Symbols
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There are many key symbols in King Leopold’s Ghost that
we can diagnose to better understand the Decolonization of Southern Africa. First in the title we can note the use of the
word “Ghost”. This word actually has multiple meanings and symbolizes many
different ideas within the text. One, it represents the Europeans inability to
understand the people of Africa at this time. There were rumors about the
tribes that lived in these unchartered areas of Africa. Mostly these rumors
depicted Africans as Cannibals or uncivilized ape like creatures. The word “Ghost”
in one way is meant to define the Africans that were undefined to the
Europeans. However, the word “Ghost” can
also be interpreted in a more literal sense, referring to the thousands of
African lives that were lost due the decolonization of Africa. Rituals,
prayers, and African stories all became “Ghosts” as well when the Europeans
invaded Africa and established their own rule.
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We see a huge part of Okonkwo’s story is affected by the European’s trying to convince the Umuofia people, that the Christian religion is the only one that is legitimate. The Christian religion becomes a symbol of separation. Rather than uniting the people of Africa the Christian religion becomes a cause for chaos. This new religion changes the way the Umoufia see their people. “The white man is very clever. Now he has won our brothers and our clan can no longer act as one” (Pg.176). For example, the conflict between Enoch, and the Umuofia people is symbolic of the overall conflicts that all of Africa faced at this time. Different tribes were being told their past history meant nothing, and it resulted in the separating of tribes and friendships. This is because nothing positive is ever blossomed out of this confliction of religions in this book. The Umuofia natives have their ceremony insulted, and the Christians get their compound burned to the ground. This is the definition of chaos, when there is only anarchy with no solution.
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In Nadine Gordimer’s fiction novel The Conservationist it is the symbol of
the dead black man that we can diagnose. On a farm in which a wealthy capitalist
named Mehring lives there is a body of black man found on
his farm. The fact that the police find this black man and bury him on the spot
is the point in which we can draw interpretation. This idea that because of a
man’s race he can be buried without ritual, appreciation, or investigation
symbolizes the suppression of South Africans at this time. This action
symbolizes the deep segregation between whites and blacks all around the world
at this time, not only the repression seen on the surface of the story.