After reading The Age of Discovery, prologue and Chapter 19 of King Leopold´s Ghost And Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad I have once again seen symbols as key elements of literature. When it comes to a novels analysis s I aim for subtle literary devices and symbols. However, some novels are focused on rhetorical devices that standout of the novels content per se. In Heart of Darkness I perceived symbols and imagery as Conrad’s strongest points, which portray deeper ideas and enhance romanticism within his novel.
The black and white imagery combined with paradigm shift are effective techniques to portray Marlow’s mentality. By paradigm shift I mean that at first white is considered as complete, perfect, clean and black is seen as unknown, adverse, incomplete. However, as Marlow searches for Kurtz we see his interaction with the natives and Europeans as a sign of change in his mentality. Therefore, Conrad is using paradigm shifting since Marlow now considers white as violent, baseless, irrational and black as complete and virtuous. The novel began with vivid descriptions of nature and ends with philosophical dilemmas. I consider that Conrad’s use of imagery and symbolism portrays a strong critic to discrimination and colonization. These is best understood after reading The “White Man’s Burden” and “The Black Man’s Burden”, where irony is used in favor of white mentality and black perspective respectively.
