Heart Of Darkness Symbolism

Symbols are crucial for any work of literary merit. By using symbolism, the work is given a deeper meaning. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, symbols are used to support the overall theme that imperialism only breeds evil. In the novel, one of the major symbols Conrad uses is the river which symbolizes man’s innate cruelty and also the unknown, both revealing that inside every man lies a heart of darkness that can be brought out under the right conditions. The setting for the majority of the novel is a river that stretches essentially into the heart of the African continent. To the European company in the novel, Africa is viewed as a mysterious place that at the same time can be used to make a profit. Africa was an unknown place to them
Marlow, the title character in the novel, states that the mysteriousness of Africa is what fueled his interest in traveling there. This shows the curiosity that something unfamiliar can cause. A person or animal’s natural instinct is to assess or essentially explore an unknown entity. Another example contributing to the mystery of the river is the disconnect of information traveling between the company’s various stations. The other stations had little information about Kurtz, one of the most successful men in the company, or how he was able to acquire so much ivory. There was also a lack of communication between the stations themselves. Marlow needed parts to repair his ferry and he knew they were at the first station. However, it took weeks to get them even though messengers were constantly traveling between the two stations. The river itself wasn’t causing the disconnect of information, the
The leader of the El Dorado Expedition stated that a man could get away with anything there. This is said because the Europeans weren’t bound by the rules of a “proper” society while in Africa. They believed they were better that the natives so therefore they could do whatever they wanted. This also validates the slavery that is present throughout the novel. Formal society wasn’t there to guide the men so they behaved how they saw fit. Marlow realizes this cruelty and when referring to the demises of the El Dorado Expedition he states, “they, no doubt like the rest of us, got what they deserved.” He knows that what the company is doing is wrong, but it is wrong based on the beliefs and values instilled in him by European society. When the men are in Africa, they lose their connection to these ideas because of the power and authority they possess over the natives. Kurtz is an example of this because he originally wanted to educate the natives, but ended up descending into madness. The river, and in turn imperialism, revealed the monsters inside every man that awakens when a person is not bound by societal ideals and