Comparative analysis of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness versus Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

When the Europeans arrived in Nigeria to harvest ivory and spread their religious ideals, numerous Africans were exploited and their cultures have been irreversibly changed. Two novels, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Items Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, offer accounts of how the white man impacted Africa. But whether or not the novels truly complement every single other is questionable. Conrad’s function has been labeled “racist” by Chinua and includes some components, such as language and viewpoint, that let it to be open to interpretation. Even though ideas of racism do exist in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, additional analyzation shows that it does depict some sympathy towards the Africans. It specifically shows African dignity and culture via contrast with the brutality of the Europeans, generating the book a complement to Items Fall Apart.

In each functions, the authors show the humanity of African culture via the actions and traditions of the Nigerians. Conrad, for example, emphasizes the amount of handle exhibited by the locals, particularly by way of Marlow’s reactions and observations. Although he says he “would just as quickly have expected restraint from a hyena prowling amongst the corpses of a battlefield” than from the “natives,” Marlow admires the powerful will possessed by the starving cannibals on the boat. He says, “it’s truly less complicated to face bereavement, dishonour, and the perdition of one’s soul-than this kind of prolonged hunger.” Though the comparison of a particular person to a hyena is crude, the respect conveyed in these lines show that Conrad does acknowledge the honorable traits possessed by the Nigerians.

Achebe’s novel goes beyond mere acknowledgement, even so. Alternatively, it offers an in-depth look at the culture of the Nigerians by following the life of Okonkwo, a respected member of the Umuofia tribe. The narrator remains objective all through the piece and describes customs performed by the tribe that may be viewed as either constructive or adverse by the reader. This point of view offers a various potential than Conrad, who exclusively views events from a European standpoint.

A single example of the traditions in Achebe’s novel is the sacred week of peace held in between the harvest and the planting. When Okonkwo breaks the peace by beating his wife, he is forced to give a sacrifice to the earth goddess. Previously, we find out, the punishment was to be dragged through the village until death, but this practice was discontinued due to the fact it broke the peace it was meant to safeguard. Although this custom may seem barbaric, it shows the importance of justice and peace to the society, contrasting Conrad’s depictions of “grotesque” and “horrid” behavior. Rather, Achebe shows that there was a variety of government in spot that was respected and obeyed.

A powerful sense of ancestry and family members ties is also evident. When the white man threatens the tribe, Okiko, a speaker, says that those who remain to defend the old ways “have remained correct to their fathers.” Moreover, when Okonkwo’s son Nwoye joins the Christian missionaries, Okonkwo is not only angry, but worried that his spirit will never be respected by his descendents soon after his death. This connection to other human beings, although essential to Umuofia, is never alluded to by Conrad.

Achebe continues to show the depth of the feelings skilled by the natives, particularly those felt by Okonkwo. By providing the history of his father, 1 is in a position to clearly discern the motives that drove Okonkwo to become the proud and hardworking individual described in the novel. This individual background provides additional insight into the reasoning behind his emotions and makes his “savage” personality appear much more humane. The capacity for emotion is additional emphasized by the sturdy connection he feels with the rest of the tribe. Shortly ahead of his death, “Okonkwo was deeply grieved. And it was not just a individual grief. He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart.” Okonkwo was not a mindless brute, but a human being with feelings, attitudes, and motivations.

These concise observations supply far a lot more insight into the humanity of the Nigerians than Conrad offers. In Heart of Darkness, none of the Africans are given a name and their perspectives and opinions are not acknowledged or speculated on. The deepest connection any European feels is from Marlow, who feels a “claim of distant kinship” to the helmsman of the boat. He also engages in a few friendly deeds, such as sharing a biscuit with a dying nearby, but there are no close relationships with any of the natives.

Conrad’s redemption is in how starkly he describes the exploitation of the Africans. When Marlow arrives at the Congo, he meets an accountant who is unconcerned with the properly-becoming of the native individuals about him. When working, he comments that the groaning of a dying man are distracting and that “when one particular has got to make right entries, 1 comes to hate these savages ¾ hate them to the death.” By displaying the callousness of the explorers, Conrad suggests that the European settlers contained as significantly primitiveness as the “prehistoric” males they oppressed.

But regardless of the dark portrayal of the whites in Conrad’s novel, Items Fall Apart offers a clearer image of how the Europeans genuinely impacted the culture of Nigeria by way of the use of two diverse missionaries: Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith. When the church comes, they bring a government and belief method radically distinct from these in place in Umuofia. Even though Mr. Brown’s approach to evangelism was fairly unobtrusive, Mr. Smith shows how significantly influence and energy the Europeans had been capable to have over the Africans by actively working to change the traditions and beliefs of the Nigerians.

When Okonkwo leads the revolt against the missionaries, he is placed into their prison and he breaks down. Even though he has great respect for the laws and traditions of Umuofia, he commits suicide, one of the most disrespected crimes. This extreme act shows how fantastic of an effect the white men had on an person as nicely as the tribe as a entire. Though Okonkwo took his own life, his friend, Obierka, areas the ultimate blame on the Europeans. “That man was one particular of the greatest men in Umuofia,” he states. “You drove him to kill himself, and now he will be buried like a dog.” By using a native to place the duty of the death on the missionaries, Chinua offers a a lot more effective account of Europeans coming to Africa than Conrad.

Therefore, although Heart of Darkness does convey some parallel tips of the European influence in Africa, it lacks the force contained by Items Fall Apart. Conrad attempts to show the savage nature inherent in the whites, but makes use of language that could nonetheless be interpreted as racist and does not offer you any thoughts from the locals impacted by the settlers. Chinua, on the other hand, utilizes point of view to focus on the individual and the tribe in occasions of alter and gives a more substantial background of the Nigerian culture prior to the arrival of the Christians. Heart of Darkness and Issues Fall Apart complement every single other in theme, but Chinua’s operate is much more efficient in conveying its ideas and contains much less ambiguity.