Social status is a key aspect of both Heart of Darkness and Beloved. In both novels, whites have higher standings in the social hierarchy, contributing significantly to the characterization of the characters. In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, it is the white European, portrayed by Mr. Kurtz, who commands the control over those lower on the social ladder, such as the Russian trader. In Beloved by Toni Morrison, is it the Garners and Schoolteacher who shape the lives and personalities of their inferiors: Sethe and the Sweet Home men. It is clear that Kurtz, the Garners, and Schoolteacher attempt to limit and define their inferiors, but it is how their inferiors react to this suppression that truly defines their character. In each novel,
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This holds true for both the Russian trader in Heart of Darkness and the characters from Sweet Home in Beloved. Overcoming something as big as social status is almost impossible because no matter how hard one person tries, there is always someone else who isn’t trying at all, reversing the efforts of the first person. This is shown in both novels where the Sweet Home characters work hard to break away from their social status but the Russian and many others in Heart of Darkness have given in to their fates. Not only is there an even balance of those who work for change and those who wait for change to happen, there is always someone else waiting in the wings after one person falls. In Beloved, the power fell from Mr. Garner to Schoolteacher to whites throughout the city once Sethe and Paul D had escaped. In Heart of Darkness, the power fell from Kurtz to other imperialists who continued the search for African resources elsewhere. Characters in both novels continued to face challenges regarding social status no matter what they chose to do about their situation in the beginning. It is how they continue to fight that continually defines who they are and what they are
This holds true for both the Russian trader in Heart of Darkness and the characters from Sweet Home in Beloved. Overcoming something as big as social status is almost impossible because no matter how hard one person tries, there is always someone else who isn’t trying at all, reversing the efforts of the first person. This is shown in both novels where the Sweet Home characters work hard to break away from their social status but the Russian and many others in Heart of Darkness have given in to their fates. Not only is there an even balance of those who work for change and those who wait for change to happen, there is always someone else waiting in the wings after one person falls. In Beloved, the power fell from Mr. Garner to Schoolteacher to whites throughout the city once Sethe and Paul D had escaped. In Heart of Darkness, the power fell from Kurtz to other imperialists who continued the search for African resources elsewhere. Characters in both novels continued to face challenges regarding social status no matter what they chose to do about their situation in the beginning. It is how they continue to fight that continually defines who they are and what they are