Literary Comparison of the Portrayal of Heart Of Darkness and Things Fall Apart
16 views 0 purchase
Course
English
Institution
AQA
Book
Things Fall Apart
This is a literary comparison between Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart by Joseph Conrad and Chinua Achebe respectively. It navigates the portrayal of Africa in both books and themes which differ between the books
A comparative analysis of the literary devices used to explore the perception of African culture
and people in ‘Things Fall Apart’ and ‘Heart of Darkness’ and the effects of the internalisation of
Africa through Eurocentric standards in literature.
By Khadijah-Amani Denton-Bennett
‘Things Fall Apart’ by Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe is a novel published in 1958 depicting pre-
colonial life in the Igbo tribe in Umuofia, Nigeria, and the arrival of Europeans during the 1800s. The
story follows Okonkwo, the son of a musician and artist, who is determined to become the opposite
of his ‘weak’ father by rejecting everything his father believed in. Okonkwo values his reputation in a
society in which he is highly respected for winning a fight against an undefeated wrestler – even
killing his own son to prove his strength. This event is the beginning of a downfall in incidents for
Okonkwo who is exiled from the village only to return to Umuofia 7 years later to find that European
missionaries had formed a government in the village, westernising Igbo culture. Okonkwo eventually
commits suicide by hanging himself as he cannot live knowing he is no longer as powerful and
influential in his tribe as the white man who had taken over. Achebe wrote ‘Things Fall Apart’ as a
direct response to the novel ‘Heart of Darkness’ written by Joseph Conrad in 1899 which tells a story
of an English seaman on his pilgrimage into the Congo in Central Africa. ‘Heart of Darkness’
alongside ‘Things Fall Apart’ explores themes such as colonialism/neo-colonialism, and imperialism
but the former, like many historic European literature, is often heavily criticised for its’ negative and
even racist perceptions of African people and culture. ‘Heart of Darkness’ presents Africa as an
uncivilised country; its’ people as ‘savages’ due to their traditions and religious practices and
deemed dangerous. Such perceptions play a major role in the systemic racism ingrained into society
today. In this dissertation, I will analyse and explore, through literary devices such as
characterisation, setting, and narrative method, the ways in which both writers portray Africa and
the effects in which the portrayal through literature may be internalised by readers, affecting how
Africa is perceived in modern day.
‘Heart of Darkness’ is first set on a boat, ‘The Nellie’, anchored on the River Thames. The author
introduces us to the main character, Marlow, who is said to be based on himself. Conrad, a former
seaman, had also travelled globally in Africa, as well as Australia and South America, in a similar
fashion to the main character of the novel. Marlow begins to recall his pilgrimage to the “blank
space of delightful mystery” he had dreamed of visiting since he was young. This use of metaphor is
significant imagery as the ‘blank space’ represents areas of the world that had not been discovered
by Europe yet. However, the Europeans had claimed discovery of these islands as their own when
these areas already had inhabitants. Marlow takes a job as a steamboat captain and travels to Congo
to meet Kurtz, the commander of a trading post within the company. There, he witnesses the ill
treatment of the Native African people and the plans to civilise them introducing the themes of
darkness and evil, racism, and imperialism. The novel is first set in 1891 where the River Thames is
described as ‘a tranquil waterway’ that ‘seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness’.
Marlow also says, “And this also… has been one of the dark places of the Earth”, speaking to his
shipmates. Here, Marlow begins to tell his story while referring to England as somewhere that used
to be dark and evil but is now considered to be a civilised country whereas Congo and the rest of
Africa is not perceived that way. He also says, “Light came out of this river, but darkness was here
yesterday”, which further supports the fact of England once being filled with darkness. The author’s
constant use of ‘darkness’ acts as a motif in order to emphasise the themes of the novel. In this way,
he relates sailing along the river in England to the sailing along the river in Africa, bonding the two
, locations and making Africa a version of Europe’s past. Upon arriving in Congo, Marlow described
the African river, comparing sailing up it to going back in time; “Going up that river was like
travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the earth…” is said by Marlow and demonstrates the
author’s use of imagery and contrast to present Africa as ‘developing’. This is shown when Marlow
catches a glimpse of the native villages nearby. He narrates, “It was unearthly, and the men were -
No, they were not inhuman”. Marlow pauses, admitting the limits of his own perception. “They
howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces... ugly”. This description demonstrates that
Marlow merely views the African people as a primitive version of himself and not as humans equal
to him. This is an example of the postcolonial concept allochronic discourse which is prominent in
Western society as a belief of superiority. Marlow’s statements imply that the presence of Europe is
deemed as the bar standard for evolution and European people perceive Africa as a stage of human
development which is underdeveloped. The descriptions of Congo used are as if Africa exists in
another time period to Europe when, in fact, Africa has always been a ‘developed country’ only their
culture differs from others. In this way, characterisation is used by the author to portray Marlow as
someone against colonialism, however, through the text we are able to deduce the bigger problem;
though he states he is against such ideology, this is not shown in the casual negative perceptions of
Africans narrated by Marlow, ultimately proving against his own point.
As ‘Things Fall Apart’ was written as a direct response to ‘Heart of Darkness’, Achebe presents
Nigerian culture in the novel as complex yet civilised through aspects of religion, government and
even a judicial system rather than as “animalistic savages”. Chinua Achebe wanted to ensure ‘his
people’ were portrayed appropriately as he said, “When I reached a certain age, I realised when
reading Heart of Darkness that I was not on Marlow’s ship, but instead I was one of the unattractive
beings Marlow was passing”. This is in reference to Marlow’s description of ‘the savage who was
fireman’ a black worker on the ship whom Marlow likens to “a dog in a parody of breeches and a
feather hat”. The act of comparing black people to animals is degrading and reduces them to
unequal and less than human, further emphasising the themes of the novel. Therefore, ‘Things Fall
Apart’, which is also set in the 1890s in Umuofia (a fictional location), is widely considered
allegorical. Achebe bases the book on his own experiences and upbringing as the novel is focused on
the Igbo people and tribe in Nigeria. The portrayal of the Igbo community is significant in the novel
because it displays organisation and structure with morals and ethics pre-colonialism – something
‘Heart of Darkness most definitely does not do. This is demonstrated through the Umuofian justice
system. For example, Okonkwo is exiled from the Umuofian village for murder - an exile which lasts
7 years. This is contrasted with the story of Aneto who, as Okonkwo returns from his exile, is hanged
by the white government after killing a man with whom he had a dispute. This comparison
demonstrates the effects of imperialism on Africa as the harsher punishment of a death sentence
shows that the white man’s system can be more brutal that the one of Umuofia. The Europeans
thought Igbo culture and laws were foolish and ‘savage’ and this was further emphasising the desire
to civilise the African people. Okonkwo’s best friend, Obierika says, referring to the Europeans, “He
has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart”. The ultimate effect of
imperialism is that it is destroying the sovereignty of African society. The ‘knife’ is symbolic of the
killing of both Aneto and of the traditional Umuofian society which kept the clan together. In this
way, Achebe has used characterisation to depict the African characters as civil and strong in contrast
to the depiction in ‘Heart of Darkness’. This is done as the characters are symbolic of the good and
the evil in society. ‘Things Fall Apart’ demonstrates the effects of imperialism on a society that was in
fact civilised, only deemed savage by Europeans because of differences in culture. The use of setting
is significant as a literary device in both novels as the characters are shown as comfortable in their
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller khadijah-amanidenton-bennett. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.18. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
