Discuss the concept of light and dark throughout the novel? What do they symbolize? How do they shift? Cite specific passages.
Light and dark are used as symbols of understanding and knowledge. The concept of using light and dark in the scenes based on the method of information sharing is an interesting one; I've never seen it used in any other novel in a way such as Conrad has.
When I use the words, "understanding," "knowledge," and "information sharing," I am referring to what Marlow notices and identifies during the novel as well as the time of day that this registering of information occurs:
When Marlow notices the French ship firing into the wilderness of the coastline, he is astounded by the violence occurring for no apparent reason. This scene, of course, takes place during the day.
When Marlow overhears the station manager discussing with his uncle about the intruder at the inner station, it is a privileged conversation that Marlow needed the shroud of night in order to hear.
The crew decides to stop the steamboat when a thick fog sets in because the crew is literally in the dark, with no visibility. That helplessness is what Marlow feels during this scene.
The scene in which the crew finally arrives at the inner station, and Marlow notices the heads of "rebels" on stakes around the house, he is immediately enlightened of the savage nature that Kurtz has degraded to. This scene is during the day.
That night when Marlow is shut out of a conversation with Kurtz due to the station manager's need to speak with him in private, Marlow is in the dark yet again, but is signaled by Kurtz's shouting in disagreement.
During the same scene, and in the night that follows it, Marlow warns the Russian trader of the station manager's plan to hang him in order to send a message. The darkness provides a cover for the Russian to leave.
Then again, in the same night, Kurtz leaves under the cover of nightfall in order to sneak off to a tribal ceremony. It is this darkness which is providing a new light for Kurtz's life.
Sam, it is interesting how you viewed the appearances of light and dark throughout the book as backgrounds to certain events. As you point out, the time of day certainly plays a significant role in different scenes, corresponding with the nature of the situation. In my own response to this question, I focused on the merging of both light and dark to create a hazy state of uncertainty throughout the book, yet I did not fully examine the segments of time in which the events occur as you did. Darkness always seems to stand as a beacon of obscurity or evil, signifying confusion in many scenes. Yet, as you note in your response, it also provides a sort of escape in some cases, cloaking reality and opening up a pathway to a “new light” in a sense. Perhaps light may often bring moments of “enlightenment” for the characters, while darkness tosses them into uncertainty, but both may also be interchangeable, blurring the line between right and wrong and truth and deception.
ReplyDeleteI think this is rather interesting concept to realize. It is true that when Marlow learns some of his most important information he is under the cover of darkness. What is ironic about this is that light is usually referred to as enlightening or good. Knowledge is referred to in the sam manner, good and and powerful. So, it would seem that both would go hand in hand. For instance, in order to read there must be some light source to see. So, without light, you could never gain knowledge. The fact that Marlow learns information at night is almost the exact opposite of this normal thought process. It represents that not all information is good and enlightening. Some information can be bad and harmful.
ReplyDeleteSam, this was an interesting response to the prompt. Probably like many other people, I immediately thought of the light and dark concepts as metaphors for the duality within every human being-- the good and the evil. I assumed that the title alone would justify this presumption, as darkness and light seemed to play a large role in the narrative. Your interpretation of light and dark as backgrounds to specific events within the narration was also intriguing to me, as I didn’t examine that through an analytic lens when I initially read the book.
ReplyDeleteSam, you suggest a very good point about light's and dark's roles as not only symbolizing wrong and right, but also clarity and ambiguity. When we find ourselves lost in a foreign situation, we often assume the uncertainty as wrong or "dark." Your point is also filled with (paraphrased) textual evidence, proving convincing ethos. Darkness, like fog, (metaphorically and literally speaking) blankets our perception, and due to this handicap, we inevitably grow weary and often presume the worst. As depicted by the light-bulb metaphor for understanding and knowledge, the concept of light is analogous to the concepts of perceptual and informational clarity.
ReplyDelete