Colonialism and Imperialism - The White Male and the Other in Heart of

The European, White Male vs. the Other in Heart of wickedness The novelette Heart of phantasm has, since its publication in 1899, caused more than controversy and invited much criticism. While some have hailed its author, Joseph Conrad as producing a work in front of its time in its treatment and criticism of colonialist practices in the Congo, others, most notably Chinua Achebe, have criticized it for its racist and sexist construction of cultural identity element. Heart of Darkness can therefore be described as a text edition of its time, as the cultural identity of the dominant society, that is, the European male is constructed in opposition to the other, the other in Heart of Darkness existence defined as black and/or female. Notions of cultural identity be largely constructed through phrase and setting and are essential to the readers spirit of the text. While many characters are critiqued or criticized by Conrad for their exploitation of Africa and its inhabitant s, they cover the dominant and superior race, both according to Conrad, and his primary narrator Charlie Marlow. The African characters are not only constructed as other, but in like manner as inferior and to an extent subhuman. This is evident through their lack of language or voice throughout the text. Africans are denied language, and are instead give grunting noises and a violent babble of mouth sounds relegating them to an inferior status. whole on two occasions are the natives given language and aspect by the author. Firstly, when cannibalism is seen to overcome them, and one of then when asked what they will do with the personate of one of the dead crew, replies Eat im. The second occasion is when the enigmatic mannikin of Kurtz... ...constructing women as the other, not being able to cope with the true statement and facts of life, Conrad asserts the superiority and dominance of the white male. In Heart of Darkness, cultural identity and the dominance of the Euro pean, white male is constructed and asserted through the constructions of the other, that is the African natives and females, largely through language and setting. Thus, while claims of Conrads forwardness in producing a text that critiques colonialism may be valid, Heart of Darkness is ultimately a product of its time and therefore confirms the contextual notions of difference. Bibliography Conrad, J. Heart of Darkness. London Penguin Group. 1995. Achebe, C. An chain of Africa Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness 1975. Sarvan, C.F. Racism and Heart of Darkness 1982.