Heart of Darkness

by

Joseph Conrad

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Dark and White Symbol Icon
Darkness is everywhere in Heart of Darkness. But the novella tweaks the conventional idea of white as good and dark as evil. Evil and good don't really apply to Heart of Darkness, because everyone in the novella is somehow complicit in the atrocities taking place in Africa. Rather, whiteness, especially in the form of the white fog that surrounds the steamship, symbolizes blindness. The dark is symbolized by the huge and inscrutable African jungle, and is associated with the unknowable and primitive heart of all men.

Dark and White Quotes in Heart of Darkness

The Heart of Darkness quotes below all refer to the symbol of Dark and White. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Colonialism Theme Icon
).
Part 1 Quotes
"And this also," said Marlow suddenly, "has been one of the dark places of the earth."
Related Characters: Marlow (speaker)
Related Symbols: Dark and White
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2 Quotes
The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.
Related Characters: Marlow (speaker)
Related Symbols: Dark and White
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 31
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3 Quotes
The offing was 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.
Related Characters: Narrator (speaker)
Related Symbols: Dark and White
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 72
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Heart of Darkness LitChart as a printable PDF.
Heart of Darkness PDF

Dark and White Symbol Timeline in Heart of Darkness

The timeline below shows where the symbol Dark and White appears in Heart of Darkness. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
Colonialism Theme Icon
The Hollowness of Civilization Theme Icon
The Lack of Truth Theme Icon
Suddenly Marlow interrupts the silence. "And this also," Marlow says, "has been one of the dark places of the earth." He imagines England as it must have appeared to the first... (full context)
The Hollowness of Civilization Theme Icon
...unnamed European city where the Company has its headquarters. He describes the city as a "whited sepulcher." (full context)
The Lack of Truth Theme Icon
...least "see more than I could then." The Narrator observes that it was now so dark they couldn't see Marlow at all. (full context)
Part 2
Colonialism Theme Icon
The Hollowness of Civilization Theme Icon
The Lack of Truth Theme Icon
Racism Theme Icon
The morning reveals a thick white blinding fog enveloping the ship. A roar of screaming natives breaks the silence, then cuts... (full context)
Part 3
The Lack of Truth Theme Icon
...he just couldn't get himself to tell the Intended the truth—it would have been too dark. (full context)
Colonialism Theme Icon
The Hollowness of Civilization Theme Icon
The Lack of Truth Theme Icon
...the "uttermost ends of the earth," seems to lead "into the heart of an immense darkness." (full context)