Character Symbolism in Heart of Darkness

A detailed Summary of Character Symbolism in Heart of Darkness

Character Symbolism in Heart of Darkness

In Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad breaks from writing the usual novel about the sea and those whose life is the sea, and tells a story about one mans experiences in the Congo during the attempt of civilizing it. He tells the story by the view point of Marlow, a seaman and wanderer. He is on board the "Nellie", a cruising yawl, with four others. Marlow takes his shipmates to a deep part of Africa with his story and speaks of all the terrors he saw there. He also opens the eyes of the reader letting them see the death, disease, and the fierceness of the Congo. Not only that but we can also see the injustices the Europeans inflicted upon the natives.

Heart of Darkness isn't just an account of one mans experiences of the Congo, it goes much deeper. Conrad also uses symbolism throughout the entire account. He uses the surroundings and people to represent certain aspects of human nature and morals. He compares and contrasts good and evil, making this story more than just a once in a life-time experience, but something to apply to everyday of life. In this story he shows us that there is just as much going on inside, as well as out.

Symbolism plays a big part in Marlow's tale. Joseph Conrad po

The Brick maker is not an actual maker of bricks. He is the manager's secretary. He doesn't exactly symbolize anything. He in turn helps explain some of the things going on and points different things out to Marlow. He reveals the reason why the manager hates Marlow. He indirectly tells Marlow that the rivets for the steamboat were intentionally delayed. " I slapped him on the back and shouted 'We shall have rivets!' He scrambled to his feet exclaiming 'No! Rivets!' as though he couldn't believe ears."(32)

Conrad uses symbolism in his book to portray different aspects of the way people thought and the way things were at that time. He even used them to portray his own feelings toward certain things that were going on. He wants to show us what was going on in a different way other than just plain out telling us. So He used symbols such as the ones discussed above to portray these feelings. The entire story is built upon symbols that have a deeper meaning. Conrad even mentioned that maybe he used to many symbols in his story. Because of this there are many critics of the book and Conrad's true meaning. No matter how you look at it there is still an aspect of something deeper to the story than what you may first see.

He also reveals the hatred that most white men had for the blacks. It was obvious that he used the mistreatment and demoralization of the land to keep himself looking at best. The only other thing that the Accountant reveals to us is that there is a shady business at the Central Station. " I've been teaching a native women about the station. It was very difficult she had a distaste for the work."(21)

Near the end Marlow had to come to terms:

Kurtz is a personal embodiment, a dramatization, of all that Conrad felt of futility, degradation, and horror in what the Europeans in the Congo called "progress," which meant the exploitation of the natives by every variety of cruelty and treachery known to greedy man.(Haugh 240)

We first see Marlow, a symbolism of morality and light. As soon as Marlow sets foot in the Congo and looks around at what is going on he is disgusted and shocked by the sight of the dying natives and wasted supplies laying about. "I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire...For a moment I stood appalled, as though by a warning."(19-20)

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1676
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English