HEART OF DARKNESS

GROUP PROJECT

Kim A.Jane L.

Ashni P.Angela P.

Table of contents: Characters & Plot Setting of the Chapter Important Characters Key Passages & their thematic ideas Key Quotes Symbols & Motifs Quiz

Characters & Plot

Character’s information is marked with an *

Characters Covered Marlow Accountant Lawyer Director of Compani

es Narrator Aunt Manager The Brickmaker The Head Mechanic

Secretary Company Boss Two Knitting Women Fresleven Swedish Captain Kurtz Chief Accountant Clerk Manager’s Uncle Doctor

Page 1 Nellie anchored at river Thames London behind them Five of them *Director of Companies was captain and host

Dressed like a sailor (sign of trustworthiness) Actually worked in London, not water

*Lawyer – great guy; cushion b/c of virtues *Accountant – dominoes, building shapes *Marlow – sat cross-legged, leaning on mast, sunken

cheeks, yellow complexion, straight back, sour demeanor, palms facing up like God

Director of Companies set anchor; dominoes and chatting

Page 2 *Narrator – not much is known Sun sank River bore memories of men, ships,

battlesSir Francis DrakeSir John FranklinGolden HindErebus and Terror

Page 3 Sun finally set Lights along shore and ship lights turned on Marlow said, “And this also has been one of

the dark places of the Earth.” *Marlow – entire life was sailor; a seaman

and a wandererNot like other seamen. Seamen gave direct and

simple stories.Marlow did not.

Page 4 Marlow begins talking (He will be talking

and telling most of the story from now on).Roman, great men

○ Greatness = flash of lightning He ponders what the Romans thought

when they once came to his land, away from home

Page 5 Marlow stops talking and reflects He says, “I guess you guys know that I

once worked on a rivet boat.” Thus, he begins his story.

He has just returned to London from sailing in Asia

He got bored and wanted to go sailing again but couldn’t find a ship.

He liked maps a lot as a kid

Page 6 As a kid he wandered about a blank spot on map

(Africa). But during the time of his story, map was

updated and the area had now become a place of darkness and not mystery

Company HQ was on European Continent Pestered relatives about a job *His aunt hooked him up with a steamboat

captain position in Africa since the old captain was killedShe believes in imperialism as charitable

Page 6 - Fresleven Old Danish captain Got in fight over 2 black hens He thought he got jipped by the chief of a

village so he beat the chief with a stick Said to be nicest and quietest guy ever Chief’s son killed Fresleven Villagers and Fresleven’s crew both ran away No one touched Fresleven’s body until

Marlow got there to move it.

Page 7 Marlow goes to the Company office

(Brussels)Biggest building in townCompany said they were going to have an

empire and make lots of money *At the office, he saw 2 women: 1 fat, 1 not

Knitting black wool; wore plain dresses Not fat one took Marlow to waiting room Secretary called him in to boss’s office

Shook hands and Marlow was ready to go

Page 8 Signed documents with secretary *Marlow scrutinized the women guarding the

door of Darkness againSkinny one led people to their placesFat one had flat cloth slippers and cat on lap

○ Never stood up and was mysterious Secretary said a doctor needs to check him as a

formality *A clerk comes and takes him away

Clerk was messy; ink stainsWhile waiting for doctor, the two got a drink

Page 9 *Doctor examined Marlow, and asked to

measure his head.Was an unshaven little man with old coatFeet in slippersInterested in comparing before and after

skull sizes Marlow went to aunt to say bye

Drank teaAunt had told Company that he was a “saint”

Page 10 Aunt says a worker is always worthy of

his pay Marlow criticized her in his thoughts

Women are naïve Marlow felt like he was about to go to

the center of Earth, rather than center of continent

Page 11 Left England in a French steam ship Marlow observed his surrounding while

on this journey He saw a French warship firing point

blank into a jungle at natives Stopped at many ports

Took forever

Page 12 Reached the coast of Africa; his job on

riverboat was 200 miles upstream Hitched a ride on little steamship

*The captain was a Swede; skinny and sad young man

The captain tells him of a guy he transported who ended up hanging himself because the heat or country was too much for him

Got to Company stationSlaves working

Page 13 Marlow saw 6 black men walking single file

Balancing small baskets of dirt on headsOnly wore black rags around waistsEvery rib and join was visibleAll chained together“as indifferent as death”

Behind them he saw another black man with a gun forced to guard brothersHeartbroken and sloppy

Marlow was overwhelmed by this situation

Page 14 The slaves were slowly dying

Shadows of disease and starvationBrought against their will

Marlow gave biscuit to a young slaveMysterious white cloth tied around slave’s

neck. Many dead bodies on the ground

Page 15 Marlow got to the station office *Met Company’s chief accountant

Well dressed, boots shined, hair slicked down, holding an umbrella, pen behind ear

Took care of himself in an awful placeKept his clothes clean by teaching a native

woman how to clean them Everything else was a mess; dusty Stayed here for 10 days

Page 16 *While there he talked with the chief

accountant about KurtzKurtz was Company’s greatest agentIn charge of Inner Station (he’s currently at

the Outer Station)Sends in as much ivory as all other agent

combined Left with a caravan of sixty men for a

200 mile walk

Page 17 Footpaths everywhere during journey Passed abandoned villages Passed a couple dead bodies A fat man was in the caravan with Marlow

Good guy, but fat Kept fainting and so Marlow held coat over his head as

they walked Got a fever and had to be carried. Carriers complained

that he was too fat After 15 days, they got to Central Station Another fat man came up and told Marlow that his

boat was sunk the manager was waiting for him

Page 18 Marlow questioned the sinking of his boat He started fishing his boat back out and

rebuilding it – took a few months *His first conversation with the manager

was strangeManager didn’t ask him to sit down

○ Average looking complexion, feature, manner, voice, size

○ Blue eyes○ Mild-mannered

Page 18 – The Manager Manager

Half-smilesDidn’t do it consciouslyMade ordinary statements mysteriousObeyed but not feared/respectedMade everyone feel uneasyUnorganizedNot smart of educatedQuiet

Page 19 Manager said the upriver stations

needed to be resupplied and that’s why he had attempted to use Marlow’s boat

He didn’t know how the stations were. Rumors of Kurtz being sick Manager said Kurtz was the best agent Manager annoyed Marlow because he

still did not ask him to sit nor offer him a meal

Page 20 Marlow started working on ship All he heard white men talk about was ivory One day a shed caught on fire

A black slave was blamed and beat○ The slave ran away into the jungle

Marlow heard the brickmaker and manager talking about taking advantage of Kurtz situation but stopped after Marlow approached them.

Page 20 – The Brickmaker *Talked to Marlow after manager’s leave

Went to his houseHe had a candle, something only the manager

hadThought of as the manger’s spySaid he was waiting for materials to make bricks

○ Had been waiting for a yearMarlow concluded that the real reason these

white men chilled at the station was because they were waiting and hoping to be assigned to an ivory rich post

Page 21 Marlow wasn’t sure why brickmaker was

so friendly Realized that he was being pumped for

informationBut he didn’t know what information…

Page 22 Marlow saw a painting of a blindfolded woman

carrying a torch in the brickmaker’s houseKurtz had painted it

Marlow asks brickmaker to tell him about KurtzBrickmaker said that he thinks Kurtz will soon take

the Manager’s positionHe thinks Marlow is a big guy in the Company

Marlow follows along and allows the brickmaster to kiss his butt

Page 23 Brickmaker was afraid of losing his job

as assistant to manager when Kurtz took over

Marlow says he felt bad for lying to the brickmaker about his influence in EuropeLying made him feel sick

Thought he was helping Kurtz by lying, however

Page 24 *Narrator says all this time Marlow was

still talking on the boat NellieHe said the other sailors might have been

asleep, but he trying to understand the uneasy feeling he got from listening to the story

Marlow called Kurtz a “universal genius” Marlow says he needs rivets to fix his

ship that is now brought ashore

Page 25 Brickmaker told Marlow that he’s not

afraid of God, the devil, or anyone. Marlow talks about how much he has

grown to love his broken boat

Page 26 *Marlow asked the mechanics to help him

The head mechanic was a boilermaker (beer cocktail)○ Good worker; lanky and bony with yellow face;

big eyes○ Bald with a beard that hung to waist○ Wife was dead and he had 6 children back home○ Loved pigeon-flying

Marlow told the head mechanic that they’re going to get rivets for the boat in 3 weeks

Page 27 Rivets never came; instead the Eldorado

Exploring Expedition arrived.Pirates; treasure hunters*Leader was Manager’s uncle

○ Looked like a poor butcher○ Shifty eyes, pot belly, short legs○ Only talked with his nephew

Marlow gave up his hope for the arrival of rivets

Setting of Chapter

Setting “THE NELLIE, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor

without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest.” (1) “The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like

the beginning of an interminable waterway.” (1) “I had then, as you remembered, just returned to

London after a lot of Indian Ocean, Pacific, China Seas- a regular does of the East- six years or so….” (5)

Trading post (16) Company where Marlow claims to have a job the

Belgian “Company” that trades on the Congo River (27)

Important Characters

Marlow – Chapter 1 The only developed character Skeptical of Imperialism Cynical Middle point between Kurtz and

CompanyHe isn’t unorthodox like KurtzHe isn’t money hungry like the Company

Intelligent, philosopher, inquirer

Kurtz – Chapter 1 Not very developed in Chapter 1

Only mentioned by other people A “universal genius”

Painter, musician, sailor, etc. Very good at what he does Chief of the Inner station Envied by the manager

Kurtz may replace him as manager

Key Passages and their

thematic ideas

Impressionism: Marlow as the Sea

- This passage shows Marlow's inability to comprehend the differences in human life an instead shows his ignorance of the foreign.

"In the imutability of the foreign shores, the forein faces, the changing immensity of life , glide past veiled not by a sense of mystery but by a slighty disdainful ignorance," (Conrad 3).

Imperialism / Racial Superiority

- In this passage it supports the idea that Europeans use brute force to conquer the world which shows evidence of European Imperialism. In addition, the racial inferiority of human beings or "creatures" is expressed through a concise explanation that the white men often conquer the world from those who do not have similar looks nor similar intelligence.

"The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much," (Conrad 4).

Imperialism

- Thematic concepts of natural selection and superiority were personified as nature, herself, wards off the invasive species and weeds out intruders.

"All along the formless coast bordered by dangerous surf, as if Nature herself had tried to ward off intruders; in and out of rivers, streams of death in life," (Conrad 11).

Racism/Superiority

-The cultural differences and contrast as seen through the job positions and attire of the black men as opposed to the white men create an aura of superiority and racial undertones throughout the passage.

"Six black men... balancing small baskets full of earth on their heads... Black rags were wound around their loins," (Conrad 12)."They passed me... with that death like indifference of unhappy savages.White men... speedily reassured, and with a large, white, rascally grin... seemed to take me into partnership in his exalted trust," (Conrad 13).

Imperialism/ Sexism/ Avarice (Economic Greed)

- Treating the natives with hostility and exploiting them became justified to the ivory company in that the return on the trades and the wealth they accrued required them to dehumanize the native population. In addition, utilizing the women to suit the needs of the male population by forcing them to do traditional "women's work" creatdes a sexist atmosphere.

"Strings of dusty niggers arrived and departed... and in return came a precious tickle of ivory," (Conrad 15)."I've been teaching one of the native women... she had a distaste for the work," (Conrad 15).

Condemnation of Existentialism

- The absurdity in suggesting that there is no meaning to life arises during the condemnation of existentialism. The idea that the room is pitch black (symbolic of no meaning) and that Marlow was awake shows that Marlow can see through the dark to the light that will eventually penetrate the darkness.

"It had become so pitch dark that we listeners could hardly see one another... I was awake... I listened on the watch for the sentence, for the word, that would give me the clue to the faint uneasiness inspired by this narrative that seemed to shape itself without human lifps in the heavy night air of the river," (Conrad 24).

Existentialism and Personification

-Steamboats give Marlow a chance to find himself. The steamboat presents itself as a livelihood and a lifestyle. The steamboat is Marlow's ultimate reality, thus suggesting that it is his meaning to life as an existentialist.

"She (the steamboat) had given me a chance to come out a bit- to find out what I could do... I don't like work- no man does- but I like what is in the work, the chance to find yourself. Your own reality- for yourself, not for others- what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show and never can tell what it really means," (Conrad 25).

Key Quotes

"Ever any madness in your family?" (Conrad 9).

-An evident thematic idea throughout Heart of Darkness is the concept of madness. Instead of assuming that Marlow dvelops madness of becomes mad in his journey, perhaps Marlow was always mad.

-This quote serves as foreshadowing as well. Though Marlow originally believes this question to be completely ridiculous or absurd, Marlow concedes to the fact that he is in fact faced with madness.

" The idleness of a passenger, my isolation amongst all these menwith whom I had no point of contact, the oily and languid sea, the uniform somberness of the coast seemed to keep me away from the truth of thing, within the toil of a mournful and senseless delusion," (Conrad 11).

-Previously foreshadowed by the medical doctor and his examination, this quote serves to support the idea that Marlow experienced signs of madness before his journey. Therefore everything Marlow saw and experienced after Part I did not cause him to go mad, but instead revive the dormancy of his latent madness.

"But as I stood on this hillside, I foresaw in that blinding sunshine of that land I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly," (Conrad 13).

- The intense diction associated with "blinding sunshine" and "weak-eyed devil" suggest the intense disgust Marlow will experience with his encounter with the native "creatures." In addition, with foreseeing the blinding sunshine, perhaps this foreshadows the inability for Marlow to truly see the evil behind the lifestyle of the natives and the evil behind the superiority complex associated with the differentiation between whites and natives. Furthermore, this quote could possibly allude to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, where the light and truth blinds Marlow's ability to comprehend the truth of reality. This quotes definitely serves as impresssionism.

"Near the same tree two more bundles of acute angles sat with their legs drawn up... While I stood horror-struck, one of these creatures rose to his hands and knees," (Conrad 14).

- With the base diction where human beings are matter-of-factly dehumanized to "acute angles" and referred to as "creatures," the thematic concept of racism appears.

"They wandered here and there with their absurd long staves in their hands, like a lot of faithless pilgrims bewitched inside a rotten fence. The word 'ivory' rung in the air... you would think they were praying to it," (Conrad 20).

- This quote shows the power the white men command by walking around with unnecessary staves as a symbol of oppression. This is translated into the fact that the imperialism and greed associated with exploiting ivory becomes paramount in the minds of the white men.

"It is impossible to convey the life-sensation of any given epoch of one's existence- that which makes its truth, its meaning- its subtle and penetrating essence," (Conrad 24).

- This quote serves to question the ability of others to comprehend that which gives a certain person's life its own respective meaning. In other words this could be perceived as an explanation of the existentialist view where the meaning of life is not preceded by existence, but rather meaning is caused by the existence of the singular being.

Symbols/Motifs within chapter

Motif of Hell/Underworld○ The river○ The Fire and Flames○ Doorways○ Devils/Nightmares/Inferno

Motif of Darkness/Motif of BlindnessMotif of DeathMotif of Duality (Interior vs. Exterior; Mental vs. P

hysical)Motif of SavageryMotif of SoundMotif of Subjugation/Colonization

The Rivers “The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before

us like the beginning of an interminable waterway” (Conrad 1).

“a waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth” (Conrad 2).

“It had become a place of darkness . . . there was in it one river especially, a mighty river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land” (Conrad 5-6).

The Rivers “And the river was there—fascinating—deadly

—like a snake” (Conrad 7). “I felt as though, instead of going to the center

of the continent, I were about to set off for the center of the earth” (Conrad 10).

“in and out of rivers, streams of death in life, whose banks were rotting into mud, whose waters, thickened with slime, invaded the contorted mangroves, that seemed to writhe at us in the extremity of an impotent despair” (Conrad 11).

The Rivers -Both the Thames River and the Congo River

lead into the Heart of Darkness. These rivers parallel the rivers in Greek mythology that lead to the Underworld. In this case, the “Heart of Darkness” represents the Heart of the wilderness on the African continent— the Congo. In this way, the rivers symbolize waterways to Hell.

-Additionally, the serpent references surrounding the rivers associate them with evil thereby linking them closer to the motif of Hell

The Fire and Flames

“Flames glided in the river, small green flames, red flames, white flames, pursuing, overtaking, joining, crossing each other—then separating slowly or hastily” (Conrad 5).

-symbolizes the different empires that are fighting over the control of the Congo, its resources, and its people.

The Fire and Flames “a small flame would dart and vanish” (Conrad 11). “a grass shed full of calico, cotton prints, beads . . . burst into a

blaze so suddenly that you would have thought the earth had opened to let an avenging fire consume all that trash” (Conrad 20).

-Fire is uncontrollable. The Congo is uncontrollable as well, but the white men keep on trying to control this uncontrollable force and that is why they the fire confronts them on many occasions.

-Furthermore, the Congo River could possibly be the river Phlegethon in Greek mythology which was a stream of fire that coiled around the earth and flowed into the depths of Tartarus. This relates the flames back to the motif of the Underworld.

-Moreover, the fire and flames can simply symbolize the fires of Hell.

Doorway

“Often far away there I thought of these two, guarding the door of darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall” (Conrad 8). [the strange women]“He sealed the utterance with that smile of his, as though it had been a door opening into a darkness he had in his keeping” (Conrad 19). [the manager]

“A dark figure obscured the lighted doorway . . . vanished, then, a second or so after, the doorway itself vanished, too” (Conrad 26).

-These doorways symbolize the gates to the figurative Hell of the Congo. At the same time, they also symbolize the gate to Insanity through the horrors of the Congo and consequently a gate to the darkness of one’s soul.

Devils/Nightmares/Inferno

“It was like a weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares” (Conrad 11).

“I’ve seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire . . . these were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils, that swayed and drove men” (Conrad 13).

“I had stepped into the gloomy circle of some inferno” (Conrad 14).

“ . . . and the first glance at the place was enough to let you see the flabby devil was running that show” (Conrad 17).

-The devils, nightmares, and inferno reference all enforce the motif of Hell/Underworld. Interestingly, Marlow does not describe the savages as the devils. In fact, he describes the white men of the respective empires as the “devils” and the enslaved Africans as “men”

Motif of Darkness/Motif of Blindness

“the place of the monstrous town was still marked ominously on the sky, a brooding gloom in sunshine” (Conrad 3)

“one of the dark places of the earth” (Conrad 3) “It had become a place of darkness” (Conrad 5) [Congo on

the map] “This one was almost featureless [the coast], as if still in

the making, with an aspect of monotonous grimness” (Conrad 10)

“Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all the attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair” (Conrad 14)

Motif of Darkness/Motif of Blindness “. . . they were nothing earthly now, nothing but black shadows

of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom’ (Conrad 14)

“set into the depths of darkness” (Conrad 15) “Black figures strolled about listlessly, pouring water on the

glow, whence proceeded a sound of hissing” (Conrad 22) “It had become so pitch dark that we . . . could hardly see one

another.” (Conrad 24) -Darkness does not seem to represent evil in this novel.

Instead, it serves to symbolize the blindness of the white men. They do not understand the jungle because they do not understand Nature anymore. They are lost because they are blind. They are also blind in that they cannot see that the “savages” are human beings.

Motif of Darkness/Motif of Blindness “They grabbed what they could get for the sake

of what was to be got. It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind—as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness” (Conrad 4).

-The white men expect to conquer a darkness that blinds them.

“A blinding sunlight drowned all this at times in a sudden recrudescence of glare” (Conrad 12).

-Even the light does not bring illumination and clarity. It too blinds the white men.

Motif of Darkness/Motif of Blindness “ . .. they had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often

the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire” (Conrad 2).

“Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman, draped and blindfolded, carrying a lighted torch. The background was somber—almost black. The movement of the woman was stately, and the effect of the torchlight on the face was sinister” (Conrad 21).

-The white men carry their torches into the blackness of the jungle, but they are still blind. They want to subjugate supposedly inferior peoples without even fully understanding them. The stately movement of the woman represents the pampered nature of the Europeans. They expect to survive in a wilderness and conquer it even though they don’t understand it and never learned to understand it in Europe. They walk into the jungle like they own it, but they look like blindfolded fools who have a useless torch in their hands.

Motif of Death

“And at last, in its curved and imperceptible fall, the sun sank low, and from glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without heat, as if about to go out suddenly, stricken to death by the touch of that gloom brooding over a crowd of men” (Conrad 2).

“Here and there a military camp lost in a wilderness, like a needle in a bundle of hay—cold, fog, tempests, disease, exile, and death—death skulking in the air, in the water, in the bush” (Conrad 4).

-The Congo and wilderness in general is a very dangerous place filled with fatalities at every turn.

Motif of Death “. . . big flies buzzed fiendishly, and did

not sting, but stabbed” (Conrad 15). “In the steady buzz of flies . . . I could

see the still treetops of the grove of death” (Conrad 16).

-The flies symbolize death and disease in the vast wilderness of the Congo. They also symbolize the death of Kurtz later on in the novel.

Motif of Duality (Interior vs. Exterior; Mental vs. Physical)

“ ‘I always ask leave, in the interests of science, to measure the crania of those going out there’ ” (Conrad 9).

“ ‘the changes take place inside’ ” (Conrad 9). -The doctor epitomizes the nature of the white man

to confuse the mental with the physical, the interior with the exterior. He wants to understand the change that takes place inside the minds of the people that venture into the Congo, but he measures the size of their heads. In other words, he wants to gather information on the mental, but instead measures the physical.

Motif of Duality (Interior vs. Exterior; Mental vs. Physical) “I noticed there was a hole in the bottom of his pail” (Conrad 20). -The mustached man attempts to put out a fire by filling a pail with

water even though the pail has a hole in the bottom. He does not even think to look inside the pail. He superficially looks at the surface of the pail and deems it useful when in reality it’s virtually useless. This mirrors how the white man don’t bother to look beneath the surface of the “savages” and the immense wilderness. Their superficial attempts leave them confused and at a disadvantage.

“ I let him run on, this papier-mâché Mephistopheles, and it seemed to me that if I tried I could poke my forefinger through him, and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe” (Conrad 23).

-The man who wants to become assistant manager symbolizes the superficiality mentioned above

Motif of Duality (Interior vs. Exterior; Mental vs. Physical) “in the great demoralization of the land he kept up his

appearance” (Conrad 15). [chief accountant] -The chief accountant makes sure his appearance is

perfect rather than making sure the expedition is productive.

“sepulchral city” (Conrad 21) -On the outside, Brussels promises the civilization of

the natives and the bettering of peoples. However, on the inside Brussels leads to the deaths of its own men who go on the dangerous missions to the Congo and the deaths of the natives it so wants to “civilize”.

Motif of Savagery

“Land in a swamp, the utter savagery, had closed round him— all that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men” (Conrad 4).

“The edge of a colossal jungle, so dark-green as to be almost black, fringed with white surf, ran straight, like a ruled line, far, far away along a blue sea whose glitter was blurred by a creeping mist” (Conrad 10).

“He has to live in the midst of the incomprehensible” (Conrad 10). -The mist covering the jungle symbolizes the white man’s

incomprehensibility of the wilderness and Nature that govern the “savagery”. The white man has become so out of touch with Nature that he fails to understand the culture of the people living in the jungle and simply labels it as “savage”. However, he does not even understand why he labels it savage or what truly is savage. Also, because the white man does not understand the jungle he fears it and hates it, but is at the same time fascinated by it.

Motif of Savagery “I was getting savage” (Conrad 19). “ . . . the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared

speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion” (Conrad 20).

-Basically, all humans are “savage” at heart. The white men make the mistake of believing that savagery can only be found in the jungle. Because of this the jungle symbolizes savagery throughout the novel, but also man’s misconceptions about its own hidden nature.

Motif of Sound “A great silence around and above” (Conrad 17). “Perhaps on some quiet night the tremor of far-off drums, sinking,

swelling, a tremor vast, faint; a sound weird, appealing, suggestive, and wild—and perhaps with as profound a meaning as the sound of bells in a Christian country” (Conrad 17).

“Beyond the fence the forest stood up spectrally in the moonlight, and through the dim stir, through the faint sounds of that lamentable courtyard, the silence of the land went home to one’s very heart—its mystery, its greatness, the amazing reality of its concealed life” (Conrad 22-23.)

“The great wall of vegetation, an exuberant and entangled mass of trunks, branches, leaves, boughs, festoons, motionless in the moonlight, was like a rioting invasion of soundless life” (Conrad 26).

-Like the darkness, at times the silence symbolizes the deafness of the white men. They cannot see and they cannot hear. Their senses are incapacitated in the jungle.

Motif of Subjugation/Colonization

“Here and there grayish-whitish specks showed up clustered inside the white surf, with a flag flying above them perhaps” (Conrad 10).

“. . . a bit of white worsted round his neck” (Conrad 14).

-The white flags represent the colonization of areas in the Congo. The white worsted represents the subjugation of the natives. In this way, the color white serves as a symbol for the ruthless ambitions of the white man.

Motif of Subjugation/Colonization “White men with long staves in their hands appeared

languidly amongst the buildings” (Conrad 17). “They wandered here and there with their absurd long

staves in their hands, like a lot of faithless pilgrims bewitches inside a rotten fence” (Conrad 20).

“Several had still their staves in their hands. I truly believe they took these ticks to bed with them.” (Conrad 22).

-The white men feel like they rule over the natives and deserve to continue their endless conquest for land, money, resources regardless of who they hurt. The staves symbolize the white man’s obsession with power.

Quiz

1. Which characters are sailing on the river Thames at the beginning of the novel?

a) the Manager, the Narrator, Marlow, the Lawyer, the Chief Accountant

b) the Director of Companies, the Narrator, Marlow, the Lawyer, the Accountant

c) the Manager, the Narrator, Marlow, the Lawyer, the Accountant

d) the Director of Companies, the Narrator, Marlow, the Lawyer, the Chief Accountant

2. Marlow’s aunt thought of imperialism as:

a) horrible b) necessary c) charitable d) barbari

3. Fresleven is described as:

a) bad-tempered and demanding b) clever and manipulative c) hard-working and nice d) quiet and gentle

4. What gives meaning to Marlow’s life (from the existentialist point of view)?

a) colonization b) Kurtz’s words c) steamboats d) map

5. Which key themes does the conquest for ivory most relate to?

a) Avarice, Racism, Imperialism b) Avarice, Sexism, Imperialism c) Superiority, Sexism, Imperialism d) Superiority, Blindness, Imperialism

6. Which of the following most enforce an aura of superiority and racial undertones?

a) the sounds and the attire of the black men

b) the speech and attire of the black men

c) the attire and the job positions of the black men

d) the attire and food of the black men

7. Which best describes how Nature feels about the white men as mentioned in one of the Key passages?

a) Nature feels they belong in the wilderness.

b) Nature feels that they are intruders. c) Nature feels that they should learn to

coexist with the natives. d) Nature feels that they should be

destroyed.

8. Fill in the blank. “The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different _________ or slightly _______ _________ than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much” (Conrad 4).

a) culture, flatter noses b) complexion, barbaric nature c) culture, darker skin d) complexion, flatter nose

9. The following quote represents which of the following views: "It is impossible to convey the life-sensation of any given epoch of one's existence—that which makes its truth, its meaning—its subtle and penetrating essence" (Conrad 24).

a) absurdist b) nihilist c) imperialist d) existentialist

10. The following quote best illustrates: "Near the same tree two more bundles of acute angles sat with their legs drawn up... While I stood horror-struck, one of these creatures rose to his hands and knees" (Conrad 14).

a) racism b) imperialism c) sexism d) avarice

11. Fill in the blank. "But as I stood on this hillside, I foresaw in that blinding _______ of that land I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending weak-eyed _______ of a rapacious and pitiless folly" (Conrad 13).

a) darkness, devil b) darkness, demon c) sunshine, devil d) sunshine, demo

12. According to the Key Quotes when was Marlow mad?

a) only before his journey b) only after his journey c) during and after his journey d) before, during, and after his journey

13. What most appears to be Marlow’s view on women?

a) They are meant to be used. b) They are naive. c) They are intelligent. d) They are mischievous

14. Because of the association between the flames and the Congo river, which river in Greek mythology might the Congo river symbolize?

a) Acheron b) Styx c) Phlegethon d) Lethe

15. What does the white worsted tied around the native’s neck most symbolize?

a) innocence, purity b) subjugation, oppression c) savagery, wilderness d) racism, savager

16. What is specifically described as “sepulchral”?

a) the grove of death b) the Congo River c) the station d) Brussel

17. Who are the “devils”?

a) the white men b) the animals lurking in the forest c) the two knitting women d) the native

18. The mist and fog best belong as symbols under which motif?

a) motif of death b) motif of Hell/Underworld c) motif of blindness d) motif of duality

19. The “small sketch in oils” is best described as a sketch of a:

a) blindfolded woman carrying a candle b) blindfolded man carrying a torch c) stately man walking into an immense,

darkness d) blindfolded woman carrying a torch

20. What do the flies symbolize?

a) Hell/Underworld b) Death c) Danger d) Savager

21. Who is the most well-dressed character in spite of the horrible condition of his land?

a) the manager b) the brick-maker c) the chief accountant d) the lawyer

22. Who is in charge of the Inner Station?

a) Kurtz b) the manager c) the brick-maker d) the chief accountant

23. Why did the manager annoy Marlow?

a) The manager treated the natives badly.

b) The manager was too well-dressed. c) The manager’s position was

something Marlow had always wanted. d) The manager didn’t ask Marlow to sit

nor did her offer him a meal

24. Who did Marlow overhear talking about taking advantage of Kurtz’s situation?

a) the chief accountant and the brick-maker

b) the manager and the brick-maker c) the company boss and the manager d) the manager and the chief accountant

25. Who is the “universal genius”?

a) Marlow b) the manager c) Kurtz d) Fresleven

Did you get them right? 1. B 2. C 3. D 4. C 5. B 6. C 7. B 8. D 9. D 10. A 11. C 12. D 13. B

14. B 15. C 16. D 17. A 18. C 19. D 20. B 21. C 22. A 23. D 24. B 25. C