Albert Memmi attempts to deal with the issue of European colonialism in the continent of Africa. He depicts the world in which this system was tolerated. He tries to show the reader a picture of the struggles of the colonial structure. The Los Angeles Times states that "The Colonizer ant the Colonized is an important document of our times, an invaluable warning for all future generations." Memmi documents this evil which is called colonialism as a advertisement to all its shortcomings.
Memmi himself admits that he " did not conceive of this book as a work of protest or even as a search for solutions. It was born out of reflection on an accepted failure" (145). He wanted to take an introspective look at what exactly colonialism was and why it could not work; he wanted to pass this information on to his readers so that they could understand the shortcomings of this system they called colonialism. It has been said that those who forget the past we be doomed to repeat it. That is why this book has gained such importance in our world literature. It is not for its grand solutions to a world problem but just a vast understanding of that very problem. Once fully understood, only then can one go on to fix the travesties of this world.
The novel discusses colonialism in general opposed to telling any specific story. Memmi offers up general observations of each certain group discussed. In this way, it is a story of human nature and an explanation of how the situation causes the individual to act. The author offers each point though a logical discussion of the causes and effects of the colonial system. Because of this, his novel appeals greatly to ones reason, but much less to ones emotion. This is the trade off when an author presents an picture the way Memmi does. He sacrifices passion for understanding.
However, as this book succeeds in accomplishing an important mission, it in some ways fails to do it effectively.