Heart Of Darkness Essay
Darkness in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
The symbolism of darkness plays a central role in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. For instance, as Marlow narrates his encounter working as an agent of a Belgian ivory trading firm called “the company” in Congo, Africa, he describes a scene of two women knitting black wool. The black wool, in this case, represents the imagery of darkness. The older woman is said to possess an “uncanny and fateful” (Conrad 1.24) look. In the novel, Marlow also puts across the thought that the two women were “guarding the door of Darkness” (Conrad 1.24). These two women are not just some harmless old grandmothers knitting baby blankets. These women seem to represent two of the three Greek personifications of fate.
The Greek believed that the three fates are young, middle-aged, and the old. The young one represented birth, the middle one life, and the old one symbolized death. There is also Latin quotation, “Morituri te salutant” (Conrad 1.24). This quote means “They who are about to die to salute you.” Conrad’s use of this quotation highlights the theme of darkness which is represented by death in this case. Additionally, the older woman is used to symbolize the third fate of Greek personification, which is death. Death is …show more content…
known to be a symbol of darkness.
In the novel, Marlow’s steamboat gets stuck in the fog. The fog is said to be so thick that Marlow could hardly see where he was headed. Fog is seen as some corollary to darkness. It not only obscures one’s vision but also distorts it. In a symbolic sense, fog gives just a hint of what lies ahead. Obscured vision often results to fear of the unknown, and fear is often portrayed as a dark state of mind. The fact that Marlow’s boat is caught in the fog implies that he has no idea what impending dangers the water ahead may present.
The “whited sepulcher” (1.21) in Conrad’s novel represents Brussels where “the company’s” headquarters were located. However, according to the biblical book of Mathew, whited sepulcher is described as something beautiful on the outside but evil on the inside. Brussels, which in this case represents the whited sepulcher, implies confinement and death. Belgium’s initial intention was to spread civilization among the Congolese, but they ended up enslaving the Africans. The sepulcher represents cruelty and the dehumanization the Africans suffered at the hands of the colonialists. Therefore, the whited sepulcher in the novel is used to symbolize the darkness associated with heinous acts the Belgians imposed upon the Congo natives.
In David Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, before Marlow begins to speak, the sun is about to set, and a “haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness.
The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, a town on earth” (Conrad 1.2). First of all, the setting of the sun paves the way for the night. The night is characterized by darkness, which on its own, frightens some people. Additionally, the phrases “dark air,” “Gravesend,” and “mournful gloom” are mostly associated with death and the somber mood it commands. Therefore, the phrases above represent the darkness that is engulfing the said
town.
The novel has many instances where darkness imagery is used. According to Kurtz and Mallow, the African people were drowning in the darkness of “savagery, cannibalism, and human sacrifice” (Conrad 87). The two also claimed that Africans were inhuman and ignorant. Ironically, when they are in Congo, they subject the locals to slavery. They also interfere with the African’s culture, their solitariness, the political power, the social status and their way of life. Many Africans died from the horrendous living conditions imposed by the white imperialists. The Whiteman’s brutality, greed, and hunger for power portray human deceptiveness, which is the primary source of darkness in Africa. The darkness in the Heart of Darkness, therefore, represents the wickedness associated with the European imperialism and colonialism in Africa during the twentieth century.
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. "Heart of darkness." Heart of darkness. Palgrave Macmillan US, 1996. 17-95.
The symbolism of darkness plays a central role in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. For instance, as Marlow narrates his encounter working as an agent of a Belgian ivory trading firm called “the company” in Congo, Africa, he describes a scene of two women knitting black wool. The black wool, in this case, represents the imagery of darkness. The older woman is said to possess an “uncanny and fateful” (Conrad 1.24) look. In the novel, Marlow also puts across the thought that the two women were “guarding the door of Darkness” (Conrad 1.24). These two women are not just some harmless old grandmothers knitting baby blankets. These women seem to represent two of the three Greek personifications of fate.
The Greek believed that the three fates are young, middle-aged, and the old. The young one represented birth, the middle one life, and the old one symbolized death. There is also Latin quotation, “Morituri te salutant” (Conrad 1.24). This quote means “They who are about to die to salute you.” Conrad’s use of this quotation highlights the theme of darkness which is represented by death in this case. Additionally, the older woman is used to symbolize the third fate of Greek personification, which is death. Death is …show more content…
known to be a symbol of darkness.
In the novel, Marlow’s steamboat gets stuck in the fog. The fog is said to be so thick that Marlow could hardly see where he was headed. Fog is seen as some corollary to darkness. It not only obscures one’s vision but also distorts it. In a symbolic sense, fog gives just a hint of what lies ahead. Obscured vision often results to fear of the unknown, and fear is often portrayed as a dark state of mind. The fact that Marlow’s boat is caught in the fog implies that he has no idea what impending dangers the water ahead may present.
The “whited sepulcher” (1.21) in Conrad’s novel represents Brussels where “the company’s” headquarters were located. However, according to the biblical book of Mathew, whited sepulcher is described as something beautiful on the outside but evil on the inside. Brussels, which in this case represents the whited sepulcher, implies confinement and death. Belgium’s initial intention was to spread civilization among the Congolese, but they ended up enslaving the Africans. The sepulcher represents cruelty and the dehumanization the Africans suffered at the hands of the colonialists. Therefore, the whited sepulcher in the novel is used to symbolize the darkness associated with heinous acts the Belgians imposed upon the Congo natives.
In David Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, before Marlow begins to speak, the sun is about to set, and a “haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness.
The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, a town on earth” (Conrad 1.2). First of all, the setting of the sun paves the way for the night. The night is characterized by darkness, which on its own, frightens some people. Additionally, the phrases “dark air,” “Gravesend,” and “mournful gloom” are mostly associated with death and the somber mood it commands. Therefore, the phrases above represent the darkness that is engulfing the said
town.
The novel has many instances where darkness imagery is used. According to Kurtz and Mallow, the African people were drowning in the darkness of “savagery, cannibalism, and human sacrifice” (Conrad 87). The two also claimed that Africans were inhuman and ignorant. Ironically, when they are in Congo, they subject the locals to slavery. They also interfere with the African’s culture, their solitariness, the political power, the social status and their way of life. Many Africans died from the horrendous living conditions imposed by the white imperialists. The Whiteman’s brutality, greed, and hunger for power portray human deceptiveness, which is the primary source of darkness in Africa. The darkness in the Heart of Darkness, therefore, represents the wickedness associated with the European imperialism and colonialism in Africa during the twentieth century.
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. "Heart of darkness." Heart of darkness. Palgrave Macmillan US, 1996. 17-95.