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Daniella Manghisi
Paper #2- King Solomon’s Mines

The portrayal of science vs. witchcraft and superstition as seen in King Solomon’s Mines is that
Science is demonstrated to be superior to superstition in the book. However, just like many ancient legends and fairy tales, the “feminine” can be used for both good and evil. Gagool is obviously the evil side of femininity. The white men overcome the terror of Gagool and impress the Kukuana people through science in various instances. When the Kukuana people seek a sign indicating that the white men and their magic endorse Umbopa as Ignosi, their missing king, Good hatches a plan, executed primarily by Quatermain to use a convenient lunar eclipse as a sign of their power. Good, has an almanac handy and is able to pinpoint the exact same time of the eclipse.

The white men’s weapons are superior to the spears and throwing knives of the Kukuanas, and when discussing their effectiveness Quatermain couches their power in magical terms. He goes so far as to place a curse on his gift of a Winchester rifle to Twala, stating that it’s power will backfire on the user if fired at a human being. Twala apparently believes this so he does not attempt to use the weapon to succeed the battle for his throne. Alike though not identical, even as Gagool keeps her knowledge secret and reveals bits of it only in cryptic terms, the white men readily discern that her knowledge of an invisible passage into the treasure chamber is a simple matter of discovering the locking mechanism of the stone door, and when they are trapped within the chamber their understanding of airflow and architecture allows them to defeat Gagool’s intended doom.

The Natives are also described as superstitious people, ignorant of European technology. Quartermain gives his extra luggage to an old man before they travel through the desert. The old man is described as an “old thief, a savage whose greedy eyes I could see gloating over the weapons.” In order to try and convince the Native from stealing anything from him, Quartermain uses superstition. He tells the man that if he touches any of the rifles, that they would fire. The Kafir decides to experiment and suddenly kills one of his oxen. Quartermain warns the old man that when they come back and anything is missing, they would “kill him and all his people by witchcraft…and haunt him and turn his cattle mad and his milk sour till life was a weariness, and make the devils in the guns come out and talk to him in a way he would not like.” Clearly, the old man is only being mocked by the Europeans who only use his superstition to accomplish their own goal: reclaiming all their goods when they come back.

When Quartermain’s group is in the Kukuana camp, they meet Gagool, who embodies superstition. She is an old woman who is described to have supernatural knowledge. She is made fun of by the Europeans as a “wizened monkey-like figure creeping…on all fours with a most extraordinary and weird countenance. She prophesies and “terror seemed to seize upon the hearts of all who heard.” However, she sees the Europeans technology as magic, showing that even the wisest man among the Natives is ignorant to Europeans technology.

This mockery of superstition is shown in the scene of the eclipse of the sun. The Natives are allegedly closer to nature but yet they are confused and frightened when a natural phenomenon occurs. They “stood petrified with fear, throwing themselves upon their knees, groaning with terror…’the sun is dying-the wizards have killed the sun.’” The Europeans thus show that they do not even need western technology to manipulate the Native’s superstitious fear. Throughout the novel, Europeans are portrayed as rational, Christian and technologically advanced, whereas the native culture is filled with superstition, fear and ignorance. The indigenous African people are portrayed negatively and in desperate need of a saving influence, just like the British imperial rule.

Umbopa, the king of Kukuanaland, says he will not allow any white men to enter his kingdom because he needs to protect Kukuanaland. It is thus far unspoiled by the negative aspects of colonization and Umbopa is determined to retain this. He says, “No white man shall cross the mountains . . . I will see no traders with their guns and rum. My people shall fight with the spear, and drink water, like their forefathers before them. I will have no praying-men to put fear of death into men's hearts, to stir them up . . . and make a path for the white men who follow to run on.” His many anti-imperialist statements serve to warn against any further incursions by the white man and they are also a warning to readers that not all aspects of African tribal life need to be influenced or changed by European colonization. In some cases, it would be best to leave customs and peoples in peace, keeping African traditional ways of life.

Obviously, the two opposing imperialist views shown in the novel demonstrate Haggard's own ambivalence towards British imperialism in Africa. In one way, the indigenous people are ignorant and superstitious and need to be enlightened in European technology. However, Europeans are also not permitted to enter where they may potentially ruin an impressive culture. Colonization was necessary, but the colonizers must proceed carefully in order to keep some fundamental aspects of African traditional life.