El-Tawassol التواصل
Volume 20, Numéro 1, Pages 42-49
2014-03-30

The Cultural Clash In The Disturbing Wilderness Of Heart Of Darkness

Authors : Bouregbi Salah .

Abstract

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a novel which depicts the clash between two different and differing cultures: One is seen as enlightening, right, white and European; the other as darkening, wrong, black and African. Both cultures differ in background. The first is conventional, “moneytheistic”, and thus adventurous and aggressive; the second is natural, ordinary and ‘savage’. So, according to the European logic, light/culture, they are equipped with, is a means to invade the other in order to save him from savagery. But these enlightened ambassadors have reverted into savagery and primitiveness they are supposed to fight. Their deeds and actions are more savage than the Blacks.

Keywords

Acculturation, civilisation, clash, colonialism, darkness