Part 1 of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness touches base on some of the important themes of
the novel through symbolism. The novel contains themes such as light vs darkness,
wonders of the unknown, and deathly fate.
In the very beginning of Part 1, it is explained that Marlow
is strongly fascinated by the ocean. It is stated that Marlow “was a seaman,
but he was a wanderer, too,” to explain that Marlow is not in this imperialist
business just for the money, but he seems to be interested in something more
meaningful. Marlow also describes the native Africans as “a great comfort to
look at”, suggesting that he is too, fascinated by the native Africans. But why
does Marlow have a “fascination of the abomination”? I interpret this as Marlow
being fascinated by the unknown. Marlow seeks knowledge of the abominations
around him. Therefore, the ocean and the native Africans symbolize the wonders
of the unknown that tease Marlow into trying to understand them.
When Marlow visits the Company, he is greeted by two women
who are knitting black wool. I interpreted this material they are knitting as a
kind of material that can be used for funerals. Also as Marlow leaves the
Company, he claims to have an uneasy feeling. As he describes his feelings, the
phrase “Ave! […] Morituri te salutant” is included in between sentences. This
phrase translates as “Hail, those who are about to die salute you”. The two
women who he encounters symbolize the deathly fate most people who enter that
building have as a result of being an imperialist.
One of the most important, if not the most important, themes
in Heart of Darkness, is light vs darkness.
This contrasting theme is brought up numerous times throughout just part 1 of
the book. In the case of this book, light symbolizes knowledge, money, power,
and civilization. While on the other hand, darkness symbolizes the unknown,
savagery, and death. An obvious example of light vs darkness is the Europeans
vs the Africans. The Europeans are known in this book to be wealthy and
civilized, symbolizing light. The Africans, on the other hand, are said to be mysterious
savages, symbolizing the darkness. One of the reasons the Europeans choose to
travel to Africa is to attain ivory. Ivory is a creamy and white substance found
in the tusks of African elephants. The ivory is a symbol for the light since it
is white and brings Europe money. Africa or even the elephant can be the symbol
for the darkness since it’s not an easy product to attain. There had to have
been some kind of savage-like procedure to retrieve a substance from an enormous
animal in an unknown territory. There is also some hidden symbolism of the light
vs darkness theme. The Europeans thought highly of imperialism, claiming that it
brought their country power and riches, all the things that light represents. However,
death was the likely fate for men who left their home country for imperialist
reasons, representing the darkness of imperialism. Another example of hidden
symbols are the glory and insanity ideas that could be symbols for light vs
darkness. All products and riches are given back to Europe, leading the country
to money, power, and glory. Obtaining these riches, however, was not an easy task.
Imperialists at the time were often driven insane by their experiences in these
dark and unknown places.
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