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Light In The Darkness By James Conrad

Essay, Research Paper


Author James Conrad, in his short story ?Heart of Darkness,? uses light in


an attempt to symbolize the civilization of the European world and those things


which, by appearances, are generally accepted as ?good.? To emphasize the


acceptability of good or light, it is often contrasted to the symbolization of


darkness, which Conrad shows as uncivilized, savage or bad. Conrad uses the


character?s reactions to light, bright or otherwise colorful things and events


to encourage the reader to concur that these symbols represent the civilization


he?s left in Europe and the goodness of that civilization. The use of light as


good is seen early in the story when the narrator comments on the setting sun.


He says the ?glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without


heat, as if about to go out suddenly, stricken to death by the touch of that


gloom brooding over a crowd of men? (345). The narrator is comparing the light


to life and the darkness to the gloom and death that follows. As Marlow begins


recounting his arduous trip through the Congo, he reflects upon times past ?


other rivers that, once uncivilized and dark, are now teeming with civilization


and brightness. He states, ?Light came out of this river since ? you say


Knights?? But darkness was here yesterday? (346). Here, Marlow is referring


to the Thames as at one time being uncivilized and dark, but since the time of


the Knights? exploration and resulting development of the river?s banks and


surrounding land, is now referred to as good, or light. Marlow also refers to


the light reflecting on the water. The reader gets a sense that Conrad is trying


to relay that the passengers of the ?Nellie? represent civilization for the


voyages they undertake. Conrad later compares Marlow?s boyhood idealism of


adventure and spirit with light. He does this as Marlow is reminiscing about his


childhood and says ?[I would] lose myself in all the glories of exploration?


(348). No longer a boy, Marlow discovers ?a white patch for a boy to dream


gloriously over"?(348) has now been charted on the map and becomes ?a


place of darkness? (348). Conrad effectively symbolizes youthful innocence and


adventurous spirit with lightness through this comparison of uncharted and


charted maps. As Marlow seeks to take refuge from the heat in the shaded area at


the Company?s station, Conrad shows again the symbol of light as representing


civilization. This time it is ?a bit of white worsted? (356) tied about the

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neck of one of the dying criminals. The reader is left to think that the


criminal may be coveting the civilization he assisted to create in the Congo,


and thus giving his life to the cause, by wearing this representative whiteness.


One of the most obvious representations of light as civilization and goodness is


seen when Marlow first meets the Company?s chief accountant. This man?s


clothes are immaculately clean and white. Marlow respects and admires him. The


respect Marlow feels for the accountant is not one of respecting the man, so


much as the accountant?s ability to keep ?up his appearance? (356) and


thus his civilized manners in the midst of the uncivilized surroundings. Marlow


justifies the ill treatment of this man?s female worker for the purpose of


keeping civilization at the forefront of the minds of those he serves and those


served by him through his representative cleanliness and whiteness of his


clothes. Conrad also employs the use of light as representative of civilization


and goodness when Marlow meets the young man that left a stack of firewood down


river from Kurtz?s camp. Marlow describes the young man as wearing clothes


covered with ?bright? patches. He comments ?the sunshine made him look


extremely gay and wonderfully neat withal? (385). Marlow goes on to describe


the man?s physical characteristics and alluding to the civilized look and


character this man carries even though he was living an uncivilized existence in


the Congo for the past two years. It?s ironic the goal resulting from the


white men?s conquering of the savages, and thus becoming savage-like


themselves, is to secure ivory, an item held to be white and pure. Perhaps the


most telling symbolization of light within the story is Kurtz?s argument in


his diary that whites ?must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature


of supernatural beings?. By the simple exercise of our will we can exert a


power for good practically unbounded? (383). This statement lays the basic


principle for all other references to light as representing civilization of the


European world and those things, which by appearances, are generally accepted as


good. Here, Kurtz is referring to the accepted savagery of the civilized white


men simply because they are of fairer skin than the natives. Kurtz is indicating


the natives are uncivilized and thus justifiably treated as worthless beings,


and that not only are the white men civilized, but viewed as the ultimate good


and light ? a ?deity? (383).

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