Savagery And Colonialism In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

The "Heart of Darkness" focuses on a critique of colonialism in Africa shown through the eyes and the storytelling of a colonist himself. Throughout the use of this narration by the main character Marlow, a story develops that combines the events of his trip to the Congo along with a deep inner thinking of right and wrong in the world. Imagery and symbolism function as the main ideas that push the understanding of "Heart of Darkness" and Conrad's overall theme throughout the story that man is constantly between light and dark but in the end man has the overall choice. Along with this theme, imagery and symbolism also develop the idea that the competition between civilization and savagery is truly the heart of darkness.

The first point is …show more content…
savagery functions as the main heart of darkness. One example of symbolism throughout this story is found in the first section and is an allusion to the fates in Greek mythology. This symbol is found with the ladies knitting outside of the business office in the first part of the novella. In Greek mythology, these fates were often known to make decisions and the choice about whether someone was doing the right thing or the wrong thing. This idea and symbol fit with the idea throughout the entire story that there is always a battle between what is right and what is wrong going on, but at the same time there is also always a choice between the two. Another example of symbolism within this story is the painting of the portrait of the woman. The portrait was described to be of a woman blindfolded and holding a torch. This is thought to symbolize the idea that even though people are constantly searching for what is right and what is wrong, sometimes they honestly have no idea which one is which. This idea presented relates directly back to the theme as this girl in the portrait is a symbol of someone attempting to choose between right and wrong. The portrait also shows how Kurtz was attempting to find a compromise between the civilization of the Europeans and the "savagery" of the natives in his life. Both of these relate back to the idea that …show more content…
Overall, throughout the "Heart of Darkness" the two main tools that push the theme are imagery and symbolism and the theme that the devices identify is that man is constantly between light and dark, but in the end man always has the last choice. Along with this theme, imagery and symbolism also function in order to reveal the true heart of darkness which is developed as the consistent competition between civilization and