The Effects of Colonialism in Planet of the Apes

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The Effects of Colonialism in Planet of the Apes
The subject of colonialism is deep. When considered from the perspective of the colonized, colonialism has adverse effects. In “Plant of the Apes,” Pierre Boulle uses the predicament of the astronauts to demonstrate the problems that the colonized endure at the hands of their masters. In the novel, a sailing couple in space, Jinn and Phyllis, come across a script written by journalist Ulysse Mérou. In 2500, a wealthy Professor Antelle invited him with physician Arthur Levain, the professor’s disciple, to explore Betelgeuse. Unknown to them, the new land is inhabited by intelligent apes who do not hesitate to capture and colonize human beings.
Colonialism is used to assert a sense of superiority. When the astronauts land at their destination, they notice a sign of life. While moving on with their activities, they discover a woman. Mérou “[holds his] breath at the marvelous beauty of [that] creature from Soror” (Boulle 20). The explorers are astonished at the beauty of the young girl. To them, she appears as a goddess. The young girl asserts her femininity while entirely naked. Mérou indicates that women possess “the most perfect body that could be conceived on Earth.” (Boulle 20). However, the impression of the astronauts changes immediately after the woman starts uttering sounds. When she opens her mouth, Mérou expects her to speak, give shout or cry. Instead, strange sounds come out of her throat. The narrator indicates that “In [their] zoos, sometimes, young chimpanzees play and wrestle together, giving just such little cries” (Boulle 22). Because of the woman’s strange behavior, Mérou believes that she is salvage belonging to a backward race like that in New Guinea and African forests. Such a view demonstrates that colonialists demeaned natives and painted them as inferior. Mérou judges as backward because she could not speak as he expected but produced a sound like that of a chimpanzee.
However, the astronauts’ superiority notion fades once an army of gorillas emerges and transforms the colonizer into the colonized. The explorers are rounded up and stripped of their weapons and clothes. The creatures destroy the navigating instruments and scatter the bits and pieces. While the creatures have a human body, the astronauts are unable to understand their language. Only Nova, the women they had encountered when they first landed, appeared to be concerned about them. However,...