A nation of tortured slaves with bodies so emaciated you could count the ribs, death lingering in every corner as overworked natives carpet the ground of their lifeless forms, a people so scarred that wicked men are allowed to rule as gods. Unfortunately, this macabre description remains true for African tribes victims of the cruelty of colonialism. Highlighting the heinous evils of imperial tradition, Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness to expose the possibility of malevolence in a human being. Throughout the novella, Conrad illustrates sickening images of the horrific effects of the colonization of African tribes while incorporating themes such as the reversal of black and white imagery, the "fascination of the abomination", and evil inherent to humanity. Uniquely, Conrad often describes good and virtuous situations or people using the generally negative description of black. Likewise, Conrad also uses the word "white" to describe negative, evil, or unfortunate events and people. Another use of the theme arises when Conrad's main narrator, Marlow, becomes fascinated with wild people and the cruelty in which they live. Although the situations and people are described as savage, Marlow pays close attention to the details of these people because they are all human, like him. Finally, the protagonist, Kurtz, sinks into deep evils as his soul is consumed by power-hungry and greedy ambitions. Conrad often discusses the possibility of evil in every man if the environment is unbridled and open to dictatorship-like control. Although the main idea of ​​the novel is the evil within man, a Nigerian-born professor, Chinua Achebe, sharply criticizes what he believes to be both obvious and subtle racist undertones throughout. ..... middle of paper...... Identically, Conrad distances himself from the main narrator and creates a deep character by writing a frame story, which is why Conrad and Marlow probably differ greatly on some opinions. Marlow may have shown some racist traits, but Conrad removed his personal voice from certain parts of the narration in order to ironically prove that he did not agree with the statements made. In the thematic parallel with the novel, was Achebe truly disgusted by Conrad's "racist" undertones or did he too simply have a "fascination with the abomination" presented through the character of Marlow? Works CitedPrimary: Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Clayton, D.E. : Prestwick House: Touchstone Literary Classics. Print.Secondary:Achebe, Chinua. “An image of Africa.” EXPLORE novels. Detroit Online: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center – Gold. Gale. Ascension Academy. June 9 2008.