What Does Darkness Symbolize In Heart Of Darkness

Heart of Darkess "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy" (Luther). As Martin Luther said in his quote, man is gauged through how he acts in presence of challenge and controversy which, in Conrad's novel The Heart of Darkness, is exactly where Marlow is on his journey in the Congo. In Conrad's novel, he uses the literary elements of character development, symbolism, and conflict to show the them that when people are surrounded by darkness, it can be strenuous for them to see the truth. The theme that when people are surrounded by darkness, it becomes hard for them to see the truth is seen through the literary element of character development shown when Marlow is on his journey into the Congo. The cruel treatment of the …show more content…
The use of the color black and comparison to darkness is all throughout the novel was a consistent symbol seen. The color black and darkness are direct symbols because both can be compared to evil and deception which can haze a person's view on right and wrong. Marlow used symbolism to describe the jungle when he exclaimed, "We penetrated deeper into the heart of darkness" (Conrad 31). Another way Conrad uses symbolism is through his description of the river, he thins to himself, "For a gesture that took in... The creek, the mud, the river- seemed to beckon with a dis honoring flourish before the sunlit face of the land a reacher out appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart." (Conrad 29). When Marlow conceives this, he is exposed to the reality that the river is like a snake and deceitful. This proves the theme because the river is that passage into the evil and deception Marlow is exposed to in the Congo and is oblivious to the change that is happening within him the farther he goes down the