Humans, being a visually oriented species, lack objectivity in their actions and observations; any two people could interpret any particular incident in countless ways. Joseph Conrad's attitude toward imperialism in Heart of Darkness sparked controversy. Cedric Watts and Chinua Achebe, two prominent writers, have taken different positions in this seemingly endless debate; a debate born from “darkness”. In Watts' Indirect Methods Convey Conrad's Views of Imperialism, Watts argues that Conrad is an artistic anti-imperialist, subliminally conveying "the corruption and hypocrisy of imperialism" (Watts, p.1). Achebe interpreted Conrad's intentions in a completely opposite way to those of Watts; Achebe's critique of Conrad's short story – Conrad's Racism – revolved around the imperialist aspects of Conrad's staff and the imperialist by-products that were notable in Conrad's short story. Racism and the dehumanization of the African figure are two of the themes that awakened Achebe's emotional links with his "original" roots. Achebe's attitude in his criticism was one of great perplexity; Motivated solely by patriotic emotions and fear of being demeaned, Achebe downgraded the short story to a non-artistic work, in an attempt to defend himself, rather than the Nigerians, whom it purportedly represents. This, I believe, diminishes Achebe's authenticity and puts a leg up on Watts's view on this controversial issue. Conrad, in my view, courageously revealed the commonly misinterpreted – and usually hidden – imperialist ideology in his novel, thereby proving himself to be an anti-imperialist. “The place of human mystery is the perception of this world. From there proceed all thoughts, all arts. » (Mallynne Robinson). Heart of... middle of paper ... was capable of altering the “frame of reference” (Achebe, p. 188) of readers' subjective reality, thus keeping their judgments at bay. The seemingly calm and benevolent atmosphere that Conrad was able to create in his short story was only a technique to avoid the judgments of the imperialists. Conrad had a certain perspective on the world that was very different from that of his fellow imperialists, in the sense that he was capable of defying the innate demon within him and dominating his own path. However, his rather "unique" perspective on life is not completely unique as previously thought. Instead, Conrad's vision contained impurities, due to the culture he was born into. Throughout its history, Conrad knew how to express in an artistic and indirect way the disadvantages of imperialism and his sympathy towards the victims of imperialism..