Babienko English
Heart of Darkness themes, motifs, symbols
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs – Just for starters! Be aware that many of these ideas overlap….
 Lies – What lies precede the story, envelop it? Do lies form the foundation of the tale (of
colonialism) itself? Look at lies in relation to “What redeems it is the idea only” (70).
 Self-knowledge and Self-deception – Who gains self-knowledge? What is it? What about
self-deception? What results does self-deception produce?
 Heart of Darkness as Quest - Like a knight on a quest, Marlow is frequently tested by signs
he must confront, question and interpret. Readers must also interpret the various
stations/locations, objects, and people along the journey as signs (Signs are things you see or
experience or are told which have meaning beyond the literal). For example, Brussels as a
“whited sephulchre” (a sepulchre is a tomb, and also a biblical allusion to Matthew 23: 27);
the knitting women in the Trading Company offices (gatekeepers to the underworld?); the
broken machinery, the artificial hole in the ground at the Inner Station…etc.
 The Night Journey: Heart of Darkness is in one sense the tale of a literal journey, but more
fundamentally it entails a psychological and spiritual journey: Marlow leaves the familiar,
rational world and enters the wilderness of a waking dream.
 Contrasting Imagery - Much of the imagery in Heart of Darkness is arranged in patterns of
opposition and contrast. As you read the novel, be aware of how Conrad uses this device.
What does Conrad accomplish by this contrast, especially of light and dark? Much of the
imagery in Heart of Darkness is arranged in patterns of opposition and contrast.
 Civilization vs. Savagery – Civilization as a construct designed to make men behave in a
certain way, reflecting a particular (but not absolute) set of values; civilization as a buffer to
keep men from “reverting” to their “darker tendencies”; civilization as superficial;
civilization as savagery; savagery as the state of all men… Does Conrad still privilege one
over the other?
 Idols and Worship – Pay attention to images and descriptions of idols and worship. What do
these references suggest? For example, to what extent do Europeans act in a hypocritical
manner by partaking in rites and rituals that appear to be pagan (when they supposedly decry
paganism? (C.P. Sarvan states that, "As for pagan rites and savage dances, the Europeans
with 'imbecile rapacity' were 'praying' to ivory, that is, to materialism, and one red-haired
man 'positively danced,' bloodthirsty at the thought that he and the others 'must have made a
glorious slaughter' of the Africans in the bush.")
 Images of Brokenness, Waste, Decay– What do these suggest about the situation Marlow
finds himself in?
 The Problem of Narration – Heart of Darkness opens with an important statement about
narration in which Conrad addresses the (im)possibility of objective, “simple” narration. The
nameless narrator contrasts the simple yarns of seamen, in which meaning is clearly located
and identifiable as a kernel inside a shell, with Marlow’s tale: "To [Marlow] the meaning of
an episode was not inside like a kernel, but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out
as a glow brings out a haze." Similarly, much of the meaning of the book itself lies not in its
center, in Africa, but in the periphery; Marlow’s initial journey to Brussels, his return to
Brussels after finding Kurtz, the impending “journey” aboard the Nellie, what happens to the
reader while reading, all contribute to meaning. Marlow’s subjective position also calls into
question the possibility of objective, autobiographical narration (e.g. pay attention to
Marlow’s attitude when he describes Africans and women).
Babienko English
Heart of Darkness themes, motifs, symbols
Close reading analysis of HOD pp. 73-89 –
 Working in groups of 2-3, carefully read and analyze the section(s) assigned to you. Take
careful notes!
 Be prepared to post your ideas on the discussion board – hence the need for notes!
1. Analyze the physical description of the city (Brussels) and the Company’s offices, and
discuss the significance of this description. Pay particular attention to the image of the
“whited sepulchre”, the “grass sprouting between the stones”, “the house was as still as a
house in the city of the dead”. (73-74, 75)
2. Analyze the description of the knitters and discuss its significance.(74-75)
3. Analyze the description of Marlow’s encounter with the doctor and discuss its significance.
(76)
4. Analyze the description of Marlow’s encounter with his aunt and discuss its significance.
(77)
5. Analyze the description of the African coast and discuss its significance. (78, bottom of 79top of 80)
6. Analyze the description of the man-o-war (a ship) and discuss its significance. (79)
7. Analyze the description of the chained prisoners and discuss its significance. (81-82)
8. Analyze the description of the “vast artificial hole” and the grove of death and discuss its
significance. (82-84)
9. Analyze the description of the accountant and discuss its significance. (84-86)
10. Analyze the description of the trek to the Central Station and discuss its significance. (8688)
Other important points:
 The “flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of rapacious and pitiless folly” (82) and
“the flabby devil was running the show” (88) – Who is the “flabby devil” whom
Marlow compares with the devils of violence”, “greed” and “hot desire”? (82)
 The accountant is the first to introduce Marlow to the figure of Kurtz – what is the
accountant’s attitude towards Kurtz? What might the line “Oh, he will go far, very
far” mean? Look at this carefully; even if you just interpret it as the accountant
intends – i.e. promotion – what are the implications? What kind of man would go
“very far”?