In my opinion, I believe that the degradation of the native people is something which represents the actual perspective of the time period if a white male from Europe took a journey down the Congo. When Conrad ventured on his journey down the river, I am sure that he witnessed savagery and racism which was both present and accepted during this time period (In the late nineteenth century Africans were still regarded as being lesser individuals). In some ways, it can be seen that Marlow is a racist and refers to the natives as "niggers" among other inhuman terms. This is prevalent throughout the book. However, think back to the time period in which this novel was written and takes place. Would it not have been normal to refer to Africans as "niggers" and believed that they were lesser than the Europeans? In one passage, Marlow remarks that Africa is "the other world." Africa is meant to represent an entirely different universe, an antithesis one could say, to the European culture which the narrator of the story is used to. As a result, he may utilize some negative adjectives to describe the natives, but that doesn't make the narrator or the author of the novel racist. It simply represents that they were speaking and acting as they would have spoken during the time of the novel's creation (historical lens analysis).
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ReplyDeleteOne could argue that the fact that "niggers" was a socially acceptable derogatory word shows how society as a whole is racist, not just the author. Just because it is normal does not mean that it is okay or that the author does not have racist tendencies. It would have been normal for a Nazi to call a Jew a "Judenschwein" (Jewpig) or other such crude names they had for them, but that does not mean they did not have antisemitic attitudes and beliefs. While it is historically accurate that the n word was not such a big deal at the time, one can not toss away the fact that it is still demeaning towards the other race. However, in the historical lens one is supposed to take into consideration that time period. That being said, at the time period the book takes place in it would not have seemed to be racist. Your analysis was well done and you brought up some great points for discussion! I hope we can talk about this in class because it would be an interesting conversation to have.
ReplyDelete(Also, my last comment submitted too soon, so pardon that :) )
I totally agree with everything Ginny said! The social aspect and interpretation is very much dependent on the time period. A persons actions is very heavily shaped by his or her period. This is very evident in Heart of Darkness through the language. Taking this into consideration, could the fact of time period discount the racism of the characters? Does it justify it? I would love to discuss the point Dana made also. So sad we're not in the same class. Very interesting points made!
ReplyDeleteDuring the time period in which this novella was created, the remarks made by Englishmen toward "natives" were common terminology. The societal perception of these remarks were not known as being racist nor was action taken because of them. I agree with Ginny that such remarks were racist but only because we know what racism is. We perceive Conrad's comments as those of a racist Englishmen; however, he nor the English society thought wrong of it. Because we must recognize the context of the time, we must consider that Conrad's comments were widely accepted as correct for the time and not those of a racist manner. (I’m not saying that they are not racist…they are. But context creates an entirely different meaning.)
ReplyDeleteThe commentary the Englishmen used were of course derogatory and demeaning to the Africa people, and is in no way appropriate, but I do understand it's use in the novel, it adds reality to it, because it is highly unlikely that people of such trades went to Africa and treated the people as their equals. The term "nigger" was the term used to speak about a black person to use anything else would be uncommon and not fitting to the period.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that this degradation of the Africans was an accurate representation of the perspective of the average white European. As Marlow states himself, “The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.” The imperialists at that time, however, chose not to “look into it too much,” and as a result, degraded innocent human beings due to prejudice. Although the side remarks and comments made in the novel are indeed racist, they should be analyzed in a more historical context in order to fully grasp the message of the book.
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