Theme of Colonialism in Literature
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This study will compare the treatments of the theme of colonialism in two novels, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and George Orwell's Burmese Days. The study will focus specifically on the books' protagonists, Kurtz and Flory, respectively, and how the evils of colonialism affected them in negative terms, but will also include consideration of the negative impact overall of imperialism on the Third World nations depicted in the novels. On the surface, Kurtz was far more negatively affected than Flory. Kurtz is utterly transformed into a bloodthirsty savage by the delusions of grandeur colonialism has instilled in him as a white European male ruler in such a Third World nation. Kurtz has thrown himself into the corruption of colonialism so completely that he no longer has any sense of the destruction he is creating in himself and in the African nation where he dwells. At the same time, it can be argued that the mysterious power of that African culture at the "heart of darkness" has reaped its revenge on the colonialist Kurtz by helping to drive him mad. On the other hand, Flory appears to at least have retained some sense of the destructiveness of colonialism, and therefore to have kept some of his own integrity. However, Flory is finally just as corrupted as Kurtz, perhaps ever more so. After all, Kurtz is utterly swallowed by the corruption of colonialism and therefore cannot be expected to be free to change, whereas Flory is only half-swallowed, so to speak, is at least
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ake clear that a system based on the belief in inequality, based on injustice, based on one group controlling another group with violence and racism, is a corrupting and destroying system, for all involved. All involved in colonialism lose their humanity, sooner or later, and in both subtle and brutal ways.
It is also important to note that although Flory's corruption is more subtle and ambiguous, and Kurtz' is more complete and brutal, both are eventually driven mad and completely destroyed by their own willingness to participate in the inhumane system of colonialism.
If Flory has one foot in the acceptance of colonialism (when it benefits him or when he can look the other way) and one foot in its rejection (when he is able to do so without great cost), then Kurtz has both feet planted firmly in it. Flory does not have much passion for colonialism either way, for or against, but from the beginning Kurtz is a passionate and true believer---not in the evil of the system but in its capacity for doing good:
He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, 'must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of supernatural beings. . . . By the simple exercise of our will we can ex
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1415
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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