Things Fall Apart & Heart of Darkness : Colonialism: Presenting the same universal ethic in two diametrically opposite ways

Abstract: This research paper will examine the representation of colonialism in the narratives Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The aim of this Analysis is to demonstrate that both Achebe and Conrad expressed the same universal ethic in two diametrically opposite ways. The term “universal ethic” refers to the evil that is associated with colonialism, and “evil” represents the psychological, physical and emotional trauma that was suffered by both the colonizers and the colonized people. Therefore, as the basis for analysis, this research uses the psychological, emotional and physical criticisms to expose the evil of colonialism. As a postcolonial, Achebe’s opposition to the concept of colonialism is represented by the psychological and emotional collapse of the Igbo natives in Things Fall Apart. As for Joseph Conrad, a colonizer who was sent to the Congo, the physical abuse of the natives represents the evil of colonialism in Heart of Darkness. Achebe criticizes the evil of colonialism as a postcolonial, while Conrad criticizes the evil of colonialism as a colonial. This research was conducted exclusively with the support of textbooks and internet articles as well as Webb publications that address the concepts of postcolonialism and colonialism. A total of six (6) recognized books, as well as twelve (12) Webb publications, were used as references to support the postcolonial theory in this analysis. In addition, this research features twelve pages of close reading that examines the psychological, emotional and physical criticism of colonialism that are used to defend the thesis. Correspondingly, the conclusion is established based on the suitability of the findings. It is then concluded that the evil of colonialism is expressed by Chinua Achebe and Joseph Conrad in two diametrically opposite ways in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness respectively.