Joseph Conrad, Racist or Truthful?

Years after the publication of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, critics have taken the time to produce essays on their thoughts and perceptions of how they viewed Conrad’s story.  The most well known writer, Chinua Achebe, had developed several issues with Conrad’s work.   Whether his main focus was emphasized as racism or the multiple stereotypes, regardless, Achebe was sure that he got his perceptions across to his readers.  A rather significant point that is brought up, describes how Africa is used to make Europe reinforce their qualities or their spiritual goodness.  Achebe describes “Quite simply it is the desire-one might indeed say the need- in Western psychology to set Africa up as a foil to Europe, as a place of negotiations at once remote and vaguely familiar, in comparison with which Europe’s own state of spiritual grace will manifest” (Achebe 337).   The points that were made in his particular article,  not only revolve around how the Europeans use the Africans poor society to make themselves feel better, but furthermore, how the issue of racism is put into effect. 

Since Chinua Achebe himself descended from the African culture and was a literature professor, gives him the potential to make powerful accusations.  Although his accusations carry much weight, it is supported by his credibility rather than a bias.  Achebe’s harsh incentives however show that there can be a condescending bias, as he states in his criticism, “Whatever Conrad’s problems were, you might say he is now safely dead” (345).  These types of strong and intensified statements help define Achebe as the righteous individual who has no fear in supporting  how he feels.

In Conrad’s novella, he is described as having a gift which allows the reader to see his vivid views. J. Hillis Miller discusses this idea in his own criticism, Should we read “Heart of Darkness”?.  In Contrast to Achebe’s work, Miller brings up certain positive aspects of Conrad’s. He speaks in detail how:

“The novella is structured as a long series of episodes each one of which

appears with extreme vividness before the reader’s imaginary vision;

brought there by Conrad’s remarkable descriptive power, only to vanish 

        and be replaced by the next, as though a figured screen had been lifted to

reveal yet another figured screen behind it, with the darkness behind all,    

        like that ‘sinister back-cloth’ Marlow names” (466).

Miller distinctively goes against Achebe’s thoughts and takes Conrad’s thoughts to a higher, more enhanced level.  “Heart of Darkness is a masterwork of irony” (466) he states.  Although not all of Conrad’s depictions and perspectives may be displayed in a positive sense, Miller takes the initiative to take Conrad’s negativity and use it as a strength in which his persuasiveness and determination in getting his point across, show as a strong point.