"White Men's Burdens?": A Study of Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim, George Orwell's Burmese Days, and Graham Greene's The Quiet American as Reflections of Three Phases of Western Colonialism in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Through the three chosen British novels, Western colonialism in Southeast Asia can be seen in three major phases: colonialism at its peak, colonialism during its decline and colonialism at its transformation. This thesis propounds that the roles and statuses of the white male characters (Jim, John Flory, Thomas Fowler and Alden Pyle) are established through their interactions with other characters, most of whom are women. The roles and statuses of these Western protagonists and their interactions with the people residing in the region of Southeast Asia can be seen to reflect three phases of Western colonialism. In Lord Jim (1899-1900), the main character Jim establishes a hierarchical master-slave relationship between himself and other local inhabitants. The relationship between Jim and other characters reflects the peak of colonialism. In Burmese Days (1934), the relationship between Flory and local characters becomes less hierarchical, reflecting Western colonialism during its decline. In The Quiet American (1955), the relationship between Fowler, Pyle and other characters, especially Phuong, reflects Western colonialism at its transitional stage, where European colonialism has begun to give way to American imperialism. The thesis also proffers the notion that though the roles and status of Westerners in Southeast Asia have continually changed, the paradigm of Western power is still in place.