Samual Raleigh
4 April 2018
Heart of Darkness Through New Historicism
Question: How does Joseph Conrad portray his generation’s standpoint on these historical events of colonialism, and how does he take a step to reshape their understanding of it?
Thesis Joseph Conrad has a very distinct view of colonialism than the Europeans in his generation. In his novella Heart of Darkness, he purposely tells the story from two characters, showing two different conflicting perspectives that he himself struggles to mold together. By developing this type of narrative view, the reader can follow the contemporary European perspective as well as the contrasting perspective from an actual explorer. Conrad subtly, but with much imagery, confronts the idea of what is meant by the words “savage” or “uncivilized,” in a desire(objective) to reshape his and the forthcoming generation.
New Historicism Interpretation of events can change how that event is looked upon and understood. Analyzing Heart of Darkness through a new historicism lens gives insight into what Joseph Conrad was trying to portray.
Purpose The most prominent theme in this short novel is the falseness of Imperialism. As Marlow reaches the end of his journey, he has seen and experienced the atrocities of colonization–the very act he and the Europeans glorified and praised. He raises doubts about the morality, yet he still struggles to fully deny imperialism. Conrad wanted to express his views, in a chance to re-evaluate their doings.
Heart of Darkness brings attention to a possible misconception of the Africans. Marlow is on a spiritual journey of exploring and taming the unknown, admiring the late imperial heroes of Great Britain. As Marlow narrates his journey, he uses distinct words when describing the European colonizers and the Africans. Marlow’s glorification of the whites versus the denigration of the non-whites allude to his, as much as Kurtz, the other colonizers, and Conrad’s, predisposed chauvinism.
Conrad affirmatively condemns the acts of imperialism and colonialism, but also presents a controversial topic about race.
Along the journey to Africa down the Congo river, Marlow is faced with the ugly truths of imperialism and colonization, sparking an internal conflict of righteousness.
He undergoes a psychological journey that leads him to the discovery of a novel perspective: that the Africans are not so much like how they are described.
Text Evidence #1 Conrad tries to show that Kurtz and Marlow recognize that the Africans are maybe “not inhuman,” although he struggles to find a resolution with this enlightening idea. The way Conrad concludes the story reflects his own sense of realization, but at the same time, his ignorance of this “idea” (). Looking through a New Historicists lens, the internal struggles within the characters in this novel help illustrate how the colonization of Africa was seen and understood by Conrad and the people of his generation.
The rendition of Conrad’s message
Counterargument The fact that Marlow is speaking with hindsight raises a question on his story’s credibility.
Final Thoughts I find it fascinating that with New Historicism, one could view the novel in two different, contrasting perspectives. One being that the novel follows this traditional framework–the way Conrad is writing as the typical European with their views from their era. On the other hand, the literature reads as if Conrad is opposing that same traditional framework. Conrad is trying to reshape his people’s perspective and understanding of Africans/colonialism as a whole.
Conrad tried to subtly portray the dark reality of imperialism, by having the story be told in a frame narrative style.
Conrad was preoccupied with a range of themes, including the nature of so-called “civilization” and the conflict inherent in the “noble savage” view of humanity. He found a vocabulary and an imagery that enabled him to explore these themes in narrative form. While this wasn’t always subtle, he did at least manage to do so without allowing the philosophy to displace or overshadow the telling of the tale, and without reducing his characters to puppets with labels on. I suspect that many readers are put off by the slowness of pace, and it’s true that Conrad felt he needed to take his time to create the moods and effects he was after. There are some things you just can’t rush! But I find his novels reward the investment required by the reader
to judge the book by our standards is to do Conrad an injustice. By the standards of his day he was actually rather progressive. Achebe is wrong to call the book racist because he’s not judging it from a meaningful perspective, but by our standards it’s pretty harsh.
Every great author posses the ability to create a novel deeply woven in symbolism and subliminal messages. Underneath the literal journey encountered in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness lies a tale saturated with subtle, yet, significant imagery that brings forth the true meaning of the novella.