Colonialism Theme in The Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart Essay Example

Colonialism is a fundamental theme in both The Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart; their protagonists, Marlow and Okonkwo, witnessed its presence and growth within their societies. However, that is where the similarities of their experiences end as Marlow’s perspective sided with a perpetrator, Kurtz, and Okonkwo was a victim. Both Kurtz and Okonkwo were likely heroes whose stories were cut short by the rise of colonialism in their respective communities. Kurtz lost his former altruism and talent to his own growing corruption and greed, and Okonkwo took his own life after realizing he would not win against the British newcomers. Moreover, both face the adverse effects of colonialism, one of which is its dehumanizing nature; the missionaries treated Okonkwo as subhuman, and Kurtz’s identity revolved around his reputation as a godlike figure in the Congo. Okonkwo and Kurtz were idealized heroes for their respective cultures, but ultimately, they lost their humanity to European colonialism, which disrupted their ideals in favor of its own propagation.

In spite of the disadvantages from his father’s lack of achievement, Okonkwo was an ideal hero in Umuofia. He embodied the masculinity and strength that his culture valued through his successes in wrestling and farming, in which he beat a famed wrestler and had successful harvests. When he asked Nwakibie, a wealthy and respected man, for yams, Okonkwo’s reputation earned him eight hundred yams instead of the anticipated four hundred: “‘I have learned to be stingy with my yams. But I can trust you. I know it as I look at you’” (Achebe 22). The people of Umuofia recognized that Okonkwo had the potential to be a heroic figure, and he exceeded their expectations for the men of their society. He further developed this potential by earning titles and even becoming an egwugwu, a significant role in his community’s judicial system: “Okonkwo’s wives, and perhaps other women as well, might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the springy walk of Okonkwo '' (89). Through being an egwugwu, he also demonstrated his dedication to the growth and communal values of his village. Okonkwo fit the role of a “hero” for his culture, but colonialism led to his death in spite of his prominence and prosperity.

Although Achebe foreshadowed Okonkwo’s downfall long before the arrival of the missionaries, he was only temporarily set back and aimed to regain the respect of the people of Umuofia upon returning. However, his goals to reenter society were ruined by the sudden arrival of European colonialism; traditional values and customs changed, and the missionaries were gaining control of his community. Okonkwo soon recognized that these changes would lead to the collapse of Umuofia as he knew it: “He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart [...]” (183). There was a lack of unity surrounding the Christian missionaries, which would lead to both his undoing and that of his village. The final straw in Okonkwo’s downfall was the condescension of the Commissioner: “He carried a strong stick, and he hit each man a few blows on the head and back. Okonkwo was choked with hate” (195). The dehumanizing treatment he received led to his murder of the messenger, and later his suicide, due to his frustration at feeling weak. Ultimately, the loss of the humanity of him and his people was his downfall, which Achebe further emphasized through the closing sentences: “The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading.  [...] Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate” (209). The Commissioner reduced Okonkwo’s story to a paragraph, demeaning his life and story even after death. Colonialism, which brought the missionaries, the Commissioner, and the messenger to Umuofia, dehumanized Okonkwo and forced him to confront his struggle with masculinity, which later led to his downfall and suicide.

Similar to Okonkwo’s rise in Umuofia, Kurtz established his own high status in European society through his talents for public speaking, the arts, and writing, all of which were greatly valued by the Europeans. All who met him spoke very highly of him throughout the novel, to the extent that Marlow was sad when he thought he would not meet Kurtz: “I was cut to the quick at the idea of having lost the inestimable privilege of listening to the gifted Kurtz” (48). Although he was far from his home, his reputation there was still admirable, and it remained as such even after death, as seen by how the Intended praised him: “‘What a loss to me – To us! –’ [...] ‘To the world!’” (Conrad 75) From the perspective of European society, Kurtz had a promising future, but following his success as an ivory trader in the Congo, he found himself deeply ingrained in the colonial system at the expense of his humanity.

As seen by his unethical methods of obtaining ivory and his relationship with the native people, Kurtz soon became a perpetrator of colonialism along the Congo river. He raided local villages for their ivory, and although he achieved the goals of his company, the force of his methods was dangerous even by their standards: “‘But there is no disguising the fact Mr. Kurtz has done more harm than good to the Company’” (61). Kurtz became greedy and lustful, and Marlow frequently commented on his “lack of restraint” in his pursuit of ivory. He was obsessed and unstable, such as when he put heads on stakes, and overall, he was a changed man: “‘Nevertheless, I think Mr. Kurtz is a remarkable man,’ I said with emphasis. [...] ‘He was,’ and turned his back on me” (62). His colonialist practices led him to no longer being remarkable, nor merely a man, as the natives idolized him and treated him like a god. He rejected his own humanity in favor of growing his influence in the Congo. Kurtz’s downfall was not just his lack of restraint, but his investment in colonialism and growing sense of superiority. In this process, Kurtz dehumanized himself, and he only recognized the horror of his actions upon his death. 

Okonkwo and Kurtz reflected the ideals of their respective cultures, but their portrayals of the consequences of colonialism within their societies were different. Okonkwo’s provided the experience of a man treated as inferior while Kurtz’s provided that of a man treated as superior, but both experiences led to their separation from their own humanity and society. Okonkwo felt ostracized by Umuofia since he was the only one willing to fight, and Kurtz did not want to return to European society since he was so lustful for ivory. They lost their sense of unity with those they loved (Okonkwo’s family and Kurtz’s Intended) and found themselves alone in their convictions. More importantly, when faced with change in their environment like when Okonkwo returned to a changed Umuofia and Kurtz needed to return to Europe, the ideals that they had built their lives on were threatened, and thus, their identities. Although Okonkwo’s ideals were based in the tradition of his culture, and Kurtz’s were based in his experiences as a leader at the Congo river, a change in the ideals they represented furthered the process of their dehumanization. As victim and perpetrator, colonialism originated the downfalls of Okonkwo and Kurtz through their dehumanization and the rejection of the ideals they embodied.