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Similarities Between The Poisonwood Bible And Heart Of Darkness

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The Poisonwood Bible and Heart of Darkness are set in the Congo where each plot has a similar structure; white characters from a highly civilized and industrial Western country venture into the heart of darkness and become significantly changed by their environment and experiences. Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, follows the story of Marlow, an English sailor who is sent by the Belgian Company into the Congo in order to find and retrieve Kurtz, a man who has deteriorated into savagery. Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible is about Nathan Price, a desperate missionary, who forces his wife and four daughters to leave their comfortable life in Georgia to go to the Congo. Although each story takes place in a different time period, both …show more content…

In Heart of Darkness the idea of imperialism was under an immense pressure, and Kurtz exemplifies this idea with his initial beliefs when entering the Congo. Kurtz’s description of the situation as “an exotic Immensity ruled by an august Benevolence” is sharply contrasted by his statement to “exterminate all the brutes” in his report (Conrad 50-51). In Heart of Darkness, the western view of the Congo is drastically false; they believe that the natives are naive and savage. This idea, similar to that of the Americans, highlights the major differences in culture. The people of the Congo think that Kurtz is some sort of god even though he wants to eliminate them from their home. After having spent time with the natives, however, Kurtz flips his viewpoint and wants to become part of their wild and uncivilized life. The Poisonwood Bible introduces a similar contradiction in the American ideals of democracy being transferred into Africa and the natives’ belief that they are superior because of America’s power in the world. Anatole describes that “most of [the natives] believe white people know how to turn the sun on and off and make the river flow backward [...] They think [the white people] represent a greedy nation” (Kingsolver 281) which further emphasizes the importance of contrasting viewpoints to portray the cultural differences of both America and the Congo. This also presents the assumptions the Congolese people make based on white stereotypes. Contrary to how the Americans think of the Congolese as cannibalistic or naive, the Congolese believe that Americans are greedy, superhuman

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