The focus of this research is in the area of modernist literature. Such a study is important in order to show the different forms of how colonialism overtly and covertly be performed among those who appear to superiors as inferiors. The research adopted in this paper includes critical reading, and analysis of main characters’ attitudes and behavior from a modern notion. The findings from this research provide evidence that To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad showcase a shared central idea, colonizing and oppressing the other. Where the former suggests colonialism as an act motivated by patriarchy within a domestic domain, the latter depicts colonialism as an act motivated by imperialism. The main conclusion drawn from this research is that colonialism, of its many shapes and forms, can be conducted in the actions of superior characters towards those inferior subjects.
Keywords: Modernist literature, colonialism, superiors, inferiors, patriarchy, imperialism.