Symbolism In Heart Of Darkness

Great Essays
Heart of Darkness is a story about a captain’s journey through the jungles of Congo. Joseph Conrad based this subtly introspective tale on his own travels as a steamboat captain in the same locations in Africa. The physical danger and fear he experienced traveling through the Congo can be felt throughout the story and is represented by literal and metaphorical references to darkness. A concurrent theme of the story is the darkness of life and death, which is demonstrated through the narrator’s private reflections, exposure to the side effects of Imperialism and his experiences with Kurtz and Kurtz’s Intended.
Part One introduces the reader to the main narrator, Charlie Marlow, through a memory of his, which mimics a childhood experience of
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Though Mr. Kurtz had been spoken highly of by the Chief Accountant, Marlow overhears a conversation between the Manager and his nephew that paints Kurtz in a much dimmer light. Along their path, Marlow describes the ominous glow of fires and thunderous pulsing of drums from tribes dispersed in the jungle. The steamboat stops at a cove with a makeshift shelter and a pile of firewood with instructions to “approach cautiously.” When they are later caught in a fog, they stop the boat in order to heed the directions from the firewood. While anchored, they are attacked by “savages” in the fog and Marlow’s helmsman is fatally wounded. The tribespeople retreat at the unfamiliar sound of the steamboat’s whistle. After the fog recedes, they continue to a small building, where they find a corpse among a large quantity of ivory. They assume the skeletal remains are Mr. Kurtz, and they continue toward the Inner Station. They locate their destination and dock when they see a man on shore signaling to them. While the “savages” and “pilgrims” from the Company make their way into the building to search for Kurtz, Marlow begins his introductions with the Russian wanderer, who had waved them ashore. Part Two ends with the Russian’s reassurance toward Marlow that they would not be attacked by the …show more content…
The Russian suggests that the “adoration” the savages (and he) displayed for Kurtz was a result of his demonstrations of extreme violence. Marlow locates additional evidence of his savagery on the posts of the fence surrounding Kurtz’s base camp. The Russian describes the human heads on stakes as former rebels. Marlow’s first glimpse of Mr. Kurtz is when he is carried on a stretcher by several tribespeople and accompanied by dozens more. Kurtz yells something inaudible and then collapses back onto the stretcher and is carried away. A highly decorated tribal woman signals toward the boat and Marlow witnesses shadows move about before the woman walks away. The Russian leaves the steamboat and Mr. Kurtz when Marlow informs him that the white people intended to kill him. Before he departs, he informs Marlow that Kurtz ordered the “savages” to attack the steamboat in the fog. Even with his knowledge of Kurtz’s deeds, he still feels admiration for the brazenness and honesty behind his actions. When he discovers that Kurtz has attempted to flee back to the jungle by crawling through the grass, Marlow is delicate and understanding with him before carrying him back to the steamboat. When they leave the next day, the tribespeople react strongly to Kurtz’s departure and they blow the steamboat’s whistle to thwart an attack. All the tribespeople retreat except for the tribal woman, who

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