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CHAPTER III

ANALYSIS

A. Representation of Native People in Kipling’s, Beaumont’s and Conrad’s

Short Stories

1. The Man Who Would Be King

―The Man Who Would Be King‖ (TMWWBK) is originally published in

The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Eerie Tales (1888) and later in Stories by

English Author: The Orient (1902). Some critics say that TMWWBK is a

mockery of British imperialism in India known as ―imperial allegory‖. The

overlapping between reality and fantasy, through the characters, becomes the

main foundation in TMWWBK. The contradiction between Karifistan

(fantasy) and India (reality) helps Kipling to consolidate the mockery as

Ridout (2014) states ―Kipling’s work highlights the power of the imagination

– the dislocation from reality and focus on fantasy – and its detrimental

consequences to the imperialist mission‖. TMWWBK is told by a nameless

narrator who is Kipling himself.

TMWWBK is focused on the journey of Daniel Dravot and Peachey

Carnehan in Karifistan (territory of Afghanistan) to be the native’s king.

Generally, TMWWBK can be divided into two parts. The first part of

TMWWBK tells about the narrator’s unexpected meeting with Carnehan who

asked the narrator to send a message to Dravot. Later, both Dravot and

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Carnehan came to narrator’s office and told their plan to go to Karifistan and

became a ruler of Karifistan. They also made a contract to anticipate

temptation as Karifistan’s kings with the narrator’s help. At last, Dravot and

Carnehan went to Karifistan dressed as mad priest and his servant. The

second part happened after two years, when Carnehan came back to the office

and told his journey. He told the narrator how he and Dravot as kings and

their fall because of Dravot’s desire to marry a local girl. Because of this,

both Dravot and Carnehan along with their followers were pursued by the

native. During the pursuit, their followers were killed and Dravot was

beheaded. Carnehan himself was crucified but escaped to India. He showed

Dravot’s head as a proof to the narrator. During his story, Carnehan became

less sane and referred himself as third party. In the end, Carnehan died in

asylum because of heat stroke.

Kipling shows the differentiation between West and East through India

and Karifistan’s description. India is depicted with modernity and indicated by

railway-train, ―The beginning of everything was in a railway-train upon the

road to Mhow to Ajmir.‖ (p. 5). Moreover, Kipling mentions the specialized

job for people in India such as the nameless author’s job as a journalist. On the

other hand, through the nameless narrator Kipling describes Karifistan as ―…

sketchy and inaccurate as can be… no one knows anything about it really.‖ (p.

10) and ―The country was mountaineous and the mules were most

contradictory and the inhibitants was dispersed and solitary‖ (p. 14) based on

Carnehan’s description.

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This way, it is clear that in TMWWBK, India represents a place touched

by modernity and Karifistan represents a nature-oriented place. Kipling’s

description of two different places reveals that he is not nature-friendly

person. He sees Karifistan as an uncivilized place because the native people in

Karifistan are close to nature. Therefore, he expects the native people to be a

primitive race. This way, the British people feel superior to the Orient. It is

shown where Kipling uses the British characters, Dravot, Carnehan, and the

narrator to describe Karifistan and its native people. Before Carnehan told his

story, he admitted his limitation as ―I am telling you as straight as I can, but

my head isn’t as good as it might be.‖ (p. 14) which implies some mirage of

the place. However, this limitation does not stop the author to use Carnehan’s

depiction of Karifistan as the default representation of Karifistan in

TMWWBK. This shows that the native people are not given a chance to speak

for themselves and forced to accept the European’s image of them. Because of

this representation, Karifistan is seen as a primitive place because this place is

without Enlightenment unlike Europe. Kipling gives the example of Karifistan

as primitive through the native’s belief.

The native in Karifistan has a belief that their ruler is a reincarnation of

God. This belief can be shown in the part where Dravot and Carnehan

performs the native’s ritual

Dravot never winked an eye, not when ten priests took and

tilted over the Grand Master’s chair--which was to say, the

stone of Imbra. The priest begins rubbing the bottom end of it

to clear away the black dirt, and presently he shows all the

other priests the Master’s Mark, same as was on Dravot’s

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apron, cut into the stone. Not even the priests of the temple of

Imbra knew it was there. The old chap falls flat on his face at

Dravot’s feet and kisses them. (p.17)

The reaction of the priest shows that they believed Dravot and Carnehan as

the avatar of their idol, Imbra and they are able to be kings. Dravot’s

comment ―Luck again‖ expresses their view toward the native’s ritual. They

do not believe this ritual but need to prove them by tricking it. Because of

their ability to prove themselves as the avatar of God, the native follows their

command without protest. This belief is reinforced by the priest’s statement

―Neither God nor Devil, but a man!‖ (p.20) when Dravot shows his bleeding

neck. Kipling’s description of native’s belief and the character’s comment

shows that Karifistan is an undeveloped place, unlike India.

The forced representation in TMWWBK by the author also creates a

generalization. The generalization of Karifistan can be seen from Dravot’s

ignorance ―and it won’t help us to know the names of their tribes. The more

tribes the more they’ll fight, and the better for us.‖ (p. 10). Moreover, the

most common comment about the native people in Karifistan is ―The people

are utter brutes.‖ (p. 10) and likes to fight each other as narrated by Carnehan

…and learns that they was fighting one against the other… and

when they wasn’t doing that they was fighting with the

Mohammedans. (p. 18)

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The generalization about the native then makes his assumption of the native

people as savage based on their fighting habit. This assumption represents the

Englishmen’s common belief of the native people as savage and uncivilized.

This view also implies the degeneration of the native people in Karifistan and

their inferiority to the Englishmen which leads to the white men’s desire to

take control of them.

In TMWWBK, Kipling shows British’s imperialism through Dravot and

Carnehan’s mission to be the king in Karifistan land. The contradictive

opinion occurs to Dravon and Carnehan before and after they go to Karifistan

as shown in the following quotation.

Dan, they’re stinkin’ lot of heathens, but this book here says

they think they’re related to us English. (p.10)

. . .

These men aren’t niggers; they’re English! Look at their eyes--

look at their mouths. Look at the way they stand up. They sit

on chairs in their own houses. They’re the Lost Tribes, or

something like it, and they’re grown to be English. (p.18)

The second statement exposes Dravot and Carnehan to draw the native’s

interest by admitting them as relative. It will be easier for them to become

king when the native believes them as relative. From this statement, Kipling

through Dravot and Carnehan, seem to disagree the native’s way to be a king

which is based on the bloodline. Since Kipling favors rationality as a

common Englishmen at the time than a local belief, he believes that a

capability is the important requirement to be a king than based on their

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heritage. Again, this view reinforces the belief that the native people are seen

as a primitive. It is because they are holding on an old tradition rather than

embracing democracy as part of modernity. Hence, Kipling creates an

illustration of native people’s primitive side to show the white people’s

Enlightenment.

In the Carnehan’s narration, he and Dravot try to convert the native as

Englishman slowly. In fact, Dravot and Carnehan’s attempt to exert their

superiority to the native can be seen when they rename the native.

We gave them names according as they was like men we had

known back in India—Billy Fish, Holly Dillworth, Pikky

Kergan, that was Bazaar-master when I was at Mhow, and so

on, and so on. (p. 17)

From this point, the significant native is only called by the name from

Dravot and Carnehan. This act also signifies the infiltration of European

people to the native people. However, the penetration process did not fully

succeed. The renamed native people become a mere imitation of the white

people. The impact of this step is the ambivalence within the native people. In

this case, the native people’s value did not disappear as illustrated by Billy

Fish, one of the native in Karifistan. Billy Fish is the only native characters

given specific name and role in TMWWBK by Kipling. Billy Fish’s loyalty

to Dravot and Carnehan until death shows the impartial presence of the

Englishman. Fish’s native part can be seen during his and the Kings’ running

―…and he throws himself down on the snow and begins to pray to his Gods.‖

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(p. 22). This act can be seen as the Englishmen’s failure in their mission since

Billy Fish experiences ambivalence within him. Moreover, this act signifies

Billy Fish’s failure to be an Englishmen. For this reason, the ambivalence

within Billy Fish leans into negative aspect based on the native’s perspective.

All things considered, TMWWBK is a typical text during colonialism era,

where the author (Kipling) constructs the image of the native people

represented by Karifistan. He creates the representation of native based on

limited knowledge as illustrated by Carnehan’s depiction of the place.

Through the white people’s characters, he also uses generalization to the

native and ignores the possibility of diversity of native people. This

representation then encourages the white people (portrayed by Dravot and

Carnehan) to bring the native in a better place, in other words to colonize.

Through TMWWBK, it is clear that Kipling favors the white men’s

superiority to the native people which allows him to create the representation

of the native based on his partial knowledge about the native in India. He

might be born and spent his childhood in India, but he was raised in

European’s way. Therefore, Kipling’s illustration of the native people is not

fully accurate.

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2. The Revenge of Her Race

―The Revenge of Her Race‖ (TRHR) is written by Mary Beaumont whose

real name is Rosa Oakes (née Mellor, 1849–1910). This short story is first

published in an anthology entitled A Ringby Lass and Other Stories (1895)

and the most well-known stories in this anthology. Because of its fame, TRHR

is included in anthologies known as Stories by English Author: The Orient

(1902) and Broadview Anthology of Victorian Short Stories in 2004

(http://www.general-books.net/sw2.cfm?q=Mary_Beaumont_(author)).

TRHR took place in New Zealand, where the main characters, Horace

Denison and his wife (later revealed as Maritana) lived. TRHR begins with

Mrs. Denison’s dying moment and her conversation with Alice, a relative of

Mr. Denison. After Mrs. Denison’s funeral, Mrs. Bentley (nurse of Mr.

Denison’s children) told Alice about Mrs. Denison’s life. She told her that

Maritana was a daughter of the native’s chief. At the time Mr. Denison was a

young man who looked for fortune in New Zealand. Eventually, they were

married and had children named Benjamin (after Mr. Denison’s father) and

Marie (after her mother). According to Mrs. Bentley, they lived happily as

family although sometime she saw Mrs. Denison’s sorrow.

As Mrs. Bentley’s narrated, the source of Mrs. Denison’s sorrow was her

Maori heritage. She told Alice at one time Mrs. Denison saw an old man who

lived behind their stable ate some stuff. Mrs. Denison began to feel bad

because she was tempted to do the same. This situation began to worsen as it

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happened when Mr. and Mrs. Denison went to see a race. Mr. Denison was

invited to have lunch in a carriage. There were many Maori people in front of

the carriage and mostly elders. They were eating shark’s flesh and bad corn.

Mrs. Denison finally succumbed into her Maori side and joined the other

Maoris to eat the flesh. This was happened without Mr. Denison’s knowledge.

Mr. Denison found out and took his wife back to carriage then went home.

Beaumont then gives the description of Maori people as a savage tribe. It

shows in her depiction of the Maori’s eating habit. She uses phrases such as

―bad stuff they eat‖ (p. 48), ―Shark’s flesh‖ (p. 49) and ―Bad corn‖ to

emphasize the savage side of Maori people. The eating habit of Maori people

also shows the native as a primitive people. On the contrary, the white people

are not eating an uncooked food with hygiene as the reason. The author’s

chosen words reflects the white men’s view (through the author) to the native

people based on their eating habit. Then, it is clear that the white people feel

superior to the Maori people. From this view, the white people allow

themselves to create the image of the Maori people based on their own

standard. However, the standard itself cannot be fully applied to the native

people. As the result, the native people are forced to accept the British

people’s image on them.

Mrs. Denison’s health began to deteriorate since the incident in the race.

She began to wish her children did not have their mother’s characteristics. At

the peak of her illness, she said to Mrs. Bentley that she wanted her children to

be an English not a Maori, as told in the beginning TRHR. Both Mrs. Bentley

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and Alice then has concluded that Mrs. Denison is a good person despite of

her problem.

As mentioned before, TRHR takes place in New Zealand, specifically in

Wellington. Beaumont’s description of Wellington is divided into two as

depicted in the following part.

The low hedge, where the creepers climbed, divided the lawn

and its magnificent Wellingtonians from the meadow. There

was little grass to be seen, for it was at this time one vast

profusion of delicate ixias of every bright and tender shade.

(p. 45)

The depiction above shows that the European people and Maori live in

separate place in Wellington. It means the author draws an imaginary line

between the native and the white people’s place. The creepers in the quotation

above represent the line. As a result, the author creates two opposite place that

represent both parties with the impact is isolating each other.

Beaumont uses word ―lawn‖ to symbolize the white people’s place since

the lawn is a part of a house. This is proved when she begins to introduce the

main character ―…where she could see the garden and the meadow, and

beyond all, the Mountain Beautiful…‖ (p. 45). The word ―magnificent

Welingtonians‖ also confirms the development of the European civilization in

New Zealand. The author wants to show her reader that the white people’s

settlement in New Zealand is an indication of modernity.

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On the other hand, Beaumont romanticizes the description of the Maori’s

place. She uses ―meadow‖ to represent the Maori’s land. This caused the

meadow appears exotic to the reader. This exoticism can be seen through

Alice’s comment about New Zealand.

The colonial life was new to her, everything had its charm, and

in the colonies there is always a letter to write to those at

home… (p. 47)

To emphasize her illustration of her meadow, she chooses terms ―delicate‖

and ―tender‖ of Ixias1 flower which creates the Maori people’s exoticism to

match the exotic meadow as their living place. Because of this portraying, the

Maori people appear to be a feminine and submissive compared with the

British people in New Zealand. Indirectly, Beaumont creates the

representation of the Maori people and forces them to accept it. The native

cannot speak for themselves. It can be seen through TRHR where the story

consists of many white people characters and one major native character. She

also generalizes the people of Maori through their appearance and practice.

Aside from Mrs. Denison, Beaumont also defines the Maori’s appearance

generally which is as a group of old people as shown in the following part.

She grieved something awful one day when she had been to

see old Tim, the Maori who lives behind stables. (p. 48)

. . .

1Pronounced Ik-see-uh, the plants are commonly called wand flowers, cornflowers or African corn

lily plants. (http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/ixia/growing-ixia-bulbs.htm)

47

There were four or five in each lot, and they were mostly old.

(p. 48-49)

By showing their appearance as old people, the Maori people can be the

primitive race before the Enlightenment period. She makes the contradictory

appearance between the native and the European people to reinforce the

polarization of both the parties. The author, represents the British people,

views the native of New Zealand as an abnormal tribe with their strange

habit. To the European, the native lives in a secluded place and cut off from

the Western progress. The illustration of the native of TRHR is generalizing

this tribe since the notable native characters in TRHR is only Maritana who is

mentioned as Mrs. Denison throughout the story. Beaumont’s generalization

can be seen as showing the flaws of the native people to display the

colonizer’s superiority.

Equally important in TRHR is Mrs. Denison’s wishes to be a proper

English. Her real name only mentioned in passing ―…Marie, called after her

mother, Maritana…‖ (p. 46). The statement displays the author’s ignorance to

the native people by recreating the personality of the native people. Mrs.

Denison’s effort to be English is expected from the European since they feel

their value is higher than the native’s value. This means that Mrs. Denison is

experiencing mimicry. To be an English people, she is alienating her Maori

heritage and imitating the European’s custom such as the way she dresses.

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Then she told me to help her to unpack her new dress from

Paris… Master Horace always chose her dresses, and he was

right proud of her in them. (p. 48)

Another impact of this condition is the ambivalence in Mrs. Denison’s

mind. This reaction can be seen in her wish of the children. Her outburst’s

―They must be all English, no Maori!‖ (p. 46) shows her imbalance between

her Maori heritage and her desire to be proper English. She does not want her

children to experience the ambivalence in their minds. Mr. and Mrs. Denison’s

children in TRHR symbolize the hybridity between the native (Maori) and

newcomer (British). This symbolism can be proved based on Alice’s words,

―they are such a delicious mixture of England and New Zealand--prettier,

sweeter than any mere English child could be. They are enchanting.‖ (p. 46).

The peak of Mrs. Denison’s attempt to mirror the white people’s custom

happens during the race horse event. In this event, Beaumont makes Mrs.

Denison’s act to follow her fellow Maori to eat the raw meat is an unconscious

decision. This accident shows the ambivalence in Mrs. Denison’s mind

because she cannot resist her Maori heritage despite her effort to be English.

Her failed attempt is shown when ―… she ran out and slipped down in her

beautiful dress close by the old Maori in his dirty rags,‖ (p. 49). It is clear that

the ambivalence within Mrs. Denison caused a mockery from her intent to

imitate the white people. Because of her slip-up, she regrets her Maori

heritage and wishes that her children are not to be Maoris. Mrs. Denison’s

statement ―If only he had blue eyes, and that hair of gold like my husband’s,

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and not those ugly eyes of mine!‖ (p. 48) reflects her wish. The ambivalence

in Mrs. Denison shows that the white people’s influence cannot successfully

reach the native people. There is a resistance within the native people,

conscious or not.

As shown above, in TRHR the land of Wellington is divided into two. The

European part of Wellington illustrates an advanced development of

civilization. On the other hand, the native land is represented as a meadow

which gives the secluded and timeless sense and considered as exotic part of

Wellington. The separation between the native and the British people reflects

the isolation between them with a plant as metaphorical divider. This way, she

is generalizing the native people in TRHR. She depicts the Maoris as savage

(based on their eating habit) and primitive. She also makes the native appear

weaker than the European which reinforces the white people’s superiority. It

can be seen through Mrs. Denison’s wishes to be proper English. However,

her wishes to be an English becomes a mockery since she cannot fully to be an

English.

The superiority to the Maori people makes the white people feel the right

to depict the native people. This description, however, is not precise since the

British people only have little knowledge of the native. Despite of this fact,

the white people did not stop representing them based on limited knowledge.

This happens in TRHR where Beaumont has limited knowledge (never visited

New Zealand) yet she can create the image of Maori people.

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3. An Outpost of Progress

―An Outpost of Progress‖ (AOP) is written by Joseph Conrad in July

1897. This short stories first published in the magazine Cosmopolitan (1897)

and later appeared in Conrad’s anthology Tale of Unrest in 1898 (Johnson,

2013). According to Conrad, AOP is ―the lightest part of the loot I carried off

from the Central Africa…‖ (p. 5). It is because the atmosphere in AOP is

much lighter than his masterpiece Heart of Darkness, with his comical

description in AOP. AOP is divided into two chapters.

The first part of AOP introduces the characters, Kayerts and Carlier. They

were sent to Africa to run the small post in that area with the supplies for six

months. They would run the post with an African native from Sierra Leone

widely known to others as Makola. It is said in the beginning of AOP that

Makola hated the white men because he was the one who took care of the

station. Makola and his family lived on a shed-like dwelling. On the contrary,

Carlier and Kayerts lived in the biggest building in the station. They began to

talk each other and tried to make the house livable. They also shared their

reason for coming to the station, Kayerts because of his daughter and Carlier

because of his brother-in-law. One day, a tribe of the native came to the

station. Instead of the white men, it was Makola who began to negotiate with

the chief about the ivory. Makola also the one who did the business with the

native’s chief in the future trade. This situation can be seen as Conrad’s

reluctant admittance of a native’s ability at least equal with the European

people. It is instead of the newcomers’ white men, Makola represents the

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company to trade with the native people. Carlier and Kayerts only watched

from the veranda and commented about the native’s appearance. The other

day, another tribe came to the station. Makola did not recognize them and

asked his wife to talk to them. Makola said to the European that the tribe

came from Loanda, his wife’s origin and wished to trade ivory with Makola.

During their stay, Carlier and Kayerts were often sick. They had to take

care of each other when one of them was sick. They also got help from

Gobila, the chief of the neighboring village. He was friendly to the white men

and assumed that the men were immortal, even the previous Chief. Carlier

and Kayerts depended on the trade with Gobila’s village about their

necessities. However, Carlier and Kayerts’ sickness changed their

appearance. They began to look worse from their sickness since the arrival of

the different tribe who looked more hostile. Makola cannot understand the

new tribe and ordered his wife to entertain them. This happened in fifth

months of the white men’s stay. This description shows Conrad’s dislike of

nature. Through AOP, he repeatedly illustrates the nature as a dark, gloomy

and somehow sentient. Furthermore, he pictured the nature as a negative

aspect which infected the white men’s health for its exposure since they often

sick.

The second part of AOP begins when Carlier and Kayerts saw a smoke.

According to Makola, the neighboring village was burned. In midnight, both

Carlier and Kayerts heard a shot and went out to check the shot. Makola

assured them and told that the ivory from the Loanda’s tribe came. In the

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following morning, the white men discovered that the men who worked for

the station gone. When Carlier went to check the worker’s hut, Makola

revealed to Kayerts that the workers were part of the ivory’s trade with the

Loanda’s men. Kayerts told the story to Carlier and both of them angry with

Makola. Makola ignored the men’s remark and began to show his hatred. In a

way, Makola’s act frees his fellow native from the white men’s clutch. His

hatred can be understood as his disapproval of his fellow native’s forced

slavery by the white people. This scene also indicates Conrad's observation

about the native’s slavery and their reaction during his mission to Africa.

At the same time, Gobila decided not to visit Carlier and Kayerts anymore

because his people were shot near the station. Because of his decision, the

white men no longer had help for their daily necessity. Their situation was

worse and they no longer tended the station. One day, Carlier and Kayerts

decided to make a coffee with sugar. They bickered about the sugar and

ended with Carlier’s death. He was accidentally shot by Kayerts after

threatening each other with pistols. After Carlier’s death, Kayerts started to

hallucinate about the land and thought that he had found enlightenment.

Finally, six months was up and the director and the steamer came to the

station. They found Carlier’s body still in the house and Kayerts’ body hung

in the previous chief’s grave marker. Again, the author reveals his dislike of

nature. As he elaborated, he believes that the nature is a dark sentient which

corrupted both the body and mind of white people. Carlier and Kayert’s

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worsening behavior until their death can be seen as the proof of Conrad's

belief in this matter.

As mentioned before, AOP is set in the depth of Africa, specifically

Congo. This correlates with Conrad’s journey to the said country in 1890

(Peters, 2006: 4). He describes the station in AOP as a very secluded place.

This can be seen from Carlier’s opinion ―… a sulky glance over the river, the

forest, the impenetrable bush that seemed to cut off from the station from the

rest of the world…‖ (p. 62). Here, Conrad clearly states that the station is cut

off by the forest around them which makes living in the station is static. The

illustration ―Day passed, silent, exasperating, and slow‖ (p. 75) reinforces

Conrad’s idea of timeless land in the station. Conrad’s description in the

beginning of AOP creates two different natures which contradict each other.

He also draws a natural geographical border which is a river. Therefore, the

native people and the British men in AOP isolate each other both physically

and mentally. Because of this, Carlier and Kayerts only have limited

knowledge about the native surrounding the station.

In another part of AOP, Conrad writes about the nature of the land.

The river, the forest, and 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. The river seemed to come from nowhere and flow

nowhither. It flowed through the void. (p. 64)

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Conrad depicts the land beautifully but full of mystery. In the quotation

above, Conrad makes the land as a living being to emphasize the mystery of

land. Because of this, the land is able to influence the white men’s mind. The

influence is shown where Kayerts thought about his deed.

The day had come, and heavy mist had descended upon the

land: the mist penetrating, enveloping, and silent; the morning

mist of tropical lands; the mist that clings and kills; the mist

white and deadly, immaculate and poisonous. (p. 79)

The nature’s ability to influence Kayerts is actually implied by the author

in the beginning of AOP, ―… as dull they were to the subtle influences of

surroundings,... a wilderness rendered more strange,…‖ (p. 62). Conrad’s

description of the mystery of the native’s land establishes the strangeness of

the native’s land. His description about the land exposes his need to

romanticize the land through its exoticism and the supernatural’s presence

within the land.

There are two tribes of native mentioned in AOP, the tribe from Loanda

and the neighboring tribe with Gobila as the chief. However, Conrad

mentions an unknown tribe in the beginning with detailed description of their

appearance.

They were naked, glossy black, ornamented with snowy shells

and glistening brass wire, perfect for limb. They made an

uncouth babbling noise when they spoke, moved in a stately

manner, and sent quick, wild glances out of their startled,

never-resting eyes. (p. 64)

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In the illustration above, the author’s introduction of the native is shown as

uncivilized people. It is indicated by words ―naked‖, ―babbling noise‖, and

―wild glances‖. He then stresses the uncivilized side of the native through the

Loanda tribe’s arrival. Makola’s remark about his wife tribe’s is ―Bad

fellows,… They fight with people, and catch women and children. They are

bad men, and got guns.‖ (p. 70). Besides their appearance, the author proves

the barbarous part of the native through their language. This can be observed

from Carlier’s comment.

―What lingo is that?‖ said the amazed Carlier. ―In the first

moment I fancied the fellow was going to speak French.

Anyway, it is a different kind of gibberish to what we ever

heard.‖ (p. 67)

Conrad also depicts the native as uncivilized through Gobila’s appearance,

―He was a gray-headed savage, thin and black, with a white cloth round his

loins and mangy panther skin hanging over his back.‖ (p. 66). However,

Carlier and Kayerts are complimenting Gobila’s tribe, ―they are rather

aromatic‖ (p. 65). Their comment implies that Gobila’s tribe is a little more

civilized than the other tribe mentioned before. As can be seen previously,

Conrand’s description of the native clearly generalizing them although he

mentions three tribes. His description of the native people also points out that

Conrad mutes the native’s voice as shown by the native’s unidentified

language to Kayerts and Carlier. This way, the native people are forced to

accept the white men’s opinion of them.

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In AOP, Conrad shows the relationship between the native and the white

men. Conrad, through Carlier and Kayerts, often calls the native as ―savage‖,

―nigga‖, and ―nigger‖. This term is degenerating the African native since the

white people saw them as an uncivilized tribe. They also mocked the

appearance of the native as stated in the following quotation.

Did you ever such a face? Oh, the funny brute…. Fine

animals…. I wouldn’t care to get a punch on the nose from

him. Fine arms, but legs no good below the knee. Couldn’t

make cavalry men of them… he always concluded: ―Pah!

Don’t they stink!‖ (p. 65)

From the quotation above, Carlier and Kayerts assumes their superiority to

the native by making fun of them. This also happens to the native they like

such as Gobila. They describe Gobila as ―incomprehensible creature‖ (p. 86)

and call him Father Gobila as a proof of their affection. Their desire to be

superior to the native also can be seen in Carlier’s word to Kayerts, ―… and

then, chaps will read that two good fellows, Kayerts and Carlier, were the

first civilized men to live in this very spot!‖ (p. 86). Carlier’s words implies

that both white men are the civilized people unlike their native neighbor.

Their stay will start the civilization. Moreover, the white people will be seen

as superior to the native people.

Additionally, the author mentions about the native’s belief. It is shown in

the introduction of Makola, ―… he dwelt alone with …the Evil spirit that

rules the lands under the equator.‖ (p. 61). Along with this belief, the native

practices human sacrifice. It is narrated after Gobila lost some of his people,

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―…the mild Gobila offered extra human sacrifice to all Evil spirits…‖ (p. 73).

Human sacrifice in AOP can be seen as a proof that the native’s belief is

rather strong. Thus, the belief in spirit and human sacrifices clearly shows the

primitive part of the native which looks irrational to the European. Again, the

Western people will be more superior to the native in terms of knowledge.

From the native characters mentioned by Conrad, Makola is the only

native character described in detail. As stated in the introduction, ―he is from

Sierra Leone, who maintained that his name was Henry Price.‖ (p. 61). From

this statement, Makola does not admit his real name but use a European

name. The name Makola itself came from the natives. This proves that

Makola denies his heritage. The statement also correlates with Bhabha’s

characteristic of mimicry which is alienating their heritage. Another trait of

Makola showing his desire to be a European is ―He spoke English and French

with a warbling accent, wrote a beautiful hand, understood bookkeeping…‖

(p. 61). This shows that he is smarter than his white bosses and the other

native people.

Although he denies some of his heritage trait, Makola still keeps his

heritage’s belief. It can be seen through Conrad’s narration, ―… and cherished

in innermost heart the worship of evil spirits.‖ (p. 61). The way Conrad shows

Makola’s heritage explains the partial identity in Makola. Makola’s

ambivalence within him can be seen in, ―He got on very well with his god.‖

(p. 61). The ambivalence, however, becomes a proof of Makola’s intention to

imitate the white men. It is because he does not fully avoid his own culture.

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The ambivalence also can be seen as the native’s resistance because the

native people still maintain their own tradition. Then, the European people’s

attempt to colonize the native people is not fully succeeded.

To conclude, the land in AOP is described as unusual through the mystery

in it. Conrad romanticizes the land of the native through supernatural’s

presence and exoticism. He generally depicts the native people as savage and

primitive, as proved by their behavior and belief. Conrad’s tone in AOP is

very dark and gloomy. His depiction to the native and the nature around them

is to the point of extreme. From his illustration about the native it is clear that

he is not a nature person. Conrad’s tone in AOP also reveals that he sees the

native is beneath them. As mentioned before, Conrad gathers his information

of the native in Africa during his mission in the said place. He then constructs

the native using the partial knowledge of African people. Because of this, the

depiction of the native people is not fully accurate. He ignored the native’s

right to present themselves and suppress them under the white men’s image

of the native. Conrad's ability to construct the image of the native reflects the

superiority of white men to the native people of Africa.

Furthermore, the author’s description of Makola also indicates Bhabha’s

mimicry and ambivalence within him. Makola’s ambivalence results in his

camouflaging between his native heritage and the European’s influence. His

act can be seen as a silent resistance to the white people.

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B. Reflection of Colonialism

It is important to understand about imperialism and colonialism before

describing the reflection of colonialism within the short stories written by the

British authors. According to Said in his book Culture and Imperialism (1993),

imperialism is ―the practice, the theory, and the attitudes of a dominating

metropolitan centre ruling a distant territory‖ while colonialism is defined as ―a

consequence of imperialism, is the implanting of settlements on distant territory.‖

(p. 9). In other words, imperialism is the ideology and colonialism is the

manifestation of imperialism. Generally, imperialism and colonialism is only

known in terms of military action. In its development, both terms are implied in

other aspects such as political and economic aspect.

The relationship between the colonizer and the colonized, during and after

colonializing must have some effects. The effects can be seen in both the

colonizer (in this case is Britain) and the colonized (third countries in Asia and

Africa). It is because of the colonial relationship is not equal, as Mcleod writes:

To enter into colonial relations, willingly or by force, then, is to

be changed irrevocably…. the unequal oppositional power

relations required by colonialism unavoidably structured the lives

of those who were caught up in the fortunes of empire, regardless

of their position or point of view. (2007, 3)

From the Mcleod’s statements above, it is clear that the effects of colonialism

are inevitable to both parties. The process and effects of colonialism can be seen

through several things such as the oral stories, the buildings, and the published

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writings. The writings, especially literary works written and published in late 19th

century, record the colonialism quite in detail from the British authors who had

travelled to the colonies. Their works reflect colonialism in the foreign territory of

British Empire. This situation also happens in TMWWBK, TRHR, and AOP

whose authors are British people.

There are similarities between TMWWBK, TRHR and AOP. The short

stories were written and published in 1880s. The short stories also focus on the

relationship between the white men with the native although with different angles.

The economic motive of white men to colonize the overseas territory is also

shown in the short stories. The motive is revealed through Carnehan’s words to

the narrator in TMWWBK, Horace Denison’s coming to New Zealand in TRHR,

and the trading in AOP. This motive is relevant with British’s desire to conquer

the land in Asia, Africa and Australia.

This economic motive shows the situation in Britain where industrial

revolution began to grow. All the short stories also reflect Britain’s modernity at

the time. Kipling describes modernity in detail through all the technologies and

the specification of jobs in societies. Beaumont displays the modernity aspect

through the circulation goods between the countries. The modernity aspect can be

seen when Mrs. Denison accepted a dress imported from Paris. The similar

situation also happens in AOP in smaller case.

The unequal part of colonial relationship is shown by the representation of the

native in the short stories. Generally, the European people see the native as

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savage, irrational, and primitive. They deemed that the native is uncivilized and in

need of enlightening. Then the white men felt the need to share their

enlightenment to the secluded native by colonializing them. Two methods of

colonializing the native are shown in the short stories. The first one is by military

conquest represented by Dravot’s usage of gun (p. 15) to fight the native in

TMWWBK. In AOP, guns are also used as force as described through the

shooting of Gobila’s people by the tribe from Loanda (p. 68). This action reflects

Britain’s method of old imperialism in 1450 until 1650.

The second method is less visible than military conquest since the colonizer

uses the native authorities’ influence. They penetrate the native’s life slowly and

become one of the influences aside from the native. Dravot’s rule as king in

TMWWBK and the men’s friendship with Gobila in AOP illustrates this method.

The marriage between Mr. Denison and Maritana in TRHR also can be seen as the

example of the second method. This method allows the white people to blend with

the native, to the point of claiming to be sibling. The effect of this method lasts

longer than the first method because the native suffer the psychological damage.

Whatever the methods used by the European to colonize the Other, the effect

is quite visible in the colonized part. The natives mostly have a conflicted identity

between his or her heritage and the influence of the Occident. This condition leads

to Bhabha’s ambivalence which is already explained in previous chapter. All the

short stories (with different authors) show this phenomenon in one of their native

characters. This means that the conflicted identity or ambivalence is a common

effect for the native. In reality, Bhabha’s ambivalence can be seen in the way the

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native try to follow the European’s customs voluntarily such as dressing and

eating manner. Some even change their name to European names to feel more like

the European than their native heritage. The characters in all short stories move

from mimicry to ambivalence in various degrees. The visible effect of

ambivalence and mimicry is that the native becomes a mockery of the white

people. Hence, the native can never be a European people fully, no matter how

much their effort to imitate them. It is because the relationship between the white

people and the native people is unequal. Ambivalence itself can be seen as the

fluctuating relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. Hence,

ambivalence can be seen as positive like Makola’s ambivalence in AOP or

negative such as Billy Fish in TMWWBK. No matter what types of ambivalence

suffered by the native, the white people expect them to not struggle against the

European’s influence.

Another effect of colonialism is the class division. According to Storry and

Child (2002), the class divisions in Britain are generally categorized into three

classes. They are known as the upper class, the middle class (divided into higher

professionals, the salariat professionals, the white-collar workers, and the self-

employed), and the working class (p. 179-191). Britain’s class division also

mirrors the territory of British Empire. The short stories written by British authors

reflect the class division in the Orient territory. Generally, only the middle and

working class are pictured in the short stories. In TMWWBK, the differentiation

of class is shown through the narrator’s stories about railway train. He clearly

mentions that the native in TMWWBK belongs to the second class as the train

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class indicated. In TRHR and AOP, the separation of class is reflected through the

living arrangement with nature as the divider. All authors place the natives below

the European people. This shows that the Orient is beneath the white people in

their class division.