NOVEL ASSESSMENT:Heart Of Darkness

3. What contribution do motif and symbol make to your appreciation of what the novel is about?

The author uses a stark recurring contrast of light and dark imagery to describe the world that encompasses the Heart of Darkness. This contrast is quite often taken to be the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, order and chaos. Conrad, however, through his twisted and emotionally provocative descriptions, distorts and undermines this distinction, leading to the evocation of a chaotic and paradoxical atmosphere.  He utilises many motifs such as the ‘grove of death’ to help relay this feeling to the reader, and they often act as reminders of the true meaning of the novel.

The cruel and chaotic atmosphere within colonial Africa can be seen as the machine that created Kurtz, the epitome of evil and corruption and perhaps the true essence of human nature. The truth behind his transformation is hidden and not quite clear. We may be led to believe that the white imperialists have essentially good intentions and are trying to help and ‘civilise’ the ‘savage’ people of Africa who they deem to be inferior… Or we could consider these white colonialists to be, in fact, the corrupting force acting in Africa, coming to plunder and rob the African people of their homeland and their possessions.

These contrasting themes help us understand Kurtz and what he stands for. His development into a fundamentally tyrannical ruler seems to be a combination of many different blurred reasons. Perhaps he has been corrupted by the brutal and ‘barbaric’ people that inhabit the heart of the African content, this dark and untouched world that holds the innermost secrets and ancient evil myths of these people. He may also have arrived in Africa with corrupted values, due to the superficial society he lived in – what we call civilisation.

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Physically and symbolically, there is a clear-cut contrast between the civilized man and the uncivilized savages of the jungle. This contrast has a clear link with the contrast between good and evil, but it is evident that in this comparison, the distinction is certainly not clear-cut. Who is good and who is evil? Are the uncivilized savages evil, or do they possess far greater innocence and natural goodness than the civilized Europeans? This theme is constantly recurring, and we are made to judge and make up our own mind on the matter. Conrad leaves many questions unanswered – to be ...

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