In Heart of Darkness, a European guy goes deep into the "'heart"' of Africa to save another European guy only to find out that his man has gone "'native"' and also mental. Is the whole journey futile because European colonialism is innately racist and evil? Is that because Africa is a totally insane, backwards place? Sounds like some questions only a postcolonialist can answer...
Chinua Achebe argues that Conrad's use of Africa as "'setting and backdrop…eliminates the Africa as human factor."' Do you think Conrad uses Africa and African characters in the way Achebe describes? Is there anything redeeming about the way Conrad depicts Africa and Africans?
Here's some more food for thought. The eloquent use of English can serve as a sign of civility and sanity in the novella. How seductive is Conrad's use of language and why might that be a problem for a good postcolonialist?