Back to category: English

Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper.

The Three Hearts if Darkness

Throughout the novel Conrad uses the motif of the heart to thoroughly explain how dark people and places really can be. Conrad uses the heart as a symbol for the entire continent of Africa. The heart is also used to show what the heart of mankind truly is. Another use of the heart is as a representation of the inner station, which shows the darkness of exploitations through Kurtz. The different uses of the heart are amplified through such literary devices as irony, imagery, and metaphors.
Africa, according to most maps, is at the center of the world just as a heart is the center of the body. However, the Europeans did not know much about Africa. There was a blank spot on the map that kept Africa dark and hidden from people. Marlow decides to go to the heart of the world to explore the Dark Continent. Conrad shows just how dark and mysterious Africa is by using metaphors to describe parts of the continent; He refers to the Congo River as an “uncoiled snake”. This type...

Posted by: Melissa T. Littlefield

Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper.