Heart Of Darkness Essay Example For Students

Heart Of Darkness Essay It is often said that when considering a work of great literature, the title of such work can be just as important as the context of the story. Authors time and again wait until they have completed the context of their work to give it a title as to make sure this chosen title is the best possible representation of their work. Stated equally as often is that the significance of some of these titles is easy to recognize while in other titles, the significance is only developed gradually. The latter is the case for Joseph Conrads Heart Of Darkness. The author implements the literary devices of contrast, repetition and point of view to successfully convey the meaning and symbolism of his title. When reading Heart of Darkness the reader can clearly comprehend the bias towards the natives that the main character Marlow portrays while telling the story. Marlow describes the villagers as scavengers, and illustrates them to be barbaric and inhumane. As a professor at the University of Massachusetts, teaching African history, Achebe is very well educated in African society and what was like during this time. He describes Conrads view of the African society to be a display to the Europeans of his interpretation of the African culture which was ruthless and uncultured. One of the main examples for the story that Achebe uses to support his theory is how Conrad describes the villagers dying. They were dying slowly it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now, nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation lying confusedly in the greenish gloom. Marlows description of the villagers dying gives the reader the impression that the se people are not human, and that even in death they do not have human qualities. Understanding the novels premise that every man has a heart of darkness, the reader can sense Conrads own heart of darkness, when referring to the natives. Conrads point of view on the natives is stated very clear in the story. Conrad describes the natives as not even being human, but also he describes the main character Marlows fascination with the natives, and how Marlow finds these people quite interesting. Marlows fascination with the natives, Conrads viewpoint of the natives, and Achebes argument against Conrads viewpoint of the natives all give the reader one common issue. Is Conrads novella Heart of Darkness displaying Conrads antipathy against the Africans during that time period? Or is he just trying to create a dramatic setting for his story? Conrads illustration of the Africans at this time shows that he does not think of them as civilized human being. He does not even think of them as human beings at all. He shows his apprehension of the Africans through Marlow and how Marlow treats these characters, by not naming them and using them as crew workers on the boat, not even as actual passengers. Through the readers standpoint Conrads excessive use of the villagers as cannibals and his translation of what the Africans at that time where like, it demonstrates Conrads racism toward the Africans. During this time in England and also in America society was very ignorant to what it was like in Africa and what those people where like. So in the story of Heart of Darkness he wants to expose the world to what he believed the Africans where really like and how he believed they lived. When reading An Image of Africa: Racism in Heart of Darkness, Achebe shows the reader that Conrads description of Africa during this time is ludicrous, and that if these people are so barbaric, then how come they have a place in our society today?