In a Clockwork Orange we discussed what a 'clockwork orange' is and how it relates to the novel. However, the title was not really understood until we dug a bit deeper into the book and discussed it more.
When I hear "Heart of Darkness" I do not automatically think about something positive and light, I more so connect it as having a murky, mysterious meaning. On page 63 Marlow says, "We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness." Why do you guys think Marlow refers to the river as the 'heart of darkness' and why would he associate darkness with something he loves so much?
Also, going off of that, I question whether or not the word "dark" always has to have a negative connotation? We all know that a major motif in this novel is light vs. dark, but does that have to translate to good vs. bad like one would automatically expect it too? Maybe darkness is not suppose to be represented as negativity in this novel.
I agree with Nika.
ReplyDeleteI believe the "Heart of Darkness" represents the jungle and its mysterious ways. As Marlow enters the jungle he describes some type of silence, and how he does not know what is beyond the trees. I think through out the novel we experience a lot of mystery with different things, for example Marlow always questions Kurtz's morals. I agree with Nika when she says "Maybe darkness is not suppose to be represented as negativity in this novel." because I sometimes think of the darkness as the new territories and Marlow's discoveries.
Why do you guys think Marlow refers to the river as the 'heart of darkness' and why would he associate darkness with something he loves so much?
ReplyDeleteI think Marlowe's perception of the river that leads into the "heart of darkness" presents itself as a duality. Travelling up the river means many good things for travelers. The river is their passage way into unmarked territory, places that could still be considered dark. The river also represents a pathway to new riches and plunders.
At the same time, the greed and emotional trauma that comes with this type of exploration often outweigh the rivers benefits. This is evidenced by Kurtz, as he is transformed from an imperialist pioneer into a diabolical monster, craving his ivory. Because the river implies such a duality I believe its purpose is to symbolize a sort of universal reality.
I really like the point about light v. dark not necessarily meaning good v. bad. I think there are some places where darkness does not have a negative connotation. While the jungle represents darkness and the white man's "civilized" society represents light, the darkness of the jungle does not necessarily have a negative connotation. It is certainly ominous and indistinct, but it is not necessarily "bad." It can be contrasted with the light ivory that is being searched for in the jungle which is not necessarily "good." As Will pointed out, the transformation of Kurtz can also be seen as light v. dark. However, here, darkness has a more negative connotation as Kurtz clearly transforms and has the terrible vision before his death where he screams "'The horror! The horror!'' (130). I think Nika brings up a really interesting point though about the title, Heart of Darkness, and what darkness represents throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the image that most clearly illustrates this battle between light and darkness is Marlow's description of Kurtz's painting that hangs in the brick-makers hut. "Then I noticed a small sketch in oils on a panel, representing a woman draped and blind-folded, carrying a lighted torch. The background was sombre- almost black. The movement of the woman was stately, and the effect of the torchlight on the face was sinister." (43). In this painting we see a direct parallelism between the blind-folded woman carry the torch, and the white men, blinded by their own greed, bringing light into the Heart of Darkness. This is further characterized by Marlow's encounter with Kurtz in the wilderness on page 121 as we see Kurtz, so blinded by the darkness that resides within himself that he is driven to crawl on his hands in knees back to the natives. Thus it begs the question, how do men such as Kurtz, whose hearts are so full of darkness, bring light to what they consider to be the heart of darkness. Conrad's manipulation of the language in this novel to create a strong sense of cynicism and sarcasm within the character of Marlow is completely deliberate and the double entendre of the title is no exception.
ReplyDeleteI believe that darkness is not meant to always be negative within the book. I think that it represents more of the idea of the unknown. Darkness really only seems negative when white men who want ivory see it that way. The jungle is dark and filled with hostility, but only because it is retaliating against those that are destroying it. I think the title really points towards Africa being the heart of darkness for white people. Where greed and violence which go against a civilized society are being practiced by those from the west. Kurtz is an example of this, someone who will do anything he can to one up another and get ivory.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ben that dark is not always negative. All the colonialists who rip the country of its riches see the darkness as bad and the natives as terrors. Africa is the heart of darkness to the colonialists. The painting that Kurtz made shows the torch of justice and light being carried. This represents the "civilized" west's goal of missionaries to the "pagan" natives. The natives show more values of a western society than those sent to them. In this case darkness is portrayed as being negative by the whites but is in reality a more positive thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Colleen that dark is not always negative.
ReplyDeleteTo different person, darkness can mean totally different things. To Marlow himself, darkness is unknown land waiting to be explored. To imperialists, darkness is the Africans who are not as "civilized" as they are and that Africans live in a world without any culture and need to be enlightened. To Mr. Kurtz, darkness means the greedy part of human nature, which is covered by the light of "enlightening" the "uncivilized". In my understanding, rather than negativity, darkness is more the unknown part of the world.
I think that darkness/light has more of a meaning than strictly defined good/evil or known/unknown. For Marlow, light (if we can agree that ivory represents light) represents the false truths of colonialism and imperialism. For the pilgrims and members of the company who "tear treasure out of the bowels of the land ...with no more moral purpose at the back of it than there is in burglars breaking into a safe"(54), ivory is the truth, the eternal objective, their driving force. On page 42, Marlow rants against this materialism with biting sarcasm about those whose lives are devoted to the cause of ivory. "They beguiled the time by back-biting and intriguing against each other in a foolish kind of way. There was an air of plotting about that station, but nothing came of it, of course. It was as unreal as everything else—as the philanthropic pretence of the whole concern, as their talk, as their government, as their show of work. The only real feeling was a desire to get appointed to a trading-post where ivory was to be had, so that they could earn percentages". Ivory has tainted the moral compasses of these men in a manner which Marlow deems deplorable and fake. This tone is reflected also in Marlow's description of Brussels, the city which operates the machine of colonialism, as a "whited sepulchre" (14). This city, in Marlow's eyes, is a symbol of death (a sepulchre is, after all, a tomb). However, he also discusses the fact that it is white. Again, white/light is used as a symbol of false veneers of morality and truth over a dark reality. The cynicism with which, as Mesa mentioned, Marlow views Kurtz' painting reinforces this idea, and, again, as she said, Kurtz himself being blinded by ivory shows its power to cloud or re-imagine truth.
ReplyDeleteThe "Heart of Darkness" for me also describes how the Jungle has a very mysterious and deep connotation. Looking through the book as we discussed in class there is never a single mention of animals or wildlife in the jungle and this is quite strange. Marlow sees the jungle as being eery and never ventures into it himself possibly for fear that it might just "swallow him up". Throughout the novel for all the the white man anything other than light colors (ie. ivory) has been seen as being bad or immoral, savage. This is interesting because the human eye also is generally more pleased by light an colorful things rather than something dark colored and useless (such as a dying tree.) The "Heart of Darkness" also describes Marlow's journey through the Congo on the steamer, but also symbolizes the internal struggle that he faces in changing the views that have been forced upon him by culture and his own realization that they may not be "right" or the way things really are. He always seems very effected by seeing the horrors that many of the Belgians commit on the "savages" that they enslave and much of the time end up killing (The Death Grove.)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Marlow will actually end up changing his mind about the natives? What will it take to change this if it ends up happening?
In my opinion, Conrad’s title of Heart of Darkness plays as important a role in Marlow’s story as Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange did in Alex’s emotional tale. Conrad uses the “Heart of Darkness” to describe the Belgian Congo during the New Imperialism of Belgium, but as Marlow becomes accustomed to the European influences in Congo, the reader begins to understand that while the Europeans view the African natives as “Savages” and “Cannibals,” it is they who are truly monstruous. Furthermore, Conrad’s uses the London Thames and the Belgian river to connect the continents. As Conrad ended his novel, the London setting is “barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky - seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness” (Conrad 146). Therefor, Conrad is hinting at the fact that even though Africa is known as being a dark place, the world, including London, has become enveloped by darkness.
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