At first glance, it might seem quite disturbing to compare two seemingly different works such as Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and EM Forster's A Passage to India. Aside from the disparity in their length and structure (Heart of Darkness: a short story, A Passage to India: a fully developed novel), the two stories are separated by a generation and were produced at different periods in each writer's career. Each of the two novelists emerged from very different backgrounds and had truly unique upbringings. In Conrad's case, the novella is the direct result of his experiences as captain of a small river steamboat in the African Congo in the 1890s. For his part, E. M. Forster, having traveled so often through India, appears to have produced A Passage to India following one's 'passages' there. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Regardless of all these factual differences, the two novels have a lot in common. Both works address the issues of colonialism and not only "fall" into the category of postcolonial literature, but undoubtedly trigger many questionable issues related to colonialism that would otherwise remain hidden under the feigned integrity of British rule. Just as Heart of Darkness, although ostensibly dealing with the voyage of an ordinary sailor, is not considered a "typical" voyage, similarly, the "Passage" that Mrs. Moore and Adela Questad take to India is much more of a simple step. . This multiplicity of meanings makes it quite obvious that both novels must be understood at various reading levels to derive their full essence. Both novels carry the weight of factual evidence from specific historical eras. A Passage to India puts before our eyes the period of decline of the British Empire after the First World War, while Heart of Darkness takes us into the realm of European imperial powers, resulting in numerous sinkings in Africa. In this way, both EM Forster and Joseph Conrad can be taken as perfect examples of writers capable of explicitly expressing the mood of a particular historical moment. The native views expressed in both novels against "imperialism" and its impact are the epitome of their times. 'Social Darwinism' and 'Eurocentrism' are two notions directly traced by both novelists in depth. Only the "fittest" could survive in the world they represented and the only possible "center" for the production of "fitness" in that world was undoubtedly considered "Europe". The mastery of producing exceptional characters who stare so well in their current historical costumes can only be the mark of an exceptional writer. Both Conrad and Forster are gifted with this trait which they show well in these two masterpieces. Both stories are told from the point of view of European characters who find themselves in foreign lands as direct representatives of a European power or through some connection to imperial activity, although A Passage to India is unusual in a way that also sheds light on the point of sight. of a colonial native. Conrad's characters take on their roles and go with the flow. Kurtz is one of the most skillfully created characters in both psychological and moral terms. He is depicted as a representative of the entire Western civilization. Just as Ted Hughes's 'Hawk' in 'Hawk Roosting' brags about himself saying, 'It took the whole of creation/To produce my foot, every feather of mine/Now I hold Creation in my foot,' so too way, 'All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz' who gave vent to his 'ritesunspeakable' and his 'unhealthy methods'. His final conclusion to 'Exterminate all the brutes', seen in the political-moral dimension, can be considered as capitalist exploitation that aspires to world supremacy. Forster's characters are very strong and fully developed. Like Conrad, we find him focused on the trials of the individual in a situation of moral isolation leading to destruction or enlightenment. Dr Aziz, a mix of extremes and contradictions, seems to be the embodiment of Forster's notion of India's “confusion”. Directly or indirectly, Forster wants us to see many of Dr. Aziz's characteristics as the traits of many Indians in general. Fielding is yet another interesting character in the novel. Just as Marlow acts as an intermediary between the two extremes of Kurtz and the Company, so too, Fielding appears to be a moderator between the Court and Dr. Aziz. Human relationships and their limitations are yet another very important aspect that recurs time and again in both. the novels. Forster is extremely inclined towards humanistic philosophy and his characters prove to be good subjects for psychoanalysis. Nowhere do we find his voice clearer and stronger than in A Passage to India, in which human relationships are pushed to the extreme limits, trying to break down boundaries of various kinds and attempting to bridge the gap between cultures and castes, a gap that it remains as wide as ever at the end. Despite Dr. Aziz's statement that "This picnic has nothing to do with the English or the Indians; it is an expedition of friends", he has to pay a high price for attempting to be intimate with the English even though in the end everything works out in his favor. . We certainly agree with the idea that the result is simply disaster "when the English and Indians try to have social intimacy." Similarly, Heart of Darkness can also be studied as Marlow's journey into the depths of the human psyche and relationships. Blackness becomes a prejudice that fails to see other cultures as human beings and rejects any kind of intimacy between people of different races. Symbolism is an important tool for writers. But for some writers this tool turns into a very powerful weapon with which they can not only defend their thoughts well, but also very skillfully convince readers to support their point of view. Both Conrad and Forster possess this very weapon and use it fully in their work. The landscape, rivers, caves and even various characters are taken as symbols representing very complex ideas. Darkness is associated with almost every place and person Marlow encounters, including himself. The River Thames, like dark Africa, turns out to be one of the dark places. “And this too,” Marlow suddenly said, “was one of the dark places of the world” (Conrad 7). The river in which Marlow travels serves as a multi-layered symbol in the novel, as do the Marabar Caves in A Passage to India. Each of these symbols of "nature" represents not only a number of ideas but at the same time remains the vague center of each idea. The river which, according to Marlow, resembled "an immense uncoiled serpent, with its head in the sea, its body at rest, curving far away over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the earth" reminds us of the serpents that Dr. Aziz mentions to Mrs Moore, saying: “There are bad characters around and leopards can meet from the Marabar Hills. Even snakes." Miss Questad's experience in the caves can also be interpreted as the realization of her inner darkness. The hysteria she experienced afterwards could also be compared to Kurtz's last words: "The horror, the horror". The fact that the'.’