Heart of Darkness Symbolization

            Darkness is a universal symbol of alarm, when used correctly it instills fear and dread into the minds of those who picture it. In Heart of Darkness, darkness is very significant as it relates to the characters, setting, and plot. Through the use of symbolization Joseph Conrad intelligently uses darkness to represent the lack of morals displayed in the novel.

            In the novel darkness is often talked about in reference to the jungle. However I don’t believe it is the setting itself that provokes this evil. It is the advance of the colonizers into the jungle that is can be thought of as “dark”. I first came to this observation when I read this quote in part II:” The glimpse of the steamboat had for some reason filled those savages with unrestrained grief”. Marlow does not seem to realize although he attempts to disassociate from the actions of the company he is still involved with them and very much a part of “the darkness”. The darkness is not necessarily is something tangible I believe it can be interpreted as the colonial mentality found in the “heart” of every colonizer.

            Exactly what is represented by darkness in the novel can be left up to interpretation. However there is no denial that the darkness must be linked to the actions that Marlow and the rest of the colonizers do unto the innocent Africans. Heart of Darkness forces us to look into the reality of colonization and realize the truly dark nature of it.