Human Depravity In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

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The novel Heart of Darkness features several influential themes that elicit a plethora of emotions in readers. However, there is one particular theme that is displayed predominantly throughout the entire book. The author of this novel, Joseph Conrad, features this theme by using different literary devices. In Conrad's novel, he uses the literary elements of symbolism, figurative language, and Biblical allusions to demonstrate the theme of human depravity when removed from civilization. The author uses the literary element of symbolism to demonstrate the theme of human depravity when removed from civilization. In particular, Kurtz's painting of a blindfolded woman holding a torch symbolizes the Europeans' ignorance of the horrific events in the Congo. The Europeans believed that the company was helping the natives by …show more content…

Marlow compares the Congo to a whited sepulcher which is the biblical allusion of when Jesus called the Pharisees white-washed tombs in the New Testament. Jesus was saying that the Pharisees looked nice on the outside but were filled with darkness and debauchery on the inside. "In a very few hours I arrived in a city that always makes me think of a whited sepulcher. (page 7) This quote from Marlow displays the theme of human depravity when removed from civilization because he is comparing the inside of the Congo to the biblical allusion of darkness and death. Conrad uses another biblical allusion in part one in which Marlow compares the river of the Congo to a snake, which is an allusion of sin because sin is fascinating and deadly "And the river was there – fascinating – deadly like a snake." (page 7) This statement from Marlow is representative of the theme of human depravity when removed from civilization because Marlow is comparing the entire Congo to the biblical allusion of sin and

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