The image of colonialism in An Outpost of Progress by Joseph Conrad

             As a starting point,  when it comes to define the resticted word  ‘’Colonialism’’ ,   it is worth  identifying  many- characteristics which regularly emerge in descriptions of colonialism ; domination, cultural imposition, dehumanization, and exploitation. First, colonialism is typically described as a form of domination which involves the subjugation of one people by another ; as it appears, here we are talking about Europeans settler who colonized the continent of Africa. Second, colonialism has frequently involved an attempt to impose the colonial power’s culture and customs onto the colonized ,whether as a result of a belief in the racial and cultural superiority of the colonizing power. In this regard, the history of colonialism is deeply linked to the exploitation of colonized peoples. This exploitation has taken many different forms, but we might mention, among other policies, the slave trade, the misappropriation of cultural property and natural resources, and the unfair taxatio.¹ Accordingly, to make it easy, the colonial governments had depended on civilizing mission. In addition to the fake truth of bringing the new civilization to the African’s people, to civilize the uncivilized, and educating them, per se, they exploit the evangelical desire to spread particular religions for obtaining their earnings. According to that, Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of kenya, beautifully writes,

              When Europeans came to Africa, they had the bible and the African had the land . They gave the bible to the African and told him to hold it in his hand, close his eyes, and pray. When the African opend his eyes, he had the bible and the European had his land.²

              As a result, presumably, many authors dealt with this issues, like Rudyard kipling, in his poem ‘’ The white Man burden ; and Joseph Conrad, who wrote many stories such as Heart of Darkness’’, and ‘’ An Outpost of progress, the ironical story, which we are going to discuss. In the course of doing that, I will briefly mention the events of the story, then, as the author used different characters ; the natives and settlers, I will talk about his treatment of natives and his sarcastic description of Makola, on the one hand, and the textual analysis of Conrad’s ironic and his impartiality and criticism description to the west incarnate the two white men. Besides, I will compendiously refer to a shortening issue in this story.

 

                   

                 From the very beginning of the story, Conrad describes the trading station of the two Europeans men, in particular, named Kayerts and Carlier, who are assigned to a trading post in a remote part of the African jungle ; they pretended that they hold all the qualifications and all the characteristics to bring civilization and enlightenment to the dark- continent, but it is only Colonialism which will come into being .This is wil be clarified in the following statement ;

           There were two white men in charge of the trading station ³

Clearly, in the middle of the story, the author mentions that the native man, Makola, who serving as Kayerts and Carlier’s bookkeeper initiates an exchange of slaves for ivory. In this way, it makes both Europeans , in the first place, stunned and scandalized by the idea . Yet, eventually they accept the ideal and aid Makola for his huge profit. This is also beautifully illustrated in the following quotation :

             Why ! He shouted,’’ I believe you have sold our men for these tusks’’

         Next morning they saw Makola very busy setting up in the yard the big scales used for weighing ivory......... Suddenly Carlier said : Catch hold of the other end,Makola- you beast.⁴

Towards the end, after the station unwillingly being abandoned, Gobila stops to provide them the food. The two Europeans, as a result are tired physically and mentally ; they fight on sugar.

          On day after a lunch of boiled rice, Carlier put down his cup untasted, and said :’’ hand it all ! Let’s have a decent cup of coffee for once. Bring out that sugar, Kayerts !’’ I forbid you to speak to me in that way’’ said kayerts.⁵

     Finally, moving from comedy toward tragedy, Kayerts accidently murdered his mate Carlier. Because of his feeling of guilt ; despite Makola alloys that truth, Kayerts hung himself. A while steamer arrives. Look at the following  quotation :

       Makola appeared before him, saying quietly ‘ come along Mr.Kayerts. He is dead ..... While he faced Kayerts, who was hanging by a leather  strap from the cross.⁶

                Casting different and contrastive characters inside the story ‘’An Outpost of Progress’’ ; colonizers and native peoples, are hold various description and attitudes. Characteristically, let us begin with his treatment of natives, anonymous subject, who are absolutely absent throughout the story. Through the Director of the great trading company, author states the failure of those natives to build and to make that station useful. Then, he declares he wants to rid of them for six months because of their in-comoetent :

            I told those fellows...... I bet nothing will be done !

            At any rate, I am rid of them for six months, retorted the director.⁷

         In the same vein, the long absence of steamer states that the director has no- attention to the station, and he thinks that the useless station and the useless men could wait. Pass to other hard Conrad’s treatment of natives, the in-philanthropic and unethical towards the natives in this story embody in making them slaves to atrocious black people . When Makola exchanges those ten inefficient natives belonging to the company for six trunks of ivory from passed bad traders

    The second Conrad’s treatment of character is Makola, who is sarcastically represented as a double- identity. Firstly author extols his competence and excellence , as he speaks English and Frensh and has a neat handwriting. But those  skills are just superficial marks of civilization and the author sets them in contrast with Makola’s belief in ‘’evil spirits’’.⁸ Then, because of Makola’s greediness, like Europeans , Conrad criticizes him and his unethical attitudes and deeds towards the in-competent ten works, par excellence, he failed to keep the station active and useful, as I mentioned earlier.In contrast, Conrad deals with other different characters.They are the two main characters , Kayerts and Carlier, that represent the formal colonization of European countries in Africa. He impartially and clearly criticizes the west through those two characters. They are very arrogant, and they do not share anything similarly, accept the laziness, the stupidity , the inferiority and,at the same time,  regretting their old lives.

         But the two men got on well together in the fellowship of their stupidity and laziness.⁹

With regards to the idea of colonialism , they call the natives primitive and stupid. The ironic meaning in this example is that they are much-sillier and more- stupid than the natives. Besides the strangeness of Africa is completely underscored by the sense of claustrophobia of the two white men, to some extent, as if they cannot size up and apprehend the space around the immediate vicinity of  the trading station. Ad hoc, this space is reportedly brimming with life. As it is stated in the story,

     They lived like blind men in a large room, aware only of what come in contact with them (and of that only imperfectly),but unable to see the general aspect  of things. The river, the forest ,all the great land throbbing with life ,were like a great emptiness. Even the brilliant sunshine disclosed nothing intelligible .Things appeared and disappeared  before their eyes in an unconnected and aimless kind of way.¹⁰

 

        Concerning the shortening issue that gets mu interest inside the story, as many critics did, I guess that as ivory is another trope reflecting the writer’s moral concern, probably the most important in view of the dramatic developments that occur around it. It is a potent sign of the presence of Empire, as it impinges upon the local  cultural continum, as does kayerts and carlier’s presence in Africa. When trated and manufactured into luxury objects for affluent European households ivory in the utmost symbol of refinement and reflects Europe’s higher order of technical and artistic achievements. But when still a raw material, seemingly, it refers back  to its country of origin and the devious means through which it is required, in other words, in exchange for rags or trinkets, or worse still, through poaching or slave dealing, as happens when Makola the black assistant decides to sell their African labourers to black ruffians. Still, Conrad does not seem to take sufficient notice of the ecological damage done to the dark continent, which is mis-represented and mis-quoted in the story. The extract which mentioned earlier reveals the fact that colonialism is deeply linked to propaganda and, this latter, which brought up colonialism and gave  it a straightforward meaning.

 

                   In the process of reading An Outpost of Progress, in which, colonialism is defined as a form of domination that a group or a powerful government do in various ways to controlling the colonizer, and to achieve certain objectives. Actually, the reader of this article my have remarked many- elements which are deeply and strongly close to this idea of colonialism, of civilization, and of progress; flawlessly , the colonialism, which Conrad beautifully highlighted, has a great importance throughout his wonderful story. As we know, the sham of western civilization stands and exposed even as Conrad portrays the two agents at  the trading post, the so-called pioneers of progress, as men who have neither industriousness nor bravery, nor Educationally ,nor originality. Presumably, it is at the trading post that they read books  for the first time. Ironically, the two white men who are to bring destruction and gloom to the region, get brainwashed  by the ‘’ Orientals Literature’’ they read, into believing that they are  the redeemers of the native people, but unfortunately they, themselves, who need to study and to be Educated, at the same time by the natives. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-         Bibliography

 

 

¹Butt, Daniel. Colonialism and postcolonialism. Oxford : Oxford University Press. On 23th May 2015

² Colonialism and the African Experience. On 23 th May 2015

^3 -4-5-6Joseph Conrad, Tales of Unrest : An Outpost of Progress. Pages.83- 98/100- 103- 106/110

⁷ Maria paola guarducci. Irony and the absurdin Joseph Conrad le simplegadi,337.

⁸FWS caught between culture .

⁹Joseph Conrad, Tales of Unrest : An Outpost of Progress. Page.9

¹⁰Joseph Conrad, Tales of Unrest : An Outpost of Progress. Page.10