An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

Chinua Achebe is probably Africa&s;s most widely read novelist. Achebe, the sins of Conrad are deeply connected to a desire in Western psychology to set Africa up as a foil to Europe, a place of negations at once remote and vaguely familiar, in comparison with which Europe&s;s own state of spiritual grace will be manifest. Heart of Darkness projects the image of Africa as &s;the other world&s;, the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where man&s;s vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality. The kind of liberalism espoused here by Marlow/Conrad touched all the best minds of the age in England, Europe and America. Marlow comes through to us not only as a witness of truth, but one holding those advanced and humane views appropriate to the English liberal tradition which required all Englishmen of decency to be deeply shocked by atrocities in Bulgaria.