and on about them all. But in general I can say that it was truly refreshing to see someone with a very different out look on the novel. But the biggest issue that he speaks of is the racism that Conrad shows withing his novel. I do not know if first time readers even notice anything of that nature but Archebe surely catches it and points it out. Especially with the characters within the novel...

"The kind of liberalism espoused here by Marlow/Conrad touched all the best minds of the age in England, Europe and America. It took different forms in the minds of different people but almost always managed to sidestep the ultimate question of equality between white people and black people. That extraordinary missionary, Albert Schweitzer, who sacrificed brilliant careers in music and theology in Europe for a life of service to Africans in much the same area as Conrad writes about, epitomizes the ambivalence. In a comment which has often been quoted Schweitzer says: "The African is indeed my brother but my junior brother." "

There are quite a few times through out Archebe's article that he speaks of how Conrad explains differences throughout his book. And yes there truly were differences that were needed to be fully distinguished. But I think that it is Conrad's uncanny way of doing it. Then again there have been many times, which most everyone is guarenteed to have done once, where we say something one way and someone takes it the wrong way. Even if that is not how we may have meant for something to be said. After you say it what can you do?

Conrad may have had some rasism issues when writing Heart of Darkness. Many people during his time might have. Then again to give Conrad the benefit of the doubt, no one truly knows what Conrad meant during the majority of his novel other than him.