Conflict in Conrads Heart of Darkness and Achebes Things...

The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad are very different from one another. While they each tell a very different story, we know that both take place in Africa and that they do have similarities. One of the similarities that each novel has is the main character struggling in both. Marlow is morally fighting a conflict. On the other hand, Okonkwo is physically trying to fight conflict. Both result in the main character losing his battle with the conflict at the end of each novel. We learned very early on that Okonkwo is well-known for his physical capabilities. Achebe shared his history, â€Å"As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amatinze the Cat,† (3;†¦show more content†¦Okonkwo, on the other hand, was seeing Christianity spreading everywhere in Umuofia. It was corrupting his tribe. He normally would demand action and war, but he saw that this time it would do him no good. He and those left in the tribe were powerless compared to the colonists and their newly found followers. At the end, we saw Okonkwo react angrily to the five messengers by killing one of them, and then, â€Å"He wiped off his machete on the sand and went away,† (205; ch.24). He gave up solving the conflict when he could not fight and could only talk. He saw only bad changes coming about, so he took his own life. In the end of each novel, we see that each main character has lost his battle. Marlow lost to the darkness, and Okonkwo lost his fight for preserving Africa and their customs and beliefs. Neither wanted change, but could not prevent it. Change doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but for both it turned out to be. Okonkwo could have listened to what the colonists had to say about their religion and compromised to solve both groups’ problems. Marlow could have spread the news on what he found was taking place in Africa. Both chose not to do so and were unsuccessf ul as a result. Achebe and Conrad told largely different stories, but with some similarities. In both there was a lotShow MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart, And The Heart Of Darkness1518 Words   |  7 Pagesfollowing essay will contain a critical analysis of two passages from Things Fall Apart, and the Heart of Darkness. I will compare and contrast the narrative structure, the language used and the themes explored. Through this critical analysis, we can gain a better understanding of the two extracts, each one helping to illuminate the other. The passages I will be analysing are: Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, Page 124 Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, Page 116-117 Narrative Structure Narrative VoiceRead More The Lie of Imperialism Exposed in Literature Essay3048 Words   |  13 Pagesperiod had far-reaching and detrimental affects on the language and identity of traditional societies. 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