Heart of Darkess "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy" (Luther). As Martin Luther said in his quote, man is gauged through how he acts in presence of challenge and controversy which, in Conrad's novel The Heart of Darkness, is exactly where Marlow is on his journey in the Congo. In Conrad's novel, he uses the literary elements of character development, symbolism, and conflict to show the them that when people are surrounded by darkness, it can be strenuous for them to see the truth. The theme that when people are surrounded by darkness, it becomes hard for them to see the truth is seen through the literary element of character development shown when Marlow is on his journey into the Congo. The cruel treatment of the natives and how Marlow views that treatment is how this change in perspective is clearly seen. In the beginning of his journey, when Marlow fist arrives in the Congo, he sees three men chained together by the neck and he is left agape at the scene to the point of physical illness. He describes his reaction by announcing, "Instead of going up, I turned and descended to the left. My idea was to let the chain gang get out of sight before I climbed the hill. You know I am not particularly tender; I've had to strike and fend off." (Conrad 13). This fact reflect that Marlow still had a conscience and a value of human life. As the journey progresses, however, Marlow unconsciously becomes desensitized to the evil and darkness that is surrounding him. The reader realizes Marlow has lost his morals and values when they arrive at Kurtz's station and there are heads on sticks and Marlow says, "They would have been even more impressive, those heads on the stakes, if their faces had not been turned to the house. Only one, the first I has made out, was facing my way. I was not so shocked as you may think." (Conrad 52). When Marlow says this the reader is finally struck with the impermeable fact that Marlow's mindset has changed proving that the darkness he has been living in has had its effect on him. Second, symbolism is another element Conrad uses to prove that darkness obscures the truth.
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The use of the color black and comparison to darkness is all throughout the novel was a consistent symbol seen. The color black and darkness are direct symbols because both can be compared to evil and deception which can haze a person's view on right and wrong. Marlow used symbolism to describe the jungle when he exclaimed, "We penetrated deeper into the heart of darkness" (Conrad 31). Another way Conrad uses symbolism is through his description of the river, he thins to himself, "For a gesture that took in... The creek, the mud, the river- seemed to beckon with a dis honoring flourish before the sunlit face of the land a reacher out appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart." (Conrad 29). When Marlow conceives this, he is exposed to the reality that the river is like a snake and deceitful. This proves the theme because the river is that passage into the evil and deception Marlow is exposed to in the Congo and is oblivious to the change that is happening within him the farther he goes down the river. Lastly, the literary element of conflict in Marlow is Kurtz's personal convictions and internal struggle against their nature as they travel in and out of the Congo. Marlow's goes from struggling with the treatment of the natives to participating in the cruelty and becoming numb to what was going on around him. For example, when the helmsman was killed when the natives tried to besiege the boat and the man's blood flooded him shoes, he was more concerned about the blood on his shoes than the state of the man dead at his feet. "To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks. 'He is dead' murmured the fellow, immensely impressed. 'No doubt about it," I said, tugging like mad at the shoelaces." (Conrad 42). This scene shows the internal
The use of the color black and comparison to darkness is all throughout the novel was a consistent symbol seen. The color black and darkness are direct symbols because both can be compared to evil and deception which can haze a person's view on right and wrong. Marlow used symbolism to describe the jungle when he exclaimed, "We penetrated deeper into the heart of darkness" (Conrad 31). Another way Conrad uses symbolism is through his description of the river, he thins to himself, "For a gesture that took in... The creek, the mud, the river- seemed to beckon with a dis honoring flourish before the sunlit face of the land a reacher out appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart." (Conrad 29). When Marlow conceives this, he is exposed to the reality that the river is like a snake and deceitful. This proves the theme because the river is that passage into the evil and deception Marlow is exposed to in the Congo and is oblivious to the change that is happening within him the farther he goes down the river. Lastly, the literary element of conflict in Marlow is Kurtz's personal convictions and internal struggle against their nature as they travel in and out of the Congo. Marlow's goes from struggling with the treatment of the natives to participating in the cruelty and becoming numb to what was going on around him. For example, when the helmsman was killed when the natives tried to besiege the boat and the man's blood flooded him shoes, he was more concerned about the blood on his shoes than the state of the man dead at his feet. "To tell you the truth, I was morbidly anxious to change my shoes and socks. 'He is dead' murmured the fellow, immensely impressed. 'No doubt about it," I said, tugging like mad at the shoelaces." (Conrad 42). This scene shows the internal