When Europeans arrived in Nigeria to collect ivory and spread their religious ideals, many Africans were exploited and their cultures changed irreversibly. Two novels, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, provide accounts of the white man's impact on Africa. However, it is questionable whether the novels actually complement each other. Conrad's work has been labeled "racist" by Chinua and contains certain elements, such as language and perspective, that allow it to be open to interpretation. Although there are suggestions of racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness, further analysis shows that it depicts some sympathy towards Africans. It particularly shows African dignity and culture through contrast with the brutality of Europeans, making the book a companion piece to Things Fall Apart. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIn both works, the authors show the humanity of African culture through the actions and traditions of Nigerians. Conrad, for example, highlights the amount of control exhibited by the locals, particularly through Marlow's reactions and observations. Although he says he "would have expected some restraint from a hyena prowling the corpses of a battlefield" rather than from "natives", Marlow admires the strong will possessed by the hungry cannibals on the boat. He says, “it is indeed easier to face grief, dishonor, and the perdition of one's soul, than this kind of prolonged starvation.” Although the comparison between a person and a hyena is crude, the respect conveyed in these lines shows that Conrad recognizes the honorable traits Nigerians possess. Achebe's novel, however, goes beyond simple recognition. Instead, it offers an in-depth look at the culture of Nigerians by following the life of Okonkwo, a respected member of the Umuofia tribe. The narrator remains objective throughout the piece and describes customs performed by the tribe which can be seen as positive or negative by the reader. This view provides a different perspective than Conrad, who sees events exclusively from a European point of view. An example of the traditions in Achebe's novel is the sacred week of peace held between harvest and planting. When Okonkwo breaks the peace by beating his wife, he is forced to make a sacrifice to the earth goddess. Previously, we discover, the punishment involved being dragged through the village until one died, but this practice was discontinued because it broke the peace it was supposed to protect. While this custom may seem barbaric, it shows the importance of justice and peace to society, in contrast to Conrad's descriptions of "grotesque" and "horrible" behavior. Rather, Achebe shows that there was a type of government that was respected and obeyed. A strong sense of ancestry and family ties is also evident. When the white man threatens the tribe, Okiko, a speaker, says that those who remain to protect the old ways “have remained faithful to their fathers.” Furthermore, when Okonkwo's son Nwoye joins the Christian missionaries, Okonkwo is not only angry, but is worried that his spirit will never be respected by his descendants after his death. This connection with other humans, while essential to Umuofia, is never alluded to by Conrad. Achebe continues to show the depth of emotions experienced by the natives, especially those felt by Okonkwo. By telling his father's story, one can clearly discern the reasons that drove Okonkwo to become the proud and hard-working individual described in the novel. Thispersonal background provides deeper insight into the reasoning behind his emotions and makes his "wild" personality seem more human. The emotional capacity is further emphasized by the strong bond he feels with the rest of the tribe. Shortly before his death, “Okonkwo was deeply saddened. And it wasn't just personal pain. He cried for the clan, which he saw falling apart and falling apart.” Okonkwo was not a mindless brute, but a human being with emotions, attitudes, and motivations. These pithy observations provide a much deeper insight into the humanity of Nigerians than Conrad provides. In Heart of Darkness, none of the Africans are given a name and their perspectives and opinions are not acknowledged or speculated upon. The deepest bond any European feels comes from Marlow, who feels a “claim of distant kinship” with the boat's helmsman. He also engages in some friendly actions, such as sharing a cookie with a dying local, but there are no close relationships with any of the natives. Conrad's redemption lies in the stark way he depicts the exploitation of Africans. When Marlow arrives in the Congo, he meets an accountant who does not care about the well-being of the natives around him. As he works, he comments that the moans of a dying man are distracting and that "when you have to put in correct voices, you come to hate these savages, to hate them until you die." By showing the callousness of the explorers, Conrad suggests that the European settlers contained the same primitiveness as the "prehistoric" men they oppressed. But despite the bleak portrayal of whites in Conrad's novel, Things Fall Apart provides a clearer picture of how Europeans truly influenced Nigeria's culture through the use of two different missionaries: Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith. When the church arrives, they bring with them a radically different government and belief system than those in place in Umuofia. Although Brown's approach to evangelism was relatively low-key, Smith shows how much influence and power Europeans were able to have over Africans by actively working to change the traditions and beliefs of Nigerians. When Okonkwo leads the revolt against the missionaries, he is placed in their prison and collapses. Although he has great respect for the laws and traditions of Umuofia, he commits suicide, one of the most despised crimes. This extreme act shows how great an impact white men had on an individual and the tribe as a whole. Although Okonkwo took his own life, his friend Obierka places the ultimate blame on the Europeans. “That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia,” he says. “You drove him to commit suicide and now he will be buried like a dog.” By using a native to place responsibility for the death on missionaries, Chinua provides a more effective account of Europeans arriving in Africa than Conrad. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom EssaySo, although Heart of Darkness conveys some parallel ideas about European influence in Africa, it lacks the strength contained in Things Fall Apart. Conrad attempts to show the inherent savagery of white people, but uses language that could still be interpreted as racist and offers no thoughts of the locals affected by the settlers. Chinua, on the other hand, uses point of view to focus on the individual and the tribe in times of change and provides a broader background of Nigerian culture before the arrival of the Christians. Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart complement each other in theme, but Chinua's work is more effective in conveying its ideas and contains less ambiguity. Works Cited Achebe, C. (1958). Things fall apart. Heinemann.Chinua, A..