Significance of Colour in The Heart of Darkness Adam Ventimiglia and Cierial Is... Intro- Authors use forms of symbolism that challenge the reader to further “read in” and enjoy the book. Joseph Conrad used colours to describe undertones and emotions through his text. In his novel, Heart of Darkness, Conrad mainly uses colours to explain the undetected truth. By using this method Conrad was able to portray his characters to display their true colours. One would make assumptions on the characteristics of people through their words and actions, so Conrad makes a system to find an accurate personality. As people “go through the day”, Conrad associates their words and actions with colours. These colours; white, black, red, yellow, pale, and light and dark associated with resembling characters and/or the situations . atmosphere. Colours Red Yellow Pale White Black Light Dark Red The colour red is a colour which is used in the story to represent industry and how it affects all the natives in the Congo. Many of the work stations are covered in blood …show more content…
The use of red is representing the need for progress in Africa no matter what the cost is to the natives as long as it helps the Europeans that have settled there. "There was a vast amount of red - good to see at any time because one knows that some real work is done there." (Conrad 13) Pale Pale is used as a symbol of death, it is easy to recognize this because of the way a dead body looks, it also is commonly used to show someone being scared of death, for example it is repeatedly used in the bible,” Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the house of Jacob: "No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale (Isaiah 29:22). It is also used again in the book of revelations 6:8, “the