The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research Volume 6 Article 3 2003 Marlowe's Questionable Racism: The Struggle between Human Sentiment and Nurtured Principles Michelle Rizzo St. John Fisher College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur Part of the Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Rizzo, Michelle. "Marlowe's Questionable Racism: The Struggle between Human Sentiment and Nurtured Principles." The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research 6 (2003): 1-7. Web. [date of access]. <https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol6/iss1/3>. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol6/iss1/3 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Marlowe's Questionable Racism: The Struggle between Human Sentiment and Nurtured Principles Abstract In lieu of an abstract, below is the article's first paragraph. Written between the years of 1898 and 1899, Joseph Conrad's famous novella, Heart of Darkness, fictionalized the historical reality of an area secretly steeped in colonial rule by the viciously greedy and cruel King Leopold II. Between the years of 1885 and 1908, the Belgian ruler transformed the African Congo into his personal empire by exploiting not only the Congo's natural resources (rubber and ivory), but also the Congolese Africans' slave labor. Joseph Conrad published Heart of Darkness in response to his own experiences while traveling in the Belgian Congo. For decades Heart of Darkness was hailed a literary masterpiece written with a critical attitude towards tl1e colonization of Africans by foreign powers, and especially the denunciation of Belgium's justified ownership of the Congo. However, during the twentieth century critical debates began to arise around the novella's narrator, Charles Marlow, and whether or not his view of the Africans is racist, and by extension, whether or not Heart of Darkness is a racist novella altogether that does not deserve the literary credit it has gained in the past. This article is available in The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/ vol6/iss1/3 Rizzo: Marlowe's Questionable Racism Marlow's Questionable Racism: The Struggle between Human Sentiment and Nurtured Principles By Michelle Rizzo Written between the years of 1898 and 1899, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and became the Joseph Conrad's famous novella, Heart of Darkness, common property of Western European fictionalized the historical reality of an area secretly culture ... These beliefs were not yet racist in the steeped in colonial rule by the viciously greedy and nineteenili century sense of the term because they cruel King Leopold II. Behveen the years of 1885 and were not based on an explicit doctrine of genetic or 1908, the Belgian ruler transformed the African biological inequality; but they could provide an Congo into his personal empire by exploiting not only equivalent basis for considering some categories of the Congo's natural resources (rubber and ivory), but human beings inferior to others in ways that made it also the Congolese Africans' slave labor. Joseph legitimate to treat them differently from Europeans. Conrad published Heart ofDarkness in response to his (7) own experiences while traveling in the Belgian From Fredrick's statement, readers of Heart of Congo. For decades Heart of Darkness was hailed a Darkness can historically situate ilie text and, more literary masterpiece written with a critical attitude importantly, Marlow's racist attitude in the novella's towards tl1e colonization of Africans by foreign opening. This statement, and more specifically the powers, and especiaJJy the denunciation of Belgium's phrase "explicit doctrine of genetic or biological justified ownership of the Congo. However, during inequality," is extremely significant because it directly the hventieth century criticaJ debates began to arise states that between the sixteenth and nineteenth around the novella's narrator, Charles Marlow, and century a radical idea regarding the nature v. nurture whether or not his view of the Afucans is racist, and conflict developed. by extension, whether or not Heart of Darkness is a By the nineteenth century, Europeans felt that racist novella altogether that does not deserve the they were excluded from the concept of "savagery" literary credit it has gained in the past. based primarily on their biological and/or genetic From examining the tension between Marlow's makeup rather than their intellect. According to the innate human nature and his nurtured principles an Australian Psychological Society, "Psychology's answer to tllis discussion can most appropriately be emergence as a new branch of science [in the mid­ developed. However, in order to be familiar with how nineteenth century] was also located within the this conflict applies to Marlow, the reader must first context of the rise of imperial powers such as understand exactly what the terms "human nature" Germany and Britain. Pioneers in the new science of and "nurtured principles" refer to within the context of human measurement. .. contributed much to theories this discussion. The concept of"nature" holds that all which relied on skull measurements as 'proof of the organisms possess distinct characteristics that are not superiority of ilie European (male) brain" (1). created or developed as a result of one's environment Therefore, racism towards others included and but ratller because of one's genetic framework. For demonstrated biological inferiority as well as humans, one's "nature" includes one's instinctive intellectual inadequacies. In fact, Herbert Spencer's emotion and/or behavioral reactions to instances that concept of Social Darwinism spread all throughout occur within one's environment (Macionis 62). Europe in the mid-nineteenth century and heightened Therefore, for this discussion references to Marlow's the Western attitude that society was a "jungle," and "nature" refer to his emotional reactions based on his that Europeans were the "fittest" to survive. genetic code. What is meant by nurtured, or learned, According to Ian Watt, "[Social Darwinism] provided principles are the attitudes towards imperialism and an ideology for colonial expansion. Merely by Africans that Marlow possesses due to the influence occupying or controlling most of the globe, it was and teaching of his environment. By the 19th century, assumed, the European nations had demonstrated that most Europeans held many arrogant attitudes they were the fittest to survive; and the accelerating regarding themselves. Europeans defined themselves exportation of their various economic, political and as a technologically and intellectually superior race, religious institutions was therefore a necessary and they used this haughty attitude to justify the evolutionary step towards a higher form of human colonial rule of those less "civilized." According to organization in the rest of the world" (80). George Fredrickson, Therefore, Marlow's attitude towards imperialism Whatever their practical intentions or purposes, the in Heart of Darkness' opening centers around tlle invaders did not confront the native peoples without nurtured principle that Europeans nobly brought certain preconceptions about their nature that helped "civilization" to the world's "savages" specifically for shape the way they pursued their goals. the latter's spiritual and/or intellectual benefit. As a Conceptions of 'savagery' [developed] in the result of this line of reasoning, the harsh treatment of Published by Fisher Digital Publications, 2003 1 The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research, Vol. 6 [2003], Art. 3 the Africans as well as the conquest of the earth (more depersonalizes a portion of the human race, can appropriately referred to as "the scramble for Africa") be called a great work of art. My answer is: No, was JUStified. it cannot. (12) Based on the language in the opening of Although Marlow becomes extremely judgmental of Marlow's narrative, one can unquestionably state that the moral breakdown of Kurtz and attributes it to the Marlow does indeed depict the Africans in a negative influence of the barbarous African jungle, Achebe's manner and supports the European's so-called argument that Marlow is racist is rather tenuous. humanitarian explanation of imperialism. Marlow's Marlow's direct experiences in the Congo do nurtured principles chiefly govern his inner self by challenge his previously racist conceptions of the suppressing his human sentiments, and so his racist Africans, so even if Marlow cannot positively be references towards the Africans are appropriate for labeled racist or not racist, one can certainly prove that portraying 19th century attitudes of European racism. the "fostered attitude" that Achebe speaks of does in However, after specific incidents where Marlow fact diminish. For instance, one example emerges in interacts with these supposedly "savage" natives, the Part II when Marlow journeys up the river toward the emergence of his intrinsic emotions begins to Inner Station and obtains glimpses of African villages influence his previously prejudice views and demean along the riverbartk. The following statement Europe's attempted justification of imperialism. highlights Marlow's internal confusion of the Therefore, in order