Racism And Social Darwinism In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

Racism: the belief that one race is superior to another race; the belief that can destruct the entire human race; the belief that instead of tearing down walls between humanity, strengthens them to make them colossal. Not only does racism slowly demolish civilization but it can also lead to other predicaments, such as Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism promotes the idea of survival of the fittest. In this perception, only the more cultured and refined races are believed to have a reason to live. The powerless and less civilized races are sentenced to removal from the planet. One of the most prominent examples of Social Darwinism is imperialism: the act of taking over another country to reform the country and its people. European countries have been the biggest culprits of Imperialism in the past by taking over many powerless countries in Africa. The idea of imperialism rests on the belief of racism and how certain races have the power to take over others. One of the most famous novels about imperialism is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Instead of condoning racism and imperialism however, the book criticizes it. The correct interpretation of Heart of Darkness provides evidence that all humans are equal and …show more content…
The novel reprimanded imperialism by showing the harsh realities of what really happened during this time. By doing this, the novel was able to condemn Social Darwinism and the idea that some races are better than others and have the power to control others. Racism was criticized as a broad topic throughout the novel by the evidence and interpretation. The idea that some races are better than others was shot down by the novel through evidence. It was never the idea that all races are put on a high pedestal but all races are on an equal pedestal. The idea that although not all of humanity may be good, all of humanity is equal, regardless of