IMPERIAL NARRATIVES AND NATIVE VOICES: A COMPARATIVE POSTCOLONIAL STUDY OF TWILIGHT IN DELHI AND HEART OF DARKNESS

Abstract

The literature addressing colonialism have been produced both by colonizers and colonized. The variances of their perspective on colonialism can be found in their writings. This study, using textual analysis, explores Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Twilight in Delhi by Ahmed Ali through the lens of postcolonial theory, focusing on the psychological, cultural, and political ramifications of colonialism. The study is qualitative in nature, and the sample passages for analysis from the novels have been selected by using the technique of purposive sampling. Conrad’s work critiques the moral corruption and inhumanity embedded in European imperialism, using Africa as a symbolic landscape to reflect the inner darkness of the colonizers. In contrast, Ali’s novel presents an intimate portrayal of cultural decline and identity loss under British colonial rule in India. While Heart of Darkness reveals the dehumanizing effects of colonial power from the oppressor’s perspective, Twilight in Delhi captures the emotional and cultural disintegration experienced by the colonized. Together, these texts illuminate the complex dynamics of power, resistance, and historical memory central to postcolonial discourse. The significance of the study lies in the fact that it can be used by the teachers, researchers and students as it develops the understanding about the analysis of text written on the subject of colonization.