In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Mr. Kurtz's chilling last words reveal his revelation about the true nature of man. He realized that the flickering light of his own morality could not overcome the darkness of his human nature. By weaving images of darkness and light throughout the book, Conrad gives the reader a real sense of darkness and “horror!” » present inside every man (239). Through Marlow's journey into the darkness of the Congo, Conrad's use of light and dark imagery as well as symbolism indicates that he is also on a journey into the deepest recesses of the darkness of his soul. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Marlow's first words to break the silence in the novel set the dark tone of his story. He states that “it has also been one of the darkest places on earth” (138). With Britain's role in colonization, the country truly became a dark place. He describes the Thames as "an inferno running over a plain, like lightning in the clouds", a luminous flash surrounded by the dark sins of British civilization (139). Everything Marlow sees and experiences leads him to this conclusion, and his tale is his attempt to pass on this knowledge to his shipmates as well as grappling with the harsh reality himself. As “the only man in the group who still “follows the sea,” Marlow has the ability to reach that deep into the heart of man and distinguish the blurred line between light and darkness (138). He is like the ancient Romans who were “man enough to face the darkness” (139). Marlow, however, would not have this ability without his journey and meeting Kurtz. The journey, however, is ultimately "one of Marlow's inconclusive experiments" because the internal battle between light and darkness can never be concluded, only simply acknowledged (141). Marlow's second mention of dark imagery comes from the card symbol2E. Showing his taste for adventure and exploration, as a child Marlow was fascinated by the “empty spaces of delicious mystery” that dot the map (142). Over time, explorers “fill in” these bright spaces, filling the void with the “darkness” of “rivers, lakes, and names” (142). Conrad uses this light and dark image at this level to illustrate the spread of the dark side of human nature through British exploration. The innocent, pale white spaces seem ideal for colonization and the spread of justice. Unfortunately, in the reality of the situation, man's darkness manifests like ink across the continent when man is exposed to the jungle. This infestation of evil is illustrated by the destruction of Kurtz's "white" moral force and the cowardly evil of the Manager.2E Marlow sees Kurtz as a man with the true mission of doing something good with the world. When Marlow finally reaches Kurtz, he sees that the "horror" inside Kurtz's soul has blossomed into the jungle and extinguished his moral flame. The manager, on the other hand, is nothing but an empty and cowardly evil, without any moral glimmer. Marlow's next use of light and dark imagery occurs in the "whitened sepulcher" of Brussels (145). Conrad uses this allusion to the Bible to illustrate the hypocrisy of the city, like a tomb which “appears beautiful on the outside, but which within is full of the bones of the dead, of all impurity” (Matthew 23: 27-28). . Like the later image of the "Paper Mephistopheles", the "whitened sepulcher" has an ideal outward appearancewith only darkness inside (171). This duality allows Conrad to highlight Brussels' hypocritical treatment of colonization, using moralistic propaganda under the false pretense of "civilizing the natives" to cover up their greedy and evil actions. The Company is also, by nature, a “whitened sepulcher”, insofar as it carries out an evil design. As Marlow approaches the Company building, he is escorted inside by one of two women who are "knitting black wool" (145). Knitting women are an allusion to the Fates of Greek mythology. The symbol of their black wool and their silence gives a disturbing tone to the decor. As the women weave their twisted black threads, they present Marlow's idea of ​​pre-woven destiny. He even has to move out of their way as if she were a “sleepwalker,” walking without conscious control of her destination (145). The dark threads they weave for Marlow will lead him to travel the Congo and understand his own dark and immoral fibers. Conrad's use of black wool foreshadows the evil that Marlow's fate will lead him to experience, and further extends the image of darkness. As Marlow continues his story, his illustration of light and dark becomes more passionate and pointed. "I saw the devil of violence, the devil of greed and the devil of ardent desire; but, by all the stars! They were strong, vigorous devils, with red eyes, who influenced and pushed men , men, I But as I stood on the hillside, I foresaw that, under the blinding sun of this country, I would make the acquaintance of a flabby, feigning, weak-eyed devil of madness rapacious and merciless I only discovered it a few months later” (155) The blinding sun reveals to Marlow the true “savages” of the Congo. In the Jungle, Marlow’s description of the savages’ appearance places them. like “black forms crouching, lying, sitting between trees, leaning against trunks, clinging to the earth, half out, half erased by a subdued light, in all attitudes of pain, abandonment and despair” (156). These dark savages were “half obliterated” by the “light” of British civilization. They are still weak, hungry people who have “all the attitudes of pain, abandonment and despair”. Through this description, Conrad illustrates Marlow's awareness of the innocence of what were once thought to be simple, uncivilized savages. In reality, it is the settlers, pale-skinned and dressed in white, who represent the real evil. Their “white cuffs, their light alpaca jackets, their snow pants, their light silk tie and their patent boots” (157) only hide the fact that they are hollow to the core, a true representation of “paper -mch”. Mephistopheles." Conrad illustrates the white man's attempt to cover his evil with the facade of civilization through the white clothes on his dark and empty consciousness. Like the painting on the wall of the central station, the light of their " "misdirected morality" casts them in a "sinister" light (169). The light they bring into this dark world brings out their true evil, just like the woman walking in a "majestic" manner in the darkness. he ultimate illustration of the light and dark verses in the novel occurs in Kurtz himself Entering the Congo as a shining light of moral strength, Kurtz gains the respect of those around him and the envy of those who cannot. not produce ivory to his standards. By gaining the respect of the natives, Kurtz's original moral reserve allows him to get a head start in the ivory trade.]» (235)..