Society in Literature

Society in Literature

Introduction

Literature is closely related to society. Seen as a whole, a literature body is constituent of the entire society of individuals. The characteristic traits that differentiate the literature of one faction from that of another obtain from the characteristic traits of that group. The “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad and “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe portray different aspects of African society in an unusual manner. Heart of Darkness is measured as one of the best novellas in the English language. From the outside it is a dreamlike story of adventure and mystery set in central Africa; though, it is also the narrative of a man's symbolic trip into his own inner being. On the other hand, Achebe's first novel, Things Fall Apart, is a classic of African literature. Among all the colonial governments in Africa, the British in Nigeria fostered first education in its territory. As a result, Nigerian writers preceded those in other areas of Africa. Things Fall Apart is noted as the first African novel.

Discussion

Role of Society in the “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad

Written as an engagement with the horrible consequences of colonial activity in Africa, Conrad comments upon the effect the invasion of a foreign, sovereign power had on individuals and institutions. Heart of Darkness is usually interpreted as being about the specific abuses of power in the colonization of Africa, although Africa is never specifically mentioned in the story at all. Conrad's childhood dream of visiting the "Dark Continent" was shattered after he witnessed the horrifying state of the Belgian Congo in 1890. His observations include having "the distasteful knowledge of the vilest scramble for loot that ever disfigured the history of human consciousness and geographical exploration. What an end to the idealized realities of a boy's daydreams!" (Heart of Darkness, 1975)

“Heart of Darkness” first appeared in Blackwood's magazine in 1899, and is classified as an example of a text bridging the gap between Modern and Victorian literature. Some of the issues explored in this and other post-Victorian texts include a sense of the loss of confidence in an ordered and predicable universe as a result of various historical events. The period was also influenced by the growing understanding of different cultures discovered via anthropological expeditions which began in the previous century and culminated in the Great Crystal Palace exhibition in England in which the white, European that is the British man was figured as the highest form of evolution. The deconstruction of this assumption is reflected in Heart of Darkness, over fifty years later, in light of the reports of barbaric practices engaged in by powers attempting to secure colonial rule (Conrad, 1975).

The Belgian Congo, the ostensible location of the story, was, in the late 1800s the 'property' of King Leopold. Even though many allegations surfaced regarding Leopold's own activities in the Congo as questionable and barbaric, he was not universally vilified.

The ethics and operations of society are explored in the “Heart of Darkness” in each of ...