The Lesser of Two Evils

Both Heart of Darkness and Waiting for the Barbarians show the evils of imperialism. In two completely different narrative styles, each book portrays two main characters (Marlow and Kurtz; the Magistrate and Colonel Joll). Marlow and the Magistrate each symbolize a form of consciousness amidst the atrocities being committed. Kurtz and Colonel Joll represent the inhumane and power hungry aspects of imperialism. Heart of Darkness and Waiting for the Barbarians employ the African people as the “barbarians.” Both good and evil are juxtaposed and progressively more difficult to differentiate as each novel unfolds.

Personally, I found that the similarities ended there. While I believe that Conrad intended to write a powerful novel which would make the reader question their prejudices of “lesser” peoples, I found myself unconvinced and unmoved. I found his portrayal of the prevalence of imperialistic evil in the world unsuccessful. Given Conrad’s reputation for literary ability, I expected a more moving novel. His writing about a time filled with emotion and fervor was… well… completely lacking just that.

Having suffered through the Conrad, I may have been a bit skeptical when approaching the novel by Coetze. Comparing it to Heart of Darkness, I can clearly see that it is the lesser of two evils. While I think that there would be a more decorous way of revealing the universal immorality of imperialism, Waiting for the Barbarians succeeded in its mission and does it in a strong, effective manner. Periods of imperialism were dirty times in our history. Coetze’s work contains no shortage of evidence to that effect. He effectively portrayed the attendant undesirable personal characteristics in Waiting for the Barbarians.

In two lines, Coetze effectively states a central idea which Conrad failed to clearly conceptualize in his entire novel, “One thought alone preoccupies the submerged mind of Empire: how not to end…” (131)