Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

Joseph Conrad’s use of light and dark to represent good and evil in the Heart of Darkness helps in developing the theme and the plot of the novel. Conrad uses the symbol of light and darkness repetitively throughout the novel in order to disclose his insight to the reader. Conrad uses light and darkness when referring to the Thanes and Congo Rivers, the skin color of the whites and blacks, and shadows. Conrad’s use of light and dark is evident from the opening of the novel. The story opens on the calm Thanes River aboard the cruising yawl called the Nellie. All is calm on the water as the lights of London twinkle around the boat. The Thanes River, which is seen as calm, ‘civil’ and bright, is an obvious contrast to the Congo River that Marlow navigates in Africa. The Congo is full of darkness and fractiousness. Ironically, the bright Thane is described similarly to the dark Congo. In the closing lines of the novel, the Thanes seem to b