Heart Of Darkness

11 Pages 2839 Words

that we are dealing with a work of literary fiction, which places its ultimate basis outside the realm of real-life locales. Unlike Lord of the Flies and other works, Heart of Darkness is not relegated to a singular, primeval location removed from the rule of law. It includes Brussels and London, though not directly stated, places within the confines or “heart” of civilization. This does not necessarily mean the “heart of darkness” exists throughout all the places described. Before reaching that conclusion, the imagery and diction employed to depict each setting must be looked at. At the start of the novel…[use of “dark”]…also at the end…[use of “shadow”, “blackness”] After evaluating these examples, it is possible to assume with little doubt that Conrad considers the very bastions of Western civilization breeding places of a dark malady. It may be an overgeneralization to extend the reaches of this “darkness” to mankind as a whole since the areas “afflicted” with it are considered civilized, limiting it essentially to the Western world.
The Congo in Africa is home to dark native peoples that are portrayed with a natural, primal quality, a stark contrast to the civilizations in Europe. This is the setting for British imperialism at work. It is therefore the setting where the supposed sophistication of civilized men is deconstructed, and all men are revealed to share a common darkness. Africa and its inhabitants show an external darkness, while it is revealed that the colonizers contain darkness within. Heart of Darkness is a criticism of imperialism that uses the metaphor of darkness in the human heart to show the similarity between cultural groups perceived as different; elements of racism are used inside the darkness metaphor to emphasize anti-imperialism.
Darkness and its opposite, light, are contrasted in Heart of Darkness to reveal the irony of imperialism. Traditionally, light and darkne...