Heart Of Darkness And The God Of Small Things

“Return of the Repressed”

Early on in life, everybody inherits a set of subconscious biases of their surroundings. These initial assumptions remain constant for the entity of one’s life and help guide the way one acts in a certain situation. It is very convenient to strictly adhere to these primary judgements, but in Heart of Darkness and The God of Small Things, Marlow and Estha, Rahel and Ammu attempt to break away from these biases. All of these characters develop impactful relationships with outcasted members of society, breaking societal laws and challenging these initial subconscious thoughts. Even though Marlow and Estha, Rahel and Ammu are able to temporarily recognize the enslaved Africans and outcasted Velutha’s shared humanity,

When thinking about colonization, Marlow comes to a realization, claiming that "this conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion … than ourselves, is not a pretty thing" (Conrad 12). There are transitory moments where Marlow is able to understand the fault in the rationale behind colonization. Marlow says that colonization “is not a pretty thing”, as it takes land away from others merely because of a “different complexion”. Marlow also realizes the African’s shared humanity when he is on the board traveling towards the inner station. He described that “we are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there—there you could look at a thing monstrous and free. It was unearthly, and the men were—No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it—this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one” (Conrad 44). Marlow is shocked to such an extent that “the earth seemed unearthly” (Conrad 44). He claims that what “thrilled [him] the most was just the thought of their humanity” (Conrad 44). Coming from a society that immediately assumes European superiority, Marlow had always inherently assumed that there was a clear physical and physiological difference between Europeans and Africans. This assumption is challenged when Marlow is actually on the boat in Africa, personally interacting with the Africans. Marlow realizes that they are not the strange, barbaric creatures being portrayed across Europe, but rather intellectually capable people that were “not inhuman”. This understated realization is Marlow’s method of coping with such a groundbreaking conclusion. Marlow claims that “the worst of it” was the inaccuracy of the rumors that everyone in Europe had come