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Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness 

A Critical Response to Achebe’s Essay

Ryan Du Bois

November 15, 2005

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Conrad’s   Heart of Darkness   is considered   either   a critical appraisal of European

racism and ethnocentrism, or a racist novel, supportive of the inhuman view of Africa and its

inhabitants. However, Conrad’s intent remains unclear, hidden under layers of “insulation”

– making use of a “narrator behind a narrator” – to separate himself from critical reviews

of his novella. Achebe makes a good argument in support of the latter view of   Heart of Darkness , claiming, with adequate textual support and intelligent analysis, that Conrad’s

novella is inherently racist.

However, reading Conrad’s 1895  Author’s Note   to   Almayer’s Folly 1, one finds that

Conrad “[sympathizes] with common mortals, no matter where they live...” In Conrad’s

telling of his factual recovery from illness during his Congo experience – not included in

his fictitious story – he states he was “lying sick to death in a native hut, tended by an

old negress...” We are told that she saved his life when “the white men never came near

me,” giving the impression that Conrad’s  Heart of Darkness   is more the ironic critique of European Imperialism and Ethnocentrism that many believe it is.

Conrad unmistakably supports those battling the oppression he depicted in his novella.

According to D.C.R.A Goonetilleke in the introduction to the 2nd edition of  Heart of Dark-

ness  as published by  Broadview Literary Texts , Conrad wrote to Roger Casement on 21 De-

cember, 1903, stating “There exists in Africa a Congo State, created by the act of European

powers where ruthless systematic cruelty towards the blacks is the basis of administration.”

The diction used in this excerpt, specifically the words “ruthless” and “cruelty,” would make

it seem that Conrad was against this form of administration.

Many critics of Conrad state that he never gave us a fully realized alternative to

Imperialism, and use that as a basis for their argument that  Heart of Darkness   is a racist

novel. However, by revealing the irony and contradiction inherent in European Imperialism

– attempting educate and civilize these “lesser peoples,” as put forth in Kipling’s  The White 

Man’s Burden , by beating, enslaving, and killing them – Conrad is able to subvert the racist

beliefs of his time.

Achebe’s critique of Conrad’s  Heart of Darkness   fails to take into account the per-tinent background information relating to Conrad’s beliefs. Achebe takes the novella’s text

at face value, failing to see the irony and contradiction that is used to subvert the racism of 

the time. By emphasizing Maslow’s depiction of the Native people, and failing to read into

the ironic and ambiguous language, Achebe fails to comprehend how this novel is critical of 

Imperialism and Racism.

1Taken from the introduction to   Heart of Darkness , 2nd ed., edited by D.C.R.A. Goonetilleke

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