| Heart of Darkness, representative work of Conrad, has received plenty of attention since its publication. A great many scholars and critics have made a lot of analysis from different perspectives such as feminism and psychoanalysis etc. Based on post-colonial theory represented by Said, Homi Bhabha and Spivak, this thesis explores the theme of colonialism and anti-colonialism in Heart of Darkness. The theme of colonialism is only too obvious in the novella. The form of the novella itself as a story of adventure, the European gaze on Africa, bespeaks the theme. According to Said’s theory of orientalism, Europe has always been treated as the "centre" of the world whereas Africa and Africans have been marginalized as the "other". The novella treats the theme of anti-colonialism in three aspects. The hypocrisy of the colonizers is one aspect. The colonizers advocate that they bring advanced technology and culture to Africa; however, in fact, they exploit and enslave natives. The cruelty and greed on the part of the colonizers are another aspect of the theme of anti-colonialism in Heart of Darkness. They treat Africans as animals rather than human beings. The only aim they come here for is to make money. Eventually they become greedier and greedier; and their desire for money can never be satisfied. The last aspect of the theme of anti-colonialism in Heart of Darkness is the cultural hegemony in the colonizers’ culture. They regard their culture as superior to others and try to impose their culture on Africans at their own will without considering Africans’ attitude.This thesis aims at exploring colonialism and anti-colonialism themes in Heart of Darkness by using post-colonial theory. From the analysis, it is easy to notice that even though his attitude towards colonialism, to some extent, shows contradiction; Conrad was still one of the forerunners among western novelists in exposing colonialism. And his works have played an important and active role in opposing colonialism. |
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