Paper 210A: Research Project Writing: Dissertation Writing
Voices at the Margins: Subalternity and Dehumanization in ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Heart of Darkness’
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University Bhavnagar
Paper Code: 22417- Dissertation Writing
Dissertation Title:
Voices at the Margins: Subalternity and Dehumanization in ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Heart of Darkness’
Submitted by Supervised by
Jay Vaghani Prof. (Dr.) Dilip Barad
Cosupervised by
Ms. Megha Trivedi
Department of English, MKBU
Roll No: 06(Sem 4)
PG Registration Number: 5108240035
ABC ID: 455132264617
Year: 2026
Presented as partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M.A. in English.
Submitted to
Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
1.1. Rationale of the Research 9
1.2.1 Subalternity: Conceptual Foundations 11
1.2.2 Dehumanisation: Ideological and Discursive Dimensions 12
1.2.3 Subalternity and Dehumanization as Interconnected Processes 14
1.2.4 Cultural Hegemony and Ideological Institutions 14
1.2.5 Posthumanism and the Question of the Human 15
1.2.6 Literary Representation and Narrative Structure 15
1.2.7 Synthesis of Theoretical Framework 16
1.3. Introduction of the Texts 17
1.3.1. ‘Frankenstein’ (1818) 17
1.3.2. ‘Heart of Darkness’ (1899) 19
1.3.3.Comparative Significance 22
1.4.Statement of the Research Problem 22
1.8. Research Methods (Tools, Techniques and Approaches) 24
1.9. Structure of the Dissertation 27
Chapter 2 : Literature Review 32
Chapter 3 : Subalternity, Voice, and Dehumanization in ‘Frankenstein’ 43
3.1 Subalternity and Dehumanization in ‘Frankenstein’ 45
3.1.1 Theory of Subalternity 45
3.1.2 Theory of Dehumanisation 45
3.2 Theoretical Framework in Relation to the Text 46
3.3 Dehumanised Subaltern Subjects: The Creature and Justine Moritz in ‘Frankenstein’ 47
3.3.1.1 Social Exclusion and Loss of Agency 47
3.3.1.2 Language, Learning, and the Struggle for Self-Representation 48
3.3.2 Gendered and Judicial Subalternity: The Case of Justine Moritz 50
3.3.2.1 Silenced Female Subalternity 50
3.3.2.2 Coerced Confession and Institutional Oppression 51
3.4.2 The Creature’s Embedded Narrative and Its Constraints 52
3.5 Processes of Dehumanization in the Novel 53
3.5.1 Monstrosity, Animalisation, and Racialised Description 54
3.5.2 Social Rejection, Violence, and Structural Othering 55
3.6 Ethical Implications of Silencing the Other 56
3.6.1 The Creator’s Moral Responsibility 56
3.6.2 Ethical Failure and the Consequences of Denying Voice 56
4.1 Subalternity, Narrative Silence, and Dehumanization in ‘Heart of Darkness’ 63
4.1.1 Theory of Subalternity in a Colonial Context 64
4.1.2 Theory of Dehumanization in Imperial Ideology 65
4.2 Theoretical Framework in Relation to the Text 66
4.3 Narrative Mediation and the Structure of Silence 66
4.3.1 Marlow as the Controlling Mediator 67
4.3.2 Frame Narrative and Hierarchies of Authority 68
4.3.3 Fragmented and Unintelligible African Speech 68
4.4 Processes of Dehumanization in Colonial Representation 69
4.4.1 Imagery of Darkness, Savagery, and Primitiveness 69
4.4.2 The Body as Labouring Object 70
4.4.3 Kurtz and the Extremity of Imperial Power 70
4.5 African Natives as Colonial Subaltern Subjects 70
4.5.1 Erasure of Individual Identity 70
4.5.2 The African Woman and Gendered Subalternity 71
4.5.3 Resistance and Its Narrative Containment 72
4.6 Ethical Ambiguity and the Limits of European Humanism 72
4.6.1 Critique or Complicity? 72
4.6.2 The Moral Consequences of Denying Humanity 73
4.7 Ethical Implications of Colonial Silencing 73
4.7.1 Imperial Responsibility and Moral Evasion 73
4.7.2 Structural Silence and the Production of Darkness 74
5.2 Revisiting the Hypothesis 84
5.3 Research Findings in Relation to Research Questions 85
5.4 Findings in Relation to Research Objectives 86
5.5 Limitations of the Study 88
5.5.2 Theoretical Limitations 89
5.6 Suggestions for Further Research 89
5.6.1 Textual Scope for Further Research 89
5.6.2 Theoretical Scope for Further Research 90
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Blackwood's Magazine, 1899. 92
Silencing the Other in Frankenstein and Heart of Darkness
This dissertation explores how Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad portray marginalized figures who are denied voice, identity, and humanity. Using ideas from Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Edward Said, and Frantz Fanon, the study argues that silencing is not just part of the story—it is built into the structure of the narratives themselves.
Both texts, though written in different periods and styles, show a similar pattern: powerful European voices control the narrative, while the “Other” (the Creature in Frankenstein and African characters in Heart of Darkness) are pushed to the margins. Even when these characters try to speak, their voices are filtered, ignored, or made insignificant. This reflects what Spivak calls epistemic violence, where systems of knowledge decide who can be heard and who cannot.
The dissertation highlights that dehumanization works through language, narrative structure, and social institutions. In Frankenstein, the Creature is intelligent and emotional, yet judged only by his appearance. In Heart of Darkness, African characters are reduced to anonymous figures without identity or voice. In both cases, difference becomes a reason for exclusion.
A key insight of the study is that European humanism, which claims to value equality and rationality, actually operates selectively. Only those who fit certain norms are treated as fully human. Others are seen as monstrous, primitive, or inferior.
Finally, the dissertation shows that this exclusion leads to moral collapse rather than order. Victor Frankenstein’s tragedy and Kurtz’s downfall reveal the consequences of denying humanity to others. These texts remain relevant today, as similar patterns of marginalization and silencing continue in modern society.
Bibliography
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