Heart Of Darkness: Symbolism

When reading this passage, what immediately stands out is how ivory has become an object of worship for these workers. This is made apparent through the use of careful word choice in this scene. By using verbs such as whispered and sighed, the ivory begins to invoke impressions of holiness to the point that the word itself is constantly hanging in the air. Marlow even comments that, “You would think they were praying to it,” showing a strong connection to Heaven and the divine. The workers have such a deep reverence for ivory that it might as well have become their god.
Why do they hold it in such high regard? The answer comes from what the ivory symbolizes. The ivory is much more than a material object; it represents economic freedom simply because of how valuable it is. If a worker is able to harvest enough ivory, their life would change forever simply due to the money that would be made. It is an idealistic point of view that quickly becomes corrupted by greed. Marlow uses the word rapacity to describe them, which characterizes the workers with excessive greed to the point of violence or force. When combined with the religious images regarding ivory, this creates an image of worshipers who are so transfixed by the ivory that their morals and identities are …show more content…
The reason for that is because one of the major themes in Heart of Darkness is mankind’s descent from idealism to madness. The entire passage could be considered a direct reference to Kurtz’s state of mind towards the end of the novel. Much like these faithless pilgrims, Kurtz becomes overwhelmed with his desire to own more ivory until drives him to commit horrific acts in the hopes of obtaining more. Kurtz is described as revering ivory in a very similar manner. "You should have heard him say, 'My ivory.' Oh, yes, I heard him. 'My Intended, my ivory, my station, my river, my - ' everything belonged to him.”