Narrative Perspectives and Colonial Critiques: A Comparative Analysis of Robinson Crusoe and Heart of Darkness through Literary Theory

This research emphasizes their narrative stances and criticisms of colonialism. It compares and contrasts Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness with Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. The study uses narratological and postcolonial theories to analyze how the characters' experiences mirror and challenge European imperial ideas. Through Robinson Crusoe's claim of dominance over the natural world and indigenous peoples, the story creates a colonial worldview that embodies the Enlightenment-era rationale for imperial expansion. Heart of Darkness, on the other hand, exposes the degrading impacts of colonization on both the colonizers and the colonized by dissecting the beliefs of European supremacy through a fractured narrative and an uncertain moral tone. The study emphasizes how narrative tactics shape ideological underpinnings by tracing the development of colonial discourse from affirmation in Robinson Crusoe to critique in Heart of Darkness. By contrasting these writings, the study highlights their continuing significance in comprehending the intricacies of colonialism and how it is portrayed in literature, providing insights into the relationship between historical context and narrative form.