Heart Of Darkness

A detailed Summary of Heart Of Darkness

To the outside world white is good and black is evil; it is as simple as that. This philosophy is embodied in Marlow's aunt, who believes that his job is to bring light into the land of darkness and to enlighten the savages. This idea, however, becomes corrupted when white objects symbolize suffering and greed instead of good, and light images hide the presence of darkness. Symbols such as, a white rag, white imperialists and ivory, no longer represent the good will of the imperialists, on the other hand they represent the exploitation and chaos that the Europeans have brought to the Congo.

The main character Marlow is faced with this confusion as he voyages through the jungle, and he must reevaluate his former opinions, which no longer hold true. The European philosophy is shown through the conversation that Marlow has with his aunt before commencing his adventure. According to her, his job seems clear: to bring civilization and light to the "heart of darkness." Instead of focusing on the horrors of imperialism she is disillusioned to believe that it is all for the better. The Europeans, especial

He begins to realize that it is not the black savages who represent evil, but rather the selfish whites. This corruption is further shown through the novel with symbols that reveal that perversity of the jungle. None of Marlow's previous beliefs hold true in the Congo and he must reevaluate what is light and what is dark. He is confronted with the distortion of images and confusion at the first station. He sees a group of natives in the shade and immediately compares it to hell. As he states: "Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees, leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all the attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair"(35).

The "heart of darkness" is not the uncivilized Congo, but is rather the alternative motives of the whites hidden by appearances. On the other hand, people that he meets that are white on the outside are filled with the "darkness of the heart." The opposition between light and dark, black and white, good and evil is not the same in the Congo as it is in Europe. Without society these forces become p

Some common words found in the essay are:
None Marlow's, , Congo Europe, hold true, alternative motives whites, light dark, white outside, motives whites, alternative motives, manager station, job bring, heart darkness,

Approximate Word count = 744
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Heart Of Darkness

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