The Fear of the Unknown

Douglas Kerr's article, "Three Ways of Going Wrong: Kipling, Conrad, Coetzee” highlights nearly every important similarity between both Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians; however, he fails to touch upon the prevalent theme illustrated in both novels: the fear of the unknown. When I first read Heart of Darkness, I felt that the term “savage,” used to characterize the inhabitants of Africa, was overtly racist and politically incorrect. In fact, one of the most obvious and recurrent themes in Conrad’s book is how darkness is the abyss of evil while light is the pure savior. This too can also be applied to race, as the text may be commenting on how the people with dark skin are inherently inferior while the lighter white-skinned people are born superior. Still, while the terminology in Heart of Darkness is undeniably offensive, after reading Waiting for the Barbarians, I soon realized that this root of this derogatory language was not race after all. In fact, this same sense of superiority amongst a more advanced people is evident in Waiting for the Barbarians as well, but unlike a white society discriminating against a black one, it is a powerful Empire being hateful towards the peaceful people who live just outside of the boundaries. Much like how the less advanced and less power-hungry peoples of Africa are deemed “savages,” the nomads and fishermen who inhabit the land outside of the Empire are termed “barbarians.” What is it that these savages and barbarians have done to be insulted, hated, tortured, and ultimately, treated no better than wild beasts? It all boils down to an more “civilized” society’s belief that they are the best by nature, and therefore, are meant to exert this destined dominance; however, there is also an underlying fear that the peoples and customs that which they are incapable of understanding could ultimately be the cause of their downfall. Now why is it that a people with a greater spectrum of education and civilization are so afraid of the unknown? The problem is that because they cannot make sense of these people or their ways, they are unable to methodically analyze their actions, and therefore, must always be in suspicion. The ultimate travesty for them would be if anything got in the way of them and their power. And so, they must always be sure that they keep the barbarians and savages in check, and in doing so, they can flex their muscles to the world. In the end, power is everything, and cowering in fear of the unknown could potentially compromise that power (434).

Love...Or Lack Thereof in Waiting for the Barbarians

After reading the first four sections of Waiting for the Barbarians, I can only think of one word to describe my state of mind: confused. The concept of love, or lack thereof, in the novel completely baffles me. At first, it seemed as though the narrator only wanted to help the beggar “barbarian” woman because of his guilty conscience. However, things became strange when he started caressing her feet and later, bathing her. He seemed to care about her enough to not simply keep her around for the sexual pleasures; in fact, he does not even have sex with her until months of knowing her. Still, he rejects her when she wants to make love and instead sneaks off in the nights to have sex with a prostitute. If he is truly in love with this barbarian woman, why is it that he can hardly picture her in a sexual way? Also, I was dumbfounded by her desire to make love to him. At first, I assumed that she simply wanted to know that she was good enough for him; however, later events in the reading prove this theory to be false. If the knowledge of being wanted was all that she was after, she surely would not have snuck into his bed naked and finally had sex with him. If she was so keen to be with him, one would assume that she also cared deeply for him, perhaps even loved him. This is clearly not the case, as when she is given the opportunity to either return to her barbarian peoples or to stay with the narrator, she chooses to leave him. Why is it that she wanted to have sex with the old, and judging by the descriptions throughout the novel, unattractive man when she had no reason to do so? If she was truly just with him because there was nowhere else to be, wouldn’t she savor the opportunity to not be sexually exploited? I am unsure as to how the two feel about one another, but I think it is safe to say that the relationship leaves the reader with several questions that will hopefully be answered as the novel continues (366).

Brief Summary of Edward W. Said’s “Two Visions in Heart of Darkness”

Imperialism

- In the nineteenth century, the world’s greatest powers all wanted to become the strongest and largest empires, thus causing much of the world to be dominated by them.

- This is the concept of imperialism, and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is all about Europe’s brutal mission to colonize the “dark” world.

- The common theme recurring throughout the novel is that the Europeans were constantly trying to exert their imperial power over those in the darkness, also known as Africa.

Conrad through Said’s Eyes

- Conrad is set apart from the other Europeans of his time because he was aware of and critical of his actions. These self-conscious views are expressed through Marlow’s narrative.

- In Conrad’s time, freedom was for the whites, while oppression and a lack of independence was for those considered inferior.

- Because Conrad lived in the time of widespread imperialism, he could only imagine the world ruled by a few European powers.

- Conrad’s critique of imperialism is illustrated through Marlow’s narrative.

- Marlow’s story begins and ends with the darkness; Conrad’s story is therefore a circular one.

- The narrators in Heart of Darkness do not have the same views or opinions of average British citizens of the time period.

- What makes the narrators different is the fact that they actually think deeply about the concept of imperialism and how long it will last instead of passively accepting it.

- Conrad realized that the darkness had the potential to be colonized but also that it had to be recognized as independent.

- Like Conrad, both Marlow and Kurtz acknowledge the darkness, allowing them to understand that the darkness is its own country despite imperialism.

- Still, like Conrad, Marlow and Kurtz live during a time when the only thing they knew was imperialism; therefore, they are unable to know what the next logical step should be.

- In our times, we recognize that the next step would have been to recognize that the Africans, in fact, were resisting imperialism and hoping to one day rid themselves of the European power.

- Because Conrad was incapable of imagining a world without imperialism, he was unable to picture the natives ruling themselves. According to Said, this is Conrad’s “tragic limitation” (428.)

The “Two Visions” in Heart of Darkness

- The first argument is that although the Western powers left their colonies and “withdrew” from Africa and Asia, they still retained rule over the markets, morals, and education in these places.

- This creates the picture of the darkness being incapable of being redeemed because of its inferiority.

- This argument leads to a lot of objection and criticism.

- The second argument claims that imperialism was simply something of that time and that place, not something that would continue even in the post-colonial world.

- This theory also says that imperialism, like everything else in the human world, had its moment of popularity that would eventually pass, like everything else in life.

- This argument is more commonly accepted. (518)

A White Lie for a Woman Dressed in Black

Near the end of his story, Marlow recounts the visit he paid to the woman who would have become Kurtz’s wife. Kurtz’s “Intended” acts and behaves as if “she would remember and mourn for ever.” (73) The room she is standing in is described as dark, as are her sunken eyes. She asks Marlow what Kurtz’s last words were, and Marlow becomes uneasy and unsure as to how to answer this question. Finally, he decides to appease her by telling her that Kurtz’s final words were her name. It seems like a pretty harmless lie—a white lie, in fact. A white lie told to brighten up the world of a woman perpetually plagued by darkness.

Why do you think Marlow chose to lie about Kurtz’s final words? Does the fact that he told this lie make him a less admirable character? Do you think that he selfishly lied in order to escape her sorrow when she would learn the truth (that she was not Kurtz’s final thought) or do you think he did it to protect her?