Motiffs

HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph ConradLIT NOTES

1. List of Major Characters

Marlow- Marlow is the main character and main narrator of the story who travels in the depths of Africas unknown and emerges a changed man as he witnesses the horrors caused by the Europeans in their Imperialistic attempts to colonize the African continent. He serves as a median for the ideas that are present on the European side and the conflicts that emerge when those ideas are put into action. He is picked to go find Kurtz by the Company but his attempts, like those of the other Europeans, is futile; Kurtz dies on their voyage back to Europe. Marlow ends up going back to Europe and tells of Kurtzs fate.

Kurtz- Kurtz is the mysterious, God-like colonizer whose supernatural efficiency in collecting ivory and forcing natives into submission strikes awe and fear into other Imperialists. He dies from an illness that the manager worsens by prolonging half-hearted attempts at aid. His quiet, uneventful death contrasts with his dynamic life in which he discovered true human nature and the applications of corruption.

Chief Accountant: one of the workers that Marlow encounters in Africa; appears as a vision to Marlow due to his miraculous ability to upkeep his elegant, sophisticated appearance while living in Africa. He is obsessed with his work and is irritated by any interruptions to his routine.

Russian Trader- the Russian Trader is Kurtzs lackey and biggest admirer, even though he is always berated. He has been by Kurtzs side the whole time and even saved him many times

Manager- The general manager is the sly, unfeeling man in charge of the Central Station. He lacks real intelligence or innovation, but succeeds in controlling the Imperialist affairs in the area through inspiring uneasiness. He owns a personal slave that he overfeeds.

Brick maker- The brick maker is a favorite worker of the manager at the Central Station. While the other laborers lived in relative squalor, he lived contentedly in a room filled with candles, native mats, and African weaponsyet without any trace of materials used for making bricks. The young aristocrat progressed from conversing with Marlow casually to interrogating him in frustration, attempting to reveal his connections and true motives for entering Africa. After Marlow left him, amused, he continued his clandestine questioning under the cover of darkness. (static)

Kurtzs Mistress: She was described as a beautiful woman who was draped in jewelry on the bank of the river when Marlow was passing. Although they never spoke she was described as someone to be feared and someone who a major influence on those of the tribe as well. She is a flat character because she is just a symbol of Africa, to represent Kurtz's transformation from thinking like a traditional European to thinking like an African.

Kurtz's Intended She was still a nave young woman who is in misery throughout the whole time that Kurtz is apart from her. She is also gullible to the point where she just believed Marlows lie about Kurtzs death. She also may represent or reinforce the idea that women did live in a separate world than man. She is a flat character because she only symbolizes the Victorian era and its ignorance.

2. PLOT

Five men sit on the deck of a ship anchored on the River Thames awaiting the turn of the tide. One passenger, cited as Marlow, comments that London has been one of the darkest places on earth and then begins the tale of how he captained a steamship through the Heart of Darkness.

Marlow describes how his aunt secured him a job as a steamship captain with the Belgian Company that trades on the Congo River. The Company was eager to send Marlow to Africa, because one of the Companys steamship captains had recently been killed in a scuffle with the natives. When Marlow arrives in Africa, he encounters many men he dislikes as they strike him as untrustworthy. They speak of a man named Kurtz who is an efficient ivory collector and reputed as a sort of universal genius.

Marlow arrives at the Central Station, which is run by the general manager, an unwholesome conspiratorial character. There he encounters widespread inefficiency and brutality. He finds that his steamship has been sunk and spends several months waiting for parts to repair it. He hears of a rumor regarding Kurtz being ill, which makes the delays in repairing the ship all the more costly. Marlow eventually gets the parts and he and the manager set out with a few agents and a crew of natives on a long voyage up the river.

The crew comes upon a stack of firewood with a note telling them to approach with caution. They take the firewood and shortly after, a dense fog encompasses the steamer. When the fog clears, the ship is attacked by a group of natives, who shoot arrows and kill one of the crew. The natives only disperse when Marlow blows the steamship whistle, despite the crews attempt of fighting back.

The crew eventually reaches Kurtzs station and they meet a Russian trader who identifies himself as the one who left the note. Marlow then speaks with Kurtz and witnesses Kurtz mistress, a highly adorned African, order natives to destroy Marlows steamer. When Marlow tells the manager that he respects Kurtz, he ostracizes himself from the Imperialists. Later, Marlow tries to ambush Kurtz, who merely tells him to go away. Kurtz bemoans the failure of his grand schemes, and Marlow reassures him that he is thought a success in Europe. Marlow and his crew take the ailing Kurtz aboard their ship and depart.

Kurtz dies on the voyage back to Europe. Marlow returns to England and recovers from his illness. People come to retrieve information and documentations about Kurtz from Marlow. Eventually Marlow goes and meets Kurtzs Intended and tells her that his last words were her name. Marlow then ends his story, and the narrator looks off into the heart of darkness.

3. SettingBecause Heart of Darkness is told in a frame story, the setting must be considered twice. When Marlow is telling the story, he is in the Thames River in England, and inside the story he is in the Congo River heading towards the center of Africa. Marlow points out that England was just as grim and dark before the Romans came, and makes a parallel of the two rivers. Marlow portrays the European traders as a light that enters Africa, which is dark, like England, but as the traders move deeper, not only does the setting become darker, but the characters themselves become darker mentally. Going through the Congo was a transformation for Marlow, who is described to be in a posture of a meditating Buddha after finishing his story. As the novella returns to the frame, the setting becomes almost identical to that of the story: a heart of darkness.

Thames River The Thames River is an important part of the book because it sets up the framework for Marlow to tell his story of his experience in Africa. In addition, it gives a huge contrast to the rest of the book; the tranquil Thames River compared to the rough and violent place of Africa.

Africa, also known as the "Heart of Darkness" is the main staging point of the storyline.A significant portion of Marlow's narrative takes place on a boat along the rampant rivers of the African Congo. Most of thetime, he is inside the wilderness, facing the darkness within. During imperialist times, the African forefront was the primary source of contention between other "would-be" nations aspiring to bring home the sweet African booty to their country. The so-called "scramble for Africa" was essentially a partitioning of African lands for the benefit of these imperialist bloodhounds, and to essentially streamline the process "raping" of the African continent. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness portrays these times through a series of events among a band of ragtag bunch of ambitious Europeans along the deep wilderness, also known as the "heart of darkness" of Africa.

Congo River The Congo River is the antithesis of the Thames River mysterious and dangerous. Aside from being a direct contrast to the Thames, the Congo also helps to move the story along from the African coasts to the innermost part of Africa, where the plot leads to.

4. Major Conflicts

Europe vs. Africa The most prevalent conflict is the conflict between Europe and Africa. Europe wants the resources of Africa and therefore invades the land to steal resources and to purify the people.

Kurtz vs. The Company Though the Company looks upon Kurtz as a god-like figure, they only do so because he becomes an omniscient being, unable to be found. However, inwardly, the Company despises Kurtz from jealousy that he is able to produce more efficient results better than they could.

Marlow's inner thoughts vs. Marlow's outward actions Marlow acknowledges the fact that what they are doing to the African people is wrong. However, he has no choice but to follow orders and simply be obedient to the Company and their actions, therefore silently conceding to their actions. This however proves to be a problem because Marlow has more of a conscious than the other people in the company, and constantly acknowledges such.

5. Symbols

1. Ivory: acts as a symbol for the greed that European society developed during the age of imperialism.

"Hadn't I been told in all the tones of jealousy and admiration that he had collected, bartered, swindled, or stolen more ivory than all the other agents together" (152).Strings of dusty niggers with splay feet arrived and departed; a stream of manufactured goods, rubbishy cottons, beads, and brass-wire set into the depths of darkness, and in return came a precious trickle of ivory.(30)

2. Chief Accountant: The chief accountant who is very well dressed and well maintained in the midst of it all symbolizes the imperialist British who are only there for their own agenda.

The groans of this sick person, he said, distract my attention. And without that it is extremely difficult to guard against clerical errors in this climate.(31)

3. Slaves: The slaves or criminals as they are referred to in the novella represent in its graphic truth the rape of Africa. The white man has enslaved the populace and deemed it right because they are uncivilized savages who need saving.

They were dying slowly-it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now,-nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom.(28)

4. Kurtz: In the search for this one man Kurtz who can be a symbol of greed because his search for ivory has made him insane and greedy. His lost soul can symbolize the darkness within that changes ones personality and nature.

It was very simple, and at the end of that moving appeal to every altruistic sentiment it blazed at you, luminous and terrifying, like a flash of lightning in a serene sky: Exterminate all the brutes!(92)

The horror! The horror!(130)

5. The Fog: When the ship is lost in the fog all of a sudden it represents the obscurity that the fog creates and depicts the situation that Marlow finds himself in which is lost and unaware of what exactly he is looking for in the heart of darkness.

I turned my shoulder to him in sign of my appreciation, and looked into the fog. How long would it last? It was the most hopeless look-out.(77)

6. Eyes: represent the nature and persona of people; the African savages are described as having empty, blank eyes portraying their seemingly hollow souls. The descriptions of the Englishmens eyes are more diverse, reflecting the individual personalities of the men. His eyes, of the usual blue, were perhaps remarkably cold, and he certainly could make his glance fall on one as trenchant and heavy as an ax (36).

7. Blindfolds: a human invention that enables one to deliberately blind oneself from unarguable truths, as one can remove the blindfold if so willed. Then I noticed a small sketch of oil on a panel representing a woman draped and blindfolded carrying a light torch (43).

8. Candles/fire: are used by the white men to light the way and guide the natives into their civilized ways. He struck a match, and I perceived that this young aristocrat had not only a silver-mounted dressing-case but also a whole candle all to himself. Just at that time, the manager was the only man supposed to have any right to candles. (41).

9. Bucket with a hole: like shooting at a hippo that is unaffected by bullets, the bucket represents the futility of Englands attempt to colonize Africa. This is for the bucket, when the stout man with moustaches..dipped about a quart of water and tore back again I noticed there was a hole in the bottom of his pail. (40)

10. The color white is portrayed in "Heart of Darkness" as a symbolic representation of corruption. "I saw a high starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca jacket, snowy trousers, a clear necktie, and varnished boots. No hat. Hair parted, brushed, oiled, under a green-lined parasol held in a big white hand" (119).

11. The color black is used in Conrad's Heart of Darkness to represent a contrast between good and evil.

"The background was somber - almost black" (127).

12. Flames represent the ultimate chaos and destruction inflicted upon the African continent by the Europeans.

"Flames glided in the river, small green flames, red flames, white flames, pursuing, overtaking, joining, crossing each other then separating slowly or hastily" (107).

13... The Russian trader represents the patchwork of Imperialistic forces from Europe during the infamous Scramble for Africa.

"His clothes had been made of some stuff that was brown Holland probably, but it was covered with patches all over, with bright patches, blue, red, and yellow, - patches on the back, patches on, patches on elbows, on knees; coloured binding round his jacket,

scarlet edging at the bottom of his trousers; and the sunshine made him look extremely gay and wonderfully neat withal, because you could see how beautifully all this patching had been done" (158).

14. The picture painted by Kurtz: This woman is a symbol that represents the shameless prevaricator that imperialist Europe is to the African motherland. Furthermore, this symbol of hopelessness is paralleled in the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, when he discusses the relative merits of a master morality. (p. 43)

. "...Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman, draped and blind-folded, carrying a torch."

15. Beaten Natives: This symbol contrasts greatly with the previous passage, which describes the great features of Africa. The beaten nigger, however, does not represent that greatness, but instead highlights the cruelty that the white man inflicts on the native population

"A nigger was being beaten nearby. They said he had caused the fire in some way; be that as it may, he was screeching horribly. I saw him for several days, sitting in a bit of hade, looking very sick and trying to recover himself." (p. 40)

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16. The Sick Man: The sick man in this passage represents the whole of Africa, which is being controlled and neglected by the white man. The more Europe ignores the sickness, the longer it will continue, and the worse the situation will become.

"'The groans of the sick man distract my attention, and without that it is extremely difficult to guard against clerical errors in this plant.'" (p. 31)

17. The Grand Piano: The piano is a symbol because its components are ebony and ivory, which are the two things that are causing Africa to die. They are essentially lining Africa's tomb. Additionally, the black piano drives home the theme of racism by contrasting black and white.

"A grand piano stood massively in a corner, with dark gleams on the black surfaces, like a somber and polished sarcophagus." (p.139)

18. Heads: The head is known as the center of the body; when you remove it from the body, you lose all the important functions that it carries out, and you are left a hollow shell of your complete self. This, therefore, represents the incapacitation of Africa, for their bodies have been separated from their heads.

. "Curious this feeling that came over me that such details would be more intolerable than those heads dying on the stakes under Mr. Kurtz's window."

(p.108)

6. Motifs

1. Voices Voices reappear throughout Heart of Darkness, whether as Marlows illuminating voice in the dimness of a boat on the Thames, or rising from the shores of Africa in inhuman shrieks, Voices serve to shed light on the truth. Marlows lone voice tells of the reality of the horrors of colonialism. The natives voices cut through the fog surrounding Marlows boat and force him to face the bare humanity that Europeans fear, lurks within them. The power and diversity of voices, Conrad shows, is a source of light in the darkness. Suddenly there was a growing murmur and a great tramping of feet. A caravan had come in. pg.120

2. White/light Vs. Black/Dark Countless descriptions in the novella reference the whiteness or blackness of things, creating a motif of contrast between the colors. Europeans are often associated with white, from the white sepulture of Brussels to the white linen of the Chief Accountant. This association is frequently ironic, as the corruption and cruelty of Europeans in colonialist Africa is far from the innocent purity associated with white. Africa and its people are usually associated with blackness or darkness, reflecting the European fear of inner darkness and immorality, a fear that Africa awakens and exacerbates.

He sealed the utterance with that smile of his, as though it had been a door opening into a darkness he had in his keeping. Pg. 124

3. Futile Actions- The theme of the futility of colonialism runs throughout the novella and the motif of futile actions helps establish this theme. Before Marlow sets sail for the Congo-when he has first entered Africa- he observes a group of men digging a hole with no apparent purpose. Earlier, he sees a French warship firing into an apparently uninhabited stretch of forest. Such pointless actions seem to have no purpose other than to keep the men in Africa busy and distracted from the cruelty and disorganized failure that is colonialism.

They had no heart to grin or even to revile me; but I believe they thought me gone mad-pg. 147

4. Hell Imagery- Conrad uses descriptive language that evokes Dantes Inferno and other typical visions of Hell in order to bring to life the misery of the continent. The image of black men writing in misery in the greenish gloom, for example, reminds the reader of hell and should evoke the sort of fear and dread that Marlow feels throughout the book. Like Dante in the Inferno, Marlow observes suffering but can do little more than pity the unfortunate, and also moves continuously closer to the center of hell.

The other shoe went flying into the devil-god of that river. Pg. 152

5. Fog- Marlow finds his boat mired in a seemingly- constant fog that obscures his vision, making navigation near impossible and the threat of attack all the more frightening. The fog and its accompanying blindness reflect the confusion and short sidedness of Europeans in Africa, who are hopelessly out of place on the continent and unable to see a path to success in their endeavors. They are blind and floundering in their efforts. The natural world has conquered the civilized Europeans, who are literally and figuratively unable to steer the ship of their mission in Africa.

The edge of a colossal jungle, so dark-green as to be almost black, fringed with white surf, ran straight, like a ruled line, far, far away along a blue sea whose glitter was blurred by a creeping mist. pg 114

6. Insanity When the Europeans travel up the Congo River, they start off relatively sane. However, as they continue their venture and travels, they slowly being to lose their minds. Marlow mentions the degradation of mind often.

There was a touch of insanity in the proceeding, a sense of lugubrious drollery in the sight; and it was not dissipated by somebody on board assuring me earnestly there was a camp of native--he called them enemies!--hidden out of sight somewhere." (pg 22)

7. Candles In the Heart of Darkness, there is an irony associated with candles. Candles represent a sign of authority and power--the manager in the camp is the only one allowed to have candles. However, those who wield and use the candles, the Europeans, as in Kurtzs painting of the woman with the lantern are blindfolded. The irony lies in that they have the tools to see, yet they still are in the dark.

Just at that time the manager was the only man supposed to have any right to candles. (pg 41)

8. Death - Death is prevalent throughout the novella. There is a sense of apathy regarding death, as more and more people succumb to the trials of Africa. The Africans die too, as their new association with Europeans brings new diseases and hardship into their lives.

They were dying slowlyit was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, and they were nothing earthly now nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom. (pg 27-28)

9. Violence Violence is shown many times throughout this novella. It is mainly the Europeans being violent towards the natives, and treating them with distain and disrespect. It is one of the more powerful motifs in the work, because it shows how cruel humans can be to one another. Another report from the cliff made me think suddenly of that ship of war I had seen firing into a continent. (pg 25)

7. ImageryBuddha- The final image of the book is Marlow sitting in a Buddha-pose (he found some kind of enlightenment)

From Heart of Darkness annotations: Conrads purposes in comparing Marlow to an idol here are partly ironic, for this Buddha is in European clothes and without a lotus-flower and offers no road to Nirvana: Marlow is a skeptic. Like the eastern idol to a western tourist, Marlow may seem the possessor of more knowledge than he can express. Nevertheless, like the Buddha Gautama, Marlow teaches by means of paradoxes; he warns of the perils of the appetites; and he indicates the impermanence and possible illusoriness of the phenomenal world.

Marlow sat cross-legged right aft, leaning against the mizzen-mast. He had sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion, a straight back, an ascetic aspect, and, with his arms dropped, the palms of hands outwards, resembled an idol. (2)

Eyes- In Heart of Darkness, eyes are important because they are windows to peoples souls. The people in the book are either white or black but their eyes tell more about them than the color of their skin does. In the following quote, the dying man has empty eyes with a small glimmer of substance within them.

The black bones reclined at full length with one shoulder against the tree, and slowly the eyelids rose and the sunken eyes looked up at me, enormous and vacant, a kind of blind, white flicker in the depths of the orbs, which died out slowly. (28)

Painting- The woman is blindfolded and holding a torch. This could be interpreted in multiple ways: she represents justice because she cannot judge people by the color of their skin, or she chooses to remain unaware of the injustices that are occurring all around her (she could symbolize Victorian England). The image of the painting remains ambiguous to suggest the fog of morality that pervades Africa.

Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman, draped and blind-folded, carrying a lighted torch. The movement of the woman was stately, and the effect of the torchlight on the face was sinister. (43)

Heads on the stakes- These savage natures of the heads show the brutality of white people on the native population. The blacks are reduced to small portraits which ironically paints the whites as the uncivilized people.

These round knobs were not ornamental but symbolic; they were expressive and puzzling, striking and disturbingfood for though and also for the vultures if there had been any looking down from the sky; but at all events for such ant as were industrious enough to ascend the pole. They would have been even more impressive, those heads on the stakes, if their faces had not been turned to the house. (106-107)

Cannon- The image of the cannon is important because it shows the rape of Africa. The cannon shows futility of trying to impose Victorian cultures on Africa. The Victorian idea of civilization is trying to conquer a vast continent but they will inevitably fail because their mission is unclear.

There wasnt even a shed there, and she [the cannon] was shelling the bushPop, would go one of the eight-inch guns; a small flame would dart and vanish, a little white smoke would disappear, a tiny projectile would give a feeble screechand nothing happened. Nothing could happen.

8. Figurative LanguageMetaphor: "I let him run on, this paper-mach Mephistopheles, and it seems to me that if I tried I could poke my finger right through him, and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe" (45-46).

Through this observation of Marlows, Conrad comments on the hollowness of the Company employees and imperialism on the whole, lacking in substance beyond the surface level. In addition, this statement eludes to an agent of Lucifer, Mephistopheles, in the Faust legend. The novella, Heart of Darkness, revolves around a Faustian bargain, a connection made explicit in this quote. Simile: "Going up the river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when the vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings." Pg 60

I think that the author is trying to say that going up the river was a difficult thing because there were many people that you had through go through. Meaning that while you went up the river, you saw many of the African-American people suffering and when you saw that, it seems to him that they were protesting against the way they were treated. The kings were themselves inside the boat. They were the ones that were treating the African-Americans badly and they need to realize that they were doing something inappropriate. Personification: "There was no sign on the face of nature of this amazing tale that was not so much told as suggested to me in desolate exclamations, completed by shrugs, in interrupted phrases, in hints ending in deep sighs." (Pg. 105)

Joseph Conrad gave his surroundings a face since before this time that land he was settling upon was unknown and unseen. Although Conrad did not give this face eyes because or ears because even though he was witnessing history the story would not be told or heard by and to Victorian England. Even the stories he does hear are incomplete or not even a story at all, hence portraying that this story is meant not to be told.Simile: "And the river was therefascinatingdeadlylike a snake" (14-15).

This comment of Marlows exemplifies the juxtaposition of the Congo River with the Thames River in Heart of Darkness. Unlike the peaceful Thames, the Congo is depicted with a dangerous and primordial quality. This representation is the quintessence of the overall portrayal of Africa and its natives, who are regarded by the Europeans as savage, primitive, and uncivilized. Further, the Congos comparison to a snake evokes Biblical references, harkening back to the story of Adam and Eve. In the Garden of Eden, the snake, a master of deception, lures Eve into sin. Likewise, Marlow is entranced by the Congo in spite of the lurking perils of the voyage. Imagery: "The woods were unmoved, like a mask-heavy, like the closed door of a prison- they looked with their air of hidden knowledge, of patient expectation, of unapproachable silence. (Pg. 106)The mystery of these people made Marlow feel worried and "uneasy." Although he could see through the woods there was still a sense of disguise, that there is more to his surroundings than just what his eyes can see. Comparing the home of these people to a closed prison door depicts the idea that these indigenous people are sheltered and protected. That the door to that prison can only be entered by a person in power. Marlow understands that the Africans are intelligent people whether or not they are civilized, because their knowledge he cannot understand. These Africans were just waiting for these invaders to attack and they would be ready. Their "unapproachable silence"

Simile: "Going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world" This is revealing of racism on Conrad's part, as he thinks of Africa as a primitive land. Page 60

Simile: " the little begrimed steamboat, like a sluggish beetle crawling on the floor of a lofty portico." The steamboat is slow, and just an observer to all of the chaos and silence around. Page 63.

Metaphor: " it seemed to me I had stepped into the gloomy circle of some Inferno." Conrad describes the death grove as a circle of hell from Dante's Inferno. Page 27

Metaphor: I shook hands with this miracle..." pg 29

This metaphor compares the Company's chief accountant with a miracle. Marlow is in awe at the image of a neat, well-dressed man in the hellish place of Africa. This unlikely man is such a rare sight that Marlow attributes this vision as a miracle - a seemingly impossible event that cannot be explained in nature.

Simile: "He rose, unsteady, long, pale, indistinct, like a vapour exhaled by the earth" Kurtz is so far gone that he appears little more than a vapor, a gas from the wilds of Africa. Page 122Metaphor: I let him run on, this papier-mch Mephistopheles, and it seemed to me that if it tried could poke my forefinger through him, and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe. Pg. 128

This metaphor establishes the manager as a papier-mch Mephistopheles, something with little substance and servile to the will of Kurtz, the figurative Faustus.

Hyperbole: Men who come out here should have no entrails Pg. 124

In this quote, hyperbole is used to show how common it is for people to fall victim to disease in Africa by saying that in order to avoid sickness; people should lack the intestines that are affected by afflictions. It also refers to the lack of humanity that one must have in order to carry out the actions that they are obliged to by the practice of Imperialism.

Metaphor: It had ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness. Pg. 108

The metaphor in this quote refers to the filling in of a map, which is blank when a region is unexplored, but is penned in later. The duality theme of the book is also strengthened through the display of the blank white map transforming into black ink.

Personification: The bush around said nothing, and would not let us look very far, either 141

In this quote, Marlow uses personification to achieve two points. Firstly, it reinforces the silence of the African jungle, the silence that puts the Europeans on edge. Secondly, it further shows how nature, in retaliation of the harming being done to it, is working against the Europeans.

Metaphor: They were not enemies, they were not criminals, there were nothing earthly now, - nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom 118

This quote refers to the transformation of Africa into Hell; the loss of the Africans earthly home. It continues by pressing the idea that they are oppressed, having fallen victim to disease and starvation, something that the Europeans claim to have been preventing in their concept of The White Mans Burden.

9. Themes

1. Human greed is a cause of evil within everyone.

2. Imperialism is essentially the stronger taking advantage of weaker people.

3. Racism is a tool the whites use to justify their cruelty.

4. Discrimination exists in many forms. Women are weak and useless; the colored are inferior.

5. The whites fear what is in the center of darkness, of Africa, despite the fact that they're taking advantage of the continent.

6. Futility

7. Insignificance

8. Inner primality

9. Insanity

10. Contrast between Civilization and the Uncivilized

11. Black versus white.

12. Europe vs. Africa

13. Nature vs. civilization

14. Order vs. chaos

15. Dreams vs. reality

16. Africa embodies hell

17. Power corrupts as imperialism spreads

18. The white mans burden destroys both natives and oppressors

19. The futility of all actions especially associated with human life futility.

20. Imperialism: Based on how the Europeans arrived in Africa to invade and civilize the people.

21. The white mans burden destroys both natives and oppressors

22 Identity: Marlow went to Africa because he wanted a job and an adventure. An example of how the Europeans felt about the work need to be done is when Marlow states No, I dont like work I dont like work-no man does-but like what is in the work,-the chance to find yourself.

23. Good and Evil Contrast: In the eyes of the Europeans it is good to take over Africa and civilize it their way. In the African peoples point of view it is bad that the Europeans control them. In other words, this theme correlates to both the European and African point of views and actions.

24. Corruption/Greed: Mr. Kurtz got corrupted because of his stay in Africa and he wanted all the Ivory. All the natural resources of Africa made him greedy.

25Stereotypical/ Preconceived Notions: Europeans think Africa needs them because they believe they are superior and help them by civilizing, taking over the land, and ruling. Because African people are of dark color, the Europeans treat them as slaves and make them work for their needs, like acquiring ivory to get rich.

10. Important Quote

1. "I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire; but, by all the stars! These were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils, that swayed and drove menmen, I tell you." (21) The evil that starts the violence, the greed, and the insatiable desire for more drives all the men, influencing them to perform evil acts.

2. "I let him run on, this papier-mch Mephistopheles, and it seemed to me that if I tried I could poke my forefinger through him, and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe" (128).

This quote reflects the hollowness and futility of the lives of the men in Africa during the era of the Heart of Darkness

3. The point... or the deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness." (pg. 86-87)

Marlow considers darkness to be something extremely intolerable, sort of like a disease that he is infected with, but does not want to spread onto others due to the undermining factors that contaminate whom ever it is consumed by.

4. " a tiny projectile would give a feeble screech and nothing happened. Nothing could happen." Marlow is hinting at the insanity and pointlessness of trying to conquer an entire continent. 5. I let him run on, this papier-mch Mephistopheles, and it seemed to me that if it tried could poke my forefinger through him, and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe. Pg. 128

a. This metaphor establishes the manager as a papier-mch Mephistopheles, something with little substance and servile to the will of Kurtz, the figurative Faustus.

6. Men who come out here should have no entrails Pg. 124

a. In this quote, hyperbole is used to show how common it is for people to fall victim to disease in Africa by saying that in order to avoid sickness; people should lack the intestines that are affected by afflictions. It also refers to the lack of humanity that one must have in order to carry out the actions that they are obliged to by the practice of Imperialism.

7. It had ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness. Pg. 108

a. The metaphor in this quote refers to the filling in of a map, which is blank when a region is unexplored, but is penned in later. The duality theme of the book is also strengthened through the display of the blank white map transforming into black ink.

8. The bush around said nothing, and would not let us look very far, either 141

a. In this quote, Marlow uses personification to achieve two points. Firstly, it reinforces the silence of the African jungle, the silence that puts the Europeans on edge. Secondly, it further shows how nature, in retaliation of the harming being done to it, is working against the Europeans.

9. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, there were nothing earthly now, - nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom 118

a. This quote refers to the transformation of Africa into Hell; the loss of the Africans earthly home. It continues by pressing the idea that they are oppressed, having fallen victim to disease and starvation, something that the Europeans claim to have been preventing in their concept of The White Mans Burden.

You should have heard him say, My ivory. Oh yes, I heard him. My intended, my ivory, my station, my river, myeverything belonged to him. It made me hold my breath in expectation of hearing the wilderness burst into a prodigious peal of laughter that would shake the fixed stars in their places. Everything belonged to himbut that was a trifle. The thing was to know what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own. 153-154

a. Here, the parallel to Faustus is clearly drawn, as Marlow(e) describes the result of Kurtzs ambition. Kurtz has achieved all the earthly goals he has desired, like Faustus; he believes that he owns the river, the ivory, the station, the people, etc, but in reality, he does not, he will die and will not be able to take anything with him. But he has lost the intangible and even his salvation, as is alluded to in the quote, many powers of darkness claimed him for their own.

The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness, bearing us down towards the sea with twice the speed of our upward progress; and Kurtzs life was running swiftly too, ebbing, ebbing out of his heart into the sea of inexorable time.

With the departure of white men, the impurity of imperialism is seemingly leaving too with the color brown symbolizing the impurity, the ugliness. The current can also be interpreted as Africas resistant and Africans final push to fend off the predator.

"In and out of rivers, streams of death in life, whose banks were rotting into mud, whose waters, thickened with slime, invaded the contorted mangroves, that seemed to writhe at us in the extremity of an impotent despair. Nowhere did we stop long enough to get a particularized impression, but the general sense of vague and oppressive wonder grew upon me. It was like a weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares."

---This sentence shows significance in that it portrays not only the theme of dark and light but correlates it to death and life. While it seems to be a highly graphic description of the setting Marlow is in, it also hints and foreshadows the true form of Africa and how from the "vague darkness" grows the nightmare Marlow will come to face. Mistah Kurtz he dead. (p. 178) - this understatement proves to be one of the most powerful quotes in the book. The fact that Kurtz dies proves that the god-like figure that the Company had seen him as was incorrect all along, and like every other human, would die without a legacy because of how the Company secretly wanted him dead anyway.

The last word he pronounced was-your nameI could not tell her. It would have been too dark- too dark altogether pg 186

This reinforces the sexism in the society. Marlow lies to Kurtz intended to keep her away from the dark secrets of Kurtz Congo life because Marlow believes that she cannot handle the truth. Through the entire novella women are looked at to be in their own world only seeing what they want to see the light not the dark. If Marlow told her the truth that his last words were the horror, she would no longer see Kurtz as this universal genius anymore and would become even more broken then she already is