Heart of Darkness is a classic—no one can deny that. However, Heart of Darkness leaves countless readers unsatisfied because there is no clear moral to the story. Paradoxically, this ambiguous trait is a key reason readers come back to the grotesque tale of Marlow’s journey in the Congo and the Natives being colonized by the Europeans. This novel can be re-read and re-read with multiple critical lenses, and still, readers do not know the specific center. Of course, this is the main goal for every book out there. Unfortunately, in Joseph Conrad’s case, the full-on racism and hate crosses the thin line between an outstanding book and something ugly. The motive for my literature review is to dissect aspects of the text with an impressionism lens
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I came across this critical lens when Michael Lackey quoted John G. Peters in “The Moral Conditions for Genocide in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.” Lackey begins, “this theoretical approach has found its most recent formulation in John G. Peter’s Conrad and Impressionism, which articulates an impressionist epistemology that allows Conrad to maintain ‘moral values’ and thereby ‘avoid the abyss of ethical anarchy and epistemological solipsism’” (20-21). With this in mind, does Heart of Darkness have a center or main point? If so, is Conrad’s hollowness throughout the text purposeful to prove this so-called center? Before I can figure that out, I must analyze the skepticism tone throughout the …show more content…
In Essays and Conrad, his chapter “Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and the Critics” analyzes the racial slurs and assumptions Conrad evokes. Watt brings up Achebe’s claim, that Conrad was a “bloody racist” and disagrees, “The term ‘racism’ was not known to Conrad; the word was not mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary until the 1983 supplement” (86). Watt’s chapter focuses on Marlow being an alter ego to Conrad. Thus, both being aware of the wrongness in colonizing (89). Equally important, Watt believes H.O.D “doesn’t seem to be mainly inspired by a political motive; and this is partly because it is a reminiscence of what the Congo trip had meant for Marlow personally… Conrad’s writing and his mind in general aim to advance, not political programs, but moral understanding” (90-92). If it is a personal experience for Marlow, who was created by Conrad, (and Conrad did experience the Congo) how can readers feel fine reading such a story that depicts racism? Especially, since readers do not hear the other side from the people being colonized. The dispute of H.O.D not having a center-theme is now, the least of my worries because of the racial
I came across this critical lens when Michael Lackey quoted John G. Peters in “The Moral Conditions for Genocide in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.” Lackey begins, “this theoretical approach has found its most recent formulation in John G. Peter’s Conrad and Impressionism, which articulates an impressionist epistemology that allows Conrad to maintain ‘moral values’ and thereby ‘avoid the abyss of ethical anarchy and epistemological solipsism’” (20-21). With this in mind, does Heart of Darkness have a center or main point? If so, is Conrad’s hollowness throughout the text purposeful to prove this so-called center? Before I can figure that out, I must analyze the skepticism tone throughout the …show more content…
In Essays and Conrad, his chapter “Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and the Critics” analyzes the racial slurs and assumptions Conrad evokes. Watt brings up Achebe’s claim, that Conrad was a “bloody racist” and disagrees, “The term ‘racism’ was not known to Conrad; the word was not mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary until the 1983 supplement” (86). Watt’s chapter focuses on Marlow being an alter ego to Conrad. Thus, both being aware of the wrongness in colonizing (89). Equally important, Watt believes H.O.D “doesn’t seem to be mainly inspired by a political motive; and this is partly because it is a reminiscence of what the Congo trip had meant for Marlow personally… Conrad’s writing and his mind in general aim to advance, not political programs, but moral understanding” (90-92). If it is a personal experience for Marlow, who was created by Conrad, (and Conrad did experience the Congo) how can readers feel fine reading such a story that depicts racism? Especially, since readers do not hear the other side from the people being colonized. The dispute of H.O.D not having a center-theme is now, the least of my worries because of the racial