‘Heart of Darkness’

‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad was inspired by his journey to Belgian Congo. It is a unique novel uncovering the complicated racist attitude of Europeans towards the black people in colonies. Written in 1898-1899 and published in 1902, the book reflects the racist orientation of those days. So my idea is that in his work Joseph Conrad was trying to depict the reality of his time. Can the author be accused of racism with no apparent reasons for that? Let’s have a look. Before we start our journey along the River Congo, let my specify, that according to Merriam-Webster dictionary “racism” itself - is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”. Consequently, the term also stands for “racial prejudice or discrimination”. By many critics Conrad is treated as a racist writer. Even though I agree that the novel contains a lot of cruel, inhuman scenes, an...