Compare and contrast the ways in which the writers of your to chosen texts present the effects of colonisation on people of different backgrounds. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors. Colonisafion can be defined as the action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area. Both texts depict a brutal change in world history, the height of the modern European imperial movement. Heart of Darkness is set towards the beginning of this movement and Passage to India later; this is clear from the lack of open physical brutality in Passage to India. In both novels the characters experience different effects of colonization. The effects that each individual experiences is often dictated by their geographical context in order to establish an effective contrast between the colonial and the colonised.
There is evidence in both novels to suggest that madness is an effect of colonisation. In the beginning of Heart of Darkness Marlow is warned by the Doctor that “the changes take place inside” foreshadowing the damaging psychological effects of what Marlow will witness in the Congo. This suggests that colonials of a European background are often sent mad 3 s a product of colonialism. When later in the novella we meet Kurtz he proves to be an example of this, he goes ‘native’ and beyond. His old self is utterly destroyed shown by his dying words l‘the horror the horror”. Kurtz’s act of going ‘native’ reveals the extreme level of exploitation that the colonials are administering upon the native African people. Kurtz would rather adopt the culture and ideals of the native African than be seen to be carrying out the expected work of a European colonial. Kurtz has recognized that all the colonials‘ prize is ivory; the facade that they project of being bearers of light to the native Africans is a false illusion.
They claim to be giving the native Africans help with elements such as education and religion but in fact they achieve more harm than good. Adela is also shown to have a moment of madness in Passage to India. This occurs when she is in the Marabar Caves and in her confusion afterwards, she cannot remember or understand what happened inside the cave. One possible conclusion from Adela‘s confusion could be that she herself is in fact actually attracted to Aziz in some way. This is shown by her thoughts on entering the caves, ”What a handsome little oriental he was”. She feels guilty for this attraction as it is a social taboo for a white English woman to be attracted to a native Indian. Her confusion over her feelings for Aziz and her recognition of the fact that there is no love between herself and Ronny merely a mutually beneficial relationship force her into a state of mind where she imagines her own assault, perhaps in some way she is wishing for it to happen.
The way that the caves are described as mysterious contributes to the uncertainness that surrounds the events that go on in the cave and reflects the emotions that Mrs. Moore and Adela feel when they leave the caves behind, The language used to describe what goes on in the caves also has an underlying tone of mysticism and uncertainty, “flame rises in the depths of the rock and moves towards the surface like an imprisoned spirit” they prove to be an undefinable location. The simile that compares the light of the flame rising in the cave to an imprisoned spirit also brings a religious and sinister element to the description of the caves evoking a strong sense of impending distress. Later the flames inside the caves are said to “approach and strive to unite, but cannot, because one of them breathes air, the other stone” This could be used as a piece of symbolism for the climate in Anglerlndian and the relationship or lack of that exists between the colonials and the native Indians.
The two populations just cannot connect because of their differences in culture and way of life. The writers of both texts present the effects of colonisation as being harsh on the people who are being colonised in both Africa and India. They are described in animalistic terms and become dehumanised as a consequence. Money and power are shown to be the main focus, “My intended, My Ivory, My station” Kurtz is consumed by greed reflecting the main motivation of a high percentage of colonials. Blinded by this greed the colonials lose sight of the evil which they are inflicting upon the indigenous populations in India and the Congo. The natives are forced to carry out the wishes of the colonials gaining, in the case of heart of Darkness, Ivory for them so that they have enough wealth to fuel the empire and, in the case of Passage to India. The native Indians are forced to commit acts of kindness despite being out of their depth and their financial capabilities simply in order to gain the respect of the colonials.
This reveals that the native Indians believe that the European colonials are superior to them or that Europeans show through their actions that they think of themselves as superior. The Anglo-Indians believe the natives to be ”simple people” viewing themselves as above the inferior natives in some way because of their lack of western technology. values and customs. The British stick together within their own man made English environment within the centre of India as a way of avoiding emotional attachment to any Indians. They also have a sense of cold polite emotional detachment within their own club as well. For the AngloVIndians colonialism has led them to become highly ordered but unemotional parts of a bigger machine. Micro-climates are created in India and the Congo in the form of the club and the company. The privileged Indian community is flattered to be invited to the exclusive English club but suspicious too.
The club represents the colonials attempt to produce a hierarchical British society within India. It becomes a unit which lacks any individualism, this leads to the Indians viewing the British as, “exactly the sameenot worse, not better. I give any Englishman two years. be he Turton or Burton”. When an English person first comes to India they may possess a sense of excitement and curiosity about their surroundings, as Adela and Mrs. Moore do, but after a while they settle into the Anglo-Indian way of doing things and become part of the secluded elite club. It is this detached nature of the club that leads to Adela asking Aziz to show her the “real India”. In Heart of Darkness the company is the equivalent of the club in A Passage to India. Each station of the company which penetrates deeper and deeper into the l‘heart of Darkness” the further that Marlow travels down the Congo represents the order of the colonials. It is the hub of white activity within the darkness.
The irony in this is that in actual fact the native Africans are made to do all the work while, “White men with long staves in their hands appeared languidly from amongst the buildings”. The headquarters of the company is located in Brussels and is described as a “whited sepulchre”. The image of a sepulchre has connotations with death and captivity, this can be represented in Europe as the creator of colonialism it brings death to both colonial and colonised people. It is governed by a set of social principles that enable both brutality and dehumanization and also prohibit change. This image is also appropriate for the company in Brussels due to the duplicitous Belgian rhetoric about imperialism‘s civilizing mission. The colonials legally cause harm to the natives under the facade that they are bringing civilisation to them, Women are shown as strong characters in both novels contradictory to the views of the time.
In Heart of Darkness the strong contrast between the Intended and Kurtz‘s mistress acts to emphasise the contrast between the native African and the European colonial, The Mistress is given a wild power that the restrained constricts of European society does not allow the intended to possess; she instead lives forever in awe of Kurtz. Marlow frequently suggests that women are the custodians of naive illusions: these illusions are at the root of the social fictions that justify economic enterprise and colonial expansion. European women become beneficiaries of much of the resulting wealth of colonialism, objects that men can adorn as a way of displaying their own success and status. In Passage to India women are both publically safeguarded and privately disliked. They possess very little power. Unusually perhaps to emphasise their lack of freedom Adela and Mrs, Moore both possess a sense of adventure, Adela’s supposed assault in the Caves becomes a symbol for imperial brutality and evokes a strong response in the club to defend the “women and children”. but her personal distress is transferred to Ronny.
He is described as “Bearing the sahib‘s cross” the true victim in these events. The fact that a small number of characters are given names in Heart of Darkness places emphasis on the characters that are named and dehumanises the ones that are not. It highlights that this is not a singular act of imperialism: colonialism is occurring in the same way in various places, the acts of exploitation are not rare. Naming the characters after their professions illustrates the universal nature of colonialism. Within the group of colonialism there will be, a manager, an accountant, a director, a lawyer every profession that is needed to fuel an empire, This also highlights the importance of work for the success of colonialism. Work is given power in both novels.
It saves Marlow from becoming the same as Kurtz, it keeps him sane. and it gains Aziz some respectability due to his profession as a doctor. The open brutality that is carried out on the natives by the colonials as a direct cause of colonialism is emphasized by the way that they are dehumanised. They are described as “ants” and bestialized by Marlow when he states that “he hit the old nigger mercilessly”. They are often physically tormented and made to carry out the work of colonialism at the expense of the wealth of their own country and at the loss of their culture. In passage to India the Indians are described as inferior to the British by the members of the club who choose not to integrate with them and maintain their own micro climate British society within India. In conclusion. there are varying effects of colonialism displayed in the two novels.
Passage to India has less open brutality and dehumanisation than Heart of Darkness but a subtle distrust and sense of unease exists in the novel that lacks the emotional warmth of friendship between the British colonials and the native Indians. This is summed up in the quote, «they were discussing as to whether or no it was possible to befriends with an Englishman” the answer remains undecided by the end of the novel suggesting that colonialism is detrimental to a happy relationship between two peoples. The strong contrast in appearance and way of life used in both novels to highlight the differences in background of the European colonials and the natives also goes provides a contrast in the differing effects of colonialism on the colonial and the colonised.
