It is fair to say that late 19th century Europe is not known for its progressive and humanist values. Indeed, European society of this era could probably be described as racist and sexist, with national passions for colonialism and "empire building" across the continent, a passion perhaps best expressed by King Leopold of Belgium who described the imperialist enterprise as a "crusade worthy of a century of progress". In general, black people were seen as a wild type of subhuman, while women were generally considered second-class citizens , both groups possessing few rights Naturally, literary texts of the period generally reflect this, with for example "classics" of Western literature such as Rudyard Kipling's Kim, essentially racist and pro-colonialist. from 1898-1899, Heart of Darkness, however, claims to contest to a certain extent some of the dominant values ​​of its society, through its somewhat dubious anti-colonialist discourse. Despite this, Heart of Darkness presents black Africans and women as being on the fringes of society. Although it can be argued that this marginalization is unconscious, Conrad nonetheless demonstrates racism and sexism to a certain extent and thus reveals some of the dominant societal values ​​of his time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In recent years in particular, criticism has increased over the way Conrad depicts black people in his novel. Much of this criticism comes from the postcolonial African novelist Chinua Achebe, who, in his famous lecture "A Picture of Africa," argues that the way in which Conrad depicts Africans as being on the margins means that he should be called a “marginal”. “pure and simple racist”. A key aspect of Achebe's critique is the way in which Africa and its people are marginalized as an "other world", or the antithesis of "civilized" Europe. This is first seen in the fact that, according to the news, anyone who comes into contact with Africa goes crazy. The company doctor, when examining Marlow, tells us that when men go to Africa, "changes take place" (in their heads), while the company secretary's response to Marlow's question as to whether or not he would go to Africa is: “I am not a man.” I am as stupid as I seem, Plato said to his disciples." These two statements seem to suggest to the reader that Africa, and by association its inhabitants, drives ordinary people mad because of its savagery. As as such, it marginalizes Africans as barbarians and, in doing so, reveals some of the racism prevalent in Conrad's society. The dichotomy between "civilized" Europe and barbarian Africa, in the short story, can also be seen. through the character of Kurtz, the “model” of European society, Kurtz, at the beginning of his stay in Africa, is described with enthusiasm by everyone, the Brickmaker, for example, calling Kurtz an “emissary of pity, of pity. science and progress", while Kurtz's article for the "International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs" expresses, in Marlow's words, "all altruistic feeling. Juxtaposed with this is the Kurtz we meet". who altered his report on “the suppression of savage customs” with a postscript saying “exterminate the brutes.” Furthermore, Kurtz is self-centered ("My intention, my ivory, my station, my river") and barbaric, as evidenced by the horrific set of skulls atoutside his hut. From this transformation, the reader can see that something has changed Kurtz. In Achebe's words, that something is Africa and its inhabitants, who are constructed as "the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where the much-vaunted intelligence and refinement of man are ultimately ridiculed by a triumphant bestiality. As such, Conrad's text once again marginalizes, perhaps unconsciously, Africa and its inhabitants as a wilderness. kryptonite for European civilization, and therefore once again allows us to see the dominant societal values . Another way that Africans are represented as being on the fringes of society is by silencing all Africans in the novel. Over the course of the book, the Africans are essentially speechless, speaking only twice, with their native language described as "rude babbling" (although this can be explained, to some extent, by lack of knowledge of the languages Africans in Conrad's time). On the rare occasions when Africans speak, they speak mostly pidgin English and, in effect, “marginalize themselves.” This can be seen through the two occasions where Africans speak as, once, the "cannibalistic savagery" of Africans is shown when a black African asks Marlow to catch an individual so he can "eat" them, and, on the other hand, it is proclaimed that "Mistah Kurtz - he is dead", reminding the reader that it was Africa which "caused" Kurtz's death through its lack of civilization. As such, it can be seen that Africans are pushed to the margins, because of their lack of voice, and are therefore marginalized as savages and incapable of speaking intelligently. Additionally, Africans are also marginalized through the comparisons between Africans and Europeans throughout the novel. Marlow tells us that "what fascinates you is the thought of their (Africans') humanity - like yours" and that Africans can claim "distant kinship". This again marginalizes black people by suggesting that Africans have "lesser humanity", as such, which again reflects the discourses of Conrad's time. This is highlighted again when Marlow tells us that he believes Africans are "good guys...in their place", thus suggesting that Africans are fine as long as they stay in their place, which whom Marlow implies when praising a group of Africans paddling canoes, are in the jungle, like "savages." As such, the novel gives us insight into the societal beliefs of late 19th century Western Europe in (consciously or unconsciously) casting Africans as second-class humans. Despite this, it has been argued (notably by Ngugi Wa Thiongo) that Heart of Darkness's anti-colonialist discourse balances out its "racist" depiction to some extent. However, one could also argue that this discourse is not anti-colonialist at all, but rather advocates for a “better” colonialism as such. Although Marlow calls the colonialists "violent thieves" and ironically describes the ivory hunters as "pilgrims", presumably to a sanctuary of greed, he also notes that Kurtz's report on the suppression of "savage customs" expresses " all altruistic feelings. Additionally, Marlow also describes red areas on the map, representing English territory, as being where "good" work is being done, although it is colonization like anywhere else. This implies that there is a kind of “good” colonialism, in which Africans are “civilized” without force, which Conrad values. As such, even.