“Men! The only animal in the world to fear.” (Lawrence). David Herbert Lawrence’s quote demonstrates that mankind is so corrupt it is the only animal that we need to fear. Throughout the novel Conrad displays multiple themes about how mankind is unprincipled when removed from a civilized society. This goes on to prove that morals, reason, and restraint are vital in the lives of men or they will turn into animals. In Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, he uses the literary elements of symbolism, figurative language, and Biblical allusions to demonstrate the theme that man is naturally “dark” when removed from civilization.
The literary element of symbolism is revealed by many characters throughout the novel to advocate for the changed that …show more content…
One example of this is in Heart of Darkness is when Marlow gets to France and refers to the city as a “whited sepulcher”. This phrase is an allusion to Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” This is a tomb decorated on the outside and hollow in the center, and Conrad is calling the city completely hypocritical. The ivory throughout the novel serves as Kurtz’s God, because all the truly cares about is getting more ivory. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “…bad company corrupt good character”. Conrad demonstrates and implies that the Congo pushes the Europeans to their extremes, causing them to commit evil actions. Kurtz's love for ivory made him eventually morph into murder. 1 John 2:16 reflects that the need for ivory is ultimately the obsession for wealth. Every action made by the Europeans is driven by the desire of wealth. Kurtz specifically is so hungry for wealth that he is willing to kill in order to fulfill this
The literary element of symbolism is revealed by many characters throughout the novel to advocate for the changed that …show more content…
One example of this is in Heart of Darkness is when Marlow gets to France and refers to the city as a “whited sepulcher”. This phrase is an allusion to Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” This is a tomb decorated on the outside and hollow in the center, and Conrad is calling the city completely hypocritical. The ivory throughout the novel serves as Kurtz’s God, because all the truly cares about is getting more ivory. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “…bad company corrupt good character”. Conrad demonstrates and implies that the Congo pushes the Europeans to their extremes, causing them to commit evil actions. Kurtz's love for ivory made him eventually morph into murder. 1 John 2:16 reflects that the need for ivory is ultimately the obsession for wealth. Every action made by the Europeans is driven by the desire of wealth. Kurtz specifically is so hungry for wealth that he is willing to kill in order to fulfill this