Symbolism In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, "darkness" represents various parts of reality, human nature, and the corruption of decency when faced with insurmountable obstacles. Darkness is used throughout the novella in reference to skin color, ignorance, actual darkness of the jungle, as well as blackness at the heart of imperialism and anarchy. Marlow uses it regularly, both in a literal sense and in a symbolic sense to show how the Congo affects people morally and ethically.

Throughout the novel, Conrad shows the reader that appearances can be deceptive. Our first view of this is the map of uncharted Africa. Marlow is able to see that the continent, when drawn, is for the most part unknown. As the result, it appears white on the map (Conrad 5). Through exploration, colonization, and exploitation, the rest of the continent will be charted and filled in, which will cause Africa to appear dark. This is in direct contrast to the perception that exploration brings "light" to a region. Here, Conrad is trying to illustrate the negative consequences of colonization.

In Heart of Darkness, Conrad also uses light and dark to tell us more about the inner state of specific characters. Kurtz, a Caucasian man, has white skin, but also has the darkest and most depraved soul

The “heart of darkness” refers not only to a physical location inside Africa, but also to a state of mind and the consequences of imperialism. The wilderness of Africa makes men metaphorically blind to their situations and surroundings. In Heart of Darkness, through the experience of going deep into the Congo River, Marlow not only discovers the evil and brutality of imperialism but also finds the evil side of human nature. The Europeans go to Africa in the name of civilizing the savage people there. However, once they themselves break away from the constraints of civilization, they give in to the evil side of human