Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness has sparked controversy since the time it was written due to its’ graphic description of the native people. Critics such as Chinua Achebe claim Heart of Darkness is a racist novel and portrays the native people as sub-human beings. However, Achebe could be mistaken for Marlow’s unfamiliarity with the African culture. Marlow understood there humanity and felt sympathy for the natives under the oppression of imperialism. One of the major reason Achebe believes Conrad’s novel is racist, is the way Africans are described throughout the book. Conrad describes their language as “a violent babble of uncouth sounds”. Achebe sees this statement as a degradation of the African culture, portraying them as unintelligent beasts. However, it is very possible the language only seemed odd and foreign to Conrad because it was unfamiliar to him. The first time hearing any language the listener is likely to be confused. Also, Achebe became upset because Conrad vividly described Africans as committing cannibalism, giving the reader the sense that they were savages. It is not wrong to explain what he saw; if he saw cannibalism and was …show more content…
Achebe’s criticism is not warranted in this case however because Conrad does recognize their humanity. Conrad depicts how the Africans are running, spinning and jumping around crazily, but then goes on to say “what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity—like yours…” This shows that even though he does not understand the African culture or rituals, he still understands that they are human, like him. Later, Marlow interacts with a native who is firing up a boiler, an important task. Conrad recognizes this as an intelligent, human quality and understands his importance. This shows that he didn’t look down upon the natives and that he was simply expressing the environment around