An Analysis of Conrad’s Colonial Thoughts From Heart of Darkness

Abstract

Conrad is a famous British pioneer of modernist novels, and his masterpiece Heart of Darkness is recognized as one of the best novellas in literary history. It is regarded by many readers and critics as an important anti-colonial work, and Conrad is also viewed as an anti-colonial writer. But in fact, Conrad’s praise and defense of colonialism is evident in his work. The cultural hegemony and the distortion of the image of Africa and African indigenous people in the novel just meet the needs of colonial ideology, provide the cultural support for the colonialists, and make Conrad an accomplice of other colonialists. This paper will focus on the analysis of Conrad’s colonialist identity based on the text of Heart of Darkness.