lighthod Binary Oppositions in Joseph Conrads Heart of...

Binary Oppositions in Heart of Darkness In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad used a series of reversed traditional binary oppositions to convey the theme that every man has his own heart of darkness that is simply masked by the superficial light of civilization. The novella focused primarily on the adventurer Charlie Marlows journey into the African Congo, but dealt with larger themes. Marlow was from Europe and understood the basic premises of imperialism, but was unprepared for the world he encountered in the wilderness. The world of the African jungle did not abide, at that time, by the same laws with which Marlow had been raised. There was an inherent savagery in the jungle that he had not previously encountered†¦show more content†¦Marlow responded to the sight of the dying natives by running away from the horror, and continued on his journey. Further on , Marlow encountered the Accountant of the Outer Station, a man dressed entirely in neatly pressed white linen. This man was directly representative of the ideas that Marlow associated with the civilization from whence he came. Despite the conditions in the Congo, for all of its savage and problematic nature, the man had stayed clean and conscientious. Marlow stated that, in keeping clean and orderly, the man had verily accomplished something (28). The man, though he was the outward representation of the ability to stay civilized, was actually quite inhumane. His work kept him right in the heart of the goings on at the station, and his response to whites and natives alike was the same; he responded to everyone with relative apathy and disregard. His bookwork for the station - his position in society - were more important to him than the suffering of the enslaved natives as well as the dying white man housed in his hut. Again, the use of white as a negative color is evident in the text, reversing the typical ideas regarding the colors association with the pristine attributes of the human character. Furthermore, the Companys entire business deals with ivory trade, and ivory is a very obviously white object. The ivory was obtained through the enslavement of the jungle natives by the