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Heart of Darkness Essay In Josef Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, a tone of darkness / prejudice dominates the story. There are two scenes in which this attitude is presented; when Marlow goes to Belgium to apply at the company, and when he arrives at the main station. The theme of Darkness and Light also is represented in the last chapter. These two scenes represent society's view of prejudice, and also Conrad's unusual beliefs as well. The theme of the book is exemplified in three ways, through events, ideas, and places that Marlow encounters. Conrad shows prejudice through his writing very strongly while Marlow stays in Belgium.
this is expressed through three scenes; when Marlow enters the office, the references to maps in Marlow's childhood, and the physical examination by the doctor. In the scene when Marlow arrives at the company, he notices the building to be beautiful comparing it to a white sepulcher. On the inside though, he describe it to be eerie, and unsettling, and very dark. This is a classic tone of the book, that Conrad expresses with the whiteness of the building on the outside, and the darkness on the inside.
The metaphor is a symbol of society, with whites making appearances to be good, while inside, all there is, is darkness. The darkness represents the greed that the company profits on, and its lack of good feelings. There are also references to maps in the chapter, one especially when he was little. Marlow loved to look at the empty spaces in Africa, which slowly began to turn dark as it was populated. This analogy to darkness represents both the discovery of the natives, and the arrival of greed in Africa.
Marlow is then moved into a room where he is given a physical examination, he questions why the doctor isnt in the field. The doctor responds, Do I look like a fool? . This statement is very crucial to the theory of darkness, and gives us an insight as to why Marlow doesnt die while in the Congo. He is there solely for the adventure, while others are filled with the strong, lusty, red-eyed devils, devils that swayed and drove men men, I tell you. This is why he does not go insane. While in the Congo, Marlow is exposed fully to the darkness that inhabits society, and the prejudice that goes along with it three times; when he feeds the boy, the managers description of the natives, and the white string on the black child.
When Marlow is waiting around for the party to leave towards the inner station, he watches as the natives, chained and bound together, are forced into labor. When he tours the facility, he sees one boy with a look that Marlow cant understand, a vacant stare. He offers the boy a biscuit, because he knows of nothing better to do. This gesture is well-meant, but is comparable to giving a dog a piece of meat, hoping that it will retreat into a corner and not bother him. This is white society trying to get rid of color, and Conrad's gesture gives us his view on the subject, that it better to be kind. The manager, in his crisp, white suit, whom Marlow describes as amazing, and a miracle, shows a blatant disregard for the natives.
He describes them as lazy, and calls the groans of a dying native annoying. The white suit is once again the view of white culture having never given the others a chance. There is also a child with a white string around his neck, when they tour the facility. Marlow says the child was so dark, that he would have been lost without the string. This metaphor is very significant in that it shows how the company thinks that the natives would be lost without them.
Marlow questions why the string is tied around his neck, which also express Conrad's ideals, asking why we have to hold others back, hitting on a very unrecognized note of white culture, which is the fear of being replaced by a better race. If Marlow does represent Conrad's thought, this book would surely be a great example of revolution in its time. The theme in Heart of Darkness that is most vivid to the read
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Research essay sample on Heart Of Darkness Physical Examination
