A Seemingly Racist Novella

A Seemingly Racist Novella

  • Submitted By: jessf67
  • Date Submitted: 11/18/2008 12:48 PM
  • Category: Book Reports
  • Words: 948
  • Page: 4
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Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a novella that has been copiously reviewed and
studied by a variety of scholars and students. The question of whether or not the novella is racist
is one of the most commonly debated aspects of the work. It is my belief that the presence of
racism in Heart of Darkness depends on whether or not the reader critiques the novella from an
ethnocentric viewpoint. Therefore, those with highly Eurocentric beliefs would not consider this
novella to be racist. On the other hand, a Nigerian writer such as Chinua Achebe could clearly
identify various aspects of racism throughout the work. However, just because a person is white,
does not mean that they have ethnocentric views towards other races. Similarly, an African
person does not necessarily have an anti-white outlook. Since Heart of Darkness is one of the
first literary works to touch on colonialism, I believe that the presence of racism throughout the
novella is undeniable. Ultimately, while reading Heart of Darkness I continuously felt
sympathetic towards the Natives of Congo as their land and humanity are clearly being
robbed from them.
One aspect that makes Conrad's novella seem quite racist is his various references in the
text between the Natives and insects/animals. Rather than classifying the Natives as humans, he
continuously refers to them as creatures. Throughout his journey through the Congo, the main
character Marlow (who is white), is constantly describing his sightings of the Natives. Most of
his descriptions demonstrate racism. He describes them to be “mostly black and naked, moving
about like ants” (Conrad 31). Referring to the Natives as ants causes for the reader to view them
as small and helpless. Ants are often scurrying around, while large humans stomp on their
minute ant hills. In addition, Marlow shares that “black rags were wound round' their loins, and
the short ends behind waggled to and fro like tails” (35). The...

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