Truth and Self-Deception

The main characters of the novels authored by Conrad and Kingsolver have utilized the main characters to as a portrayal of the darkness that ironically dominated the mindset of the missionaries and colonizers to Africa alike. As a matter of fact, an in-depth analysis of the character of Kurtz and Nathan distinctively reveals their blindness and rigidity in terms of admitting the natural truth emanating from the behavior and response of the Congo savages to their missions in the continent. For instance, NathanPrince is characterized in The Poisonwood Bible as a hard-liner and a dictatorial missionary figure that exploits the fears he instills on his family and the congregation. The novel depicts his overzealous behavior in his ‘missionary activities to Congo in Africa’ (Kingsolver, 32), especially his lack of consideration to the traditional religious views already established by the savage population. Additionally, Nathan’s notion that a racially white individual possesses all the superiority qualities when compared to the black race blinds him from the truth that is evident in the complexity of the African Culture with regards to their surroundings (Thomas, 101). On the other hand, Kurtz in the Heart of Darkness is characterized by his dictatorial and inhuman nature especially towards the savage population in the Congo basin. Kurtz thrives by instilling fear to both the European colleagues and the locals alike. Kurtz’s greed for power, dominance and success drive him to engage in battles with the neighboring territories so as to expand the illegal ivory business Marlow in the book notes that Kurtz ‘at the present in charge of a trading post…in a true ivory-country' (Conard, 48). While he believes the main reason for his presence in the CongoBasin is to civilize the Dark Continent, it is clear that the environment has plunged him deeper into the darkness, as seen in his status as a ‘god’. Furthermore, the perceived control by his black mistress ironically shows the extent of self-deception and transformation that Kurtz has undergone since his arrival to Africa (Bloom, 89).

The prolonged stay of both characters in the Congo Basin led them into sinking deeper in the darkness that Africa offered. Over the years, Kurtz has an army of the Congo natives that still utilize the primitive means of attacks ‘arrows flew out of them’ (Conard, 123). The Russian Character in The Heart of Darkness revealed that Marlow and his crew were fired with arrows from the locals that were sent by Kurtz. Such a disclosure made the crew believe that Kurtz has sunk deeper to the darker activities in the CongoBasin, to the extent that he can attack his fellow whites. As the author reveals, Kurtz ordering the attack was meant to hide his involvement in inhumane and uncivilized activities from the visiting crew to his self-deception. Kurtz was further blinded from the truth that his activities in Africa diminished the level of civilization and morality by the African tribes, contrasting his main mission. The natives being scared by the whistling of the steamship shows that a Kurtz effort to civilize them has had a minimal impact, if any. On the other hand, Nathan’s case is similar to that of Kurtz in that he is determined to lighten Africa, the Dark Continent through salvation. He is wholly convinced that without requiring any help, he is able to transform the lives of the ‘savages’ through the introduction of a new religion for the civilized. However, such misconception blinds him from the truth that Africans from Congo already have a well-established traditional religion that ensures morality and harmony in coexistence amongst the neighbors in the society. Nathan’s rigid and dictatorial nature over the years has led his wife to become passive in matters relating to family decisions ‘refusing to be party to failed relations’ (Kingsolver, 24). Therefore, his ill-informed conscience regarding the state of Congo savages leads him to drag his entire family to the African jungle. The family, Orlena included, would later regret Nathan’s blinded decision. The later lives of both characters are strongly dictated by their current engagement with the native population.

The pride in the hearts of both characters could not allow them to reflect on the complexity and the goodness of the African culture. In the Heart of Darkness, the feeling of superiority amongst Africans made Kurtz to blindly believe that he can become a ‘god' to be worshiped by the savage, uncivilized Africans; he could participate in midnight dances that ended in unspeakable rights…were offered up to him’ (Conard, 137). The perception is a complete fabrication of the truth that he is just a mere mortal sent to Africa by the Belgian authorities to aid in the efforts to improve the level of human civilization in the region. His disregard from the truth completely diverts him from his main agenda to the Congo jungle, thus leading to his involvement in unclear deals such as the ivory business. Kurtz seems aware of his negative individual progress, especially when he felt that the visiting crew should be turned back before their realization of his worrying endeavors. In comparison, NathanPrince in The Poisonwood Bible has a strong believe that they belong to a superior cultural background than that of the blacks living in Africa. The misconception had NathanPrince thinking that he can introduce vegetable gardening to the local population in Africa. However, the truth is that the American plantations in Africa hardly yielded any produce due to the environmental changes and pollination mechanism difference. Additionally, Nathan is determined to baptize Congo natives at all costs, even if it means without their conscience. What he failed to factor into consideration is that the CongoRiver basin waters are highly infested with the deadly crocodiles. Nathan could not listen to Mama Tataba's warning that a child was recently eaten by a crocodile at a nearby river. His inability to come into terms with the truth surrounding the African villagers and their way of life often led him to a conflicting path with local authorities that include the area, paramount local leader. In fact, his life and that of his family became complicated and jeopardized due to his blindness regarding the facts. Establishment of better working relations with the natives would have solved the rising problems due to lack of cooperation by the savage natives.

Both Kurtz and Nathan are egoistic in nature. Kurtz believes that he is one of the elite civilizations in Africa. It could be that he was before he set his foot on the Congo soil. However, years of his stay, interaction with the natives and his egoistic personality has poisoned his mind and effectively stripped him of his civilized claim. During his later years, Kurtz is noted saying that Civilization of the savage population in Africa can only be achieved through ‘extermination of the brutes' (Conard, 184); a notion that is highly contrary to the popular belief amongst a civilized society. Evidently, his dominance and unchecked activities over the remote African society for years led to the self-deception that an individual can engage in inhumane acts and get away with the highest level of impunity. Furthermore, the abject rejection of the civilization by the African is projected to be a resultant of the portrayed negative behavior by those that see themselves as ‘civilized’. Of keen to note is that most natives preferred their traditional moral ways to the newly introduced European civilization mainly due to the exploitative actions that the colonial government directed towards them. Besides, NathanPrince should have made an attempt to incorporate the moral behavior of the natives in his ‘Christian teachings to the natives’ (Kingsolver, 44). However, his stringent rejection of all the traditional views towards Christianity subjected his family to sufferings, eventually leading to the death of one of his daughters from a snake bite. It was later found out that the chief is the main cause of the death as he tried to protest Nathan’s blinded activities in his domain. It is clear that both of them had wrong in underestimating the capability of the ‘savages’.

Both characters ardent beliefs and the deeply rooted love for Africa led them into despising the advice on the future danger. During Prince’s later years, there were recurrent warnings that the imminent independence of the Africans in Congo will eventually lead to a backlash towards the white population in the region, especially given their mistreatment of the Africans during the colonial era. Prince arrogance regarding the painful truth led to his persistent refusal for the family exit from the region in an attempt to avert the possible sufferings. As it turned out, life became harder for the family to bear, leading to the eventual disintegration of the family members as per the personal views. Some of the daughters preferred to remain in the region as they strive to avoid living in their father’s shadow. Encouragingly, Nathan prince’s wife eventually regained her ability to make better long-term decisions for the family, disregarding her failing health situation. She quickly admits that she ‘had washed up there on the riptide of my husband’s confidence and the underthrow of my children’s needs’ (Kingsolver, 78). Contrastingly, the final days of Kurtz life was marked by his realization that despite his early belief that he was a god, he soon realized that he was just a mere mortal. The realization was strengthened by his constantly deteriorating health condition and his eventual death (Anderson, 14). However, his blindness from the truth is still observable from his utterance of ‘The horror! The horror!’ (Cornard, 192), immediately before his eventual death. Therefore, both had a sad end due to their lifelong rigid behaviors.

In conclusion, both Kurtz and NathanPrince portray characters that carefully detail their blindness to the truth and facts regarding the African culture and lifestyle. For Kurtz, his selfish desire to expand his dominance and become a ‘god' to be worshiped by Africans is his main truth-blinding factor. On the other hand Nathan develops his truth misconception from his total disregard of the African culture, hence his lifetime effort to completely shed it off amongst Africans, which he terribly fails. They both have deeply settled misconception regarding their feelings for the “inferior race”; and this set them on a conflicting path with the local authorities in Africa on several occasions.