Human beings, being a visually oriented species, lack objectivity in their actions and observations; two people could interpret a particular incident in countless ways. Joseph Conrad's attitude towards imperialism in Heart of Darkness lit a flame of controversy. Cedric Watts and Chinua Achebe, two eminent writers, took different positions in this seemingly endless debate; a debate that arises from the "dark". In Watts's 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 completely opposite to Watts; Achebe's criticism of Conrad's short story - Conrad's Racism - revolved around the imperialistic aspects of Conrad's personnel and the imperialistic by-products that were notable in Conrad's short story. Racism and the dehumanization of the African figure were two of the themes that reawakened Achebe's emotional connection with his "original" roots. Achebe's attitude in his criticism was one of great perplexity; driven solely by patriotic emotions and fear of belittlement, Achebe degraded the short story to a non-artistic work, in an attempt to defend himself, rather than the Nigerians, whom he supposedly represents. This, in my opinion, diminishes Achebe's authenticity and puts Watts' perspective on this controversial issue a few steps ahead. Conrad, in my view, courageously revealed in his novella the commonly misinterpreted – and usually hidden – ideology of imperialism by proving himself to be an anti-imperialist. “The place of human mystery is the perception of this world. From it proceeds every thought, every art. (Marilyn Robinson). Heart of......middle of paper......was able to alter the “frame of reference” (Achebe, p. 188) of the readers' subjective reality, thus keeping their judgments at a distance. The apparently calm and benevolent atmosphere that Conrad managed to create in his story was only a technique to avoid the judgments of the imperialists. Conrad had a certain perspective on the world that was significantly different from that of his fellow imperialists, in that he had a sense of being able to challenge the innate demon within him and master his own path. However, his rather “unique” life perspective is not quite as unique as previously thought. Instead, Conrad's vision contained some impurities, as a result of the culture into which he was born. Throughout his story, Conrad managed to artistically and indirectly convey the inconveniences of imperialism and his sympathy towards the victims of imperialism..