Heart of Darkness is an important example of modernist novel in English literature. It is full of symbols. A symbol is used to imply a hidden meaning behind the surface. When we look at symbols, we can understand the meaning attached to them. Through the story, places, and characters mentioned in the novel, Joseph Conrad wants to show the truth of colonialism and its effect on both white and black people. I will provide some of the symbols found in the novel.
As for me, the symbolic meaning of light and darkness play the central role in the novel Heart of Darkness. If we try to see the meaning of light it means bright, knowledge, life, perfection, etc. Darkness, on the other hand, refers to dark, death, ignorance, evil, madness, etc. so, the whole novel moves between the relationship of the symbolic aspects of light and darkness.
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Firstly, he symbolizes the darker side of humanity, starting with the extreme greed and an obsessive love of power. Secondly, he stands for the influence of the savages on the civilized man. Thirdly, we can see Kurtz 's descent into insanity“...the mysterious clues to Kurtz 's character, the dead bodies, skulls, crypt-like residences, and oppressive natural surroundings build in [an] increasing insanity until all these details appear to culminate into symbolic meaning” (Loe 1991). He is the person who collects the most ivory for the Company, and partly as a result of that he is admired and even revered by other people. He is willing to go farther than anyone else to obtain ivory, as shown by the fact that he holds the innermost station of the Congo. His methods also go beyond anyone else 's, including putting heads of natives on spikes.in his example we can see how the civilized person easily transforms into the cruel, savage and a barbaric