What is the
importance of ivory throughout the novel?
How does it function as both a literal and figurative image?
The
novel is rooted in the imperialistic world of wealth, greed, and inhumanity—a
time in which base ambition is masked under a cloak of moral righteousness. Ivory plays a central role in this
picture, driving the “pilgrims” and other wealth-seekers into the heart of the
African wilderness in search of promised riches. Yet, in this age of imperialism their greedy ambition is
justified under more altruistic pretenses; in the name of civility and
humanitarianism European nations plundered a continent for their own
gains. In the book, ivory is
presented as a sort of luminous ideal, one to capture and worship in all its
power and glory. The pilgrims were
driven by a mad desire to capture this potential wealth, willing to “tear the
treasure out of the bowels of the land” for their own profit. But the allure of ivory—the “whispers”
and “sighs” of its power—extends far beyond even material gain. Ivory seems to embody the whole
abstraction of imperialism itself, encompassing man’s wild desire, greed, and
inhumanity. In its lustrous white
image, ivory seems to correspond with the white dominion over an otherwise
darkened wilderness. This gleaming
promise of wealth, power, and superiority hovers in the background through the
entire story, luring the men deep into a world of “impenetrable darkness” and
ultimately corrupting their already blackened souls.
I like what you're saying. I considered picking this prompt, but I couldn't figure out how to put it into words like you did. I also certainly didn't see it as in depth as you have. I also really like the part about the "allure of ivory" because it is something I missed/didn't think about the first time I went through the text. However, you refer to countries taking the ivory because those countries are imperialistic and that what they are doing is for the benefit of the nation, country, etc. rather than the individuals of that country. Do you believe that ivory is only important on the large scale? Or do you feel that there is also personal gain for ivory poachers such as fame (or notoriety depending on how an individual feels about poaching), special riches, or anything else of that sort?
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I was also going to discuss this prompt myself and then as Vivian read your response and found I would never generate such ideas as you have here. And secondly, do you think Ivory is the temptation, is the actual corrupting force that draws the ambitious into the darkness of greed and power? As you say imperialism was cloaked behind seemingly pure motives of reform and betterment and yet materialist value flooded the hearts and minds of these men with thoughts only of conquering and destruction. Kurtz has control over the Natives through his relentless battle for recognition. They bend before him as trees before a high wind because he as other imperialists has broken the land and worked in such a manner to strip the good from it. Imperialism was a means for power—through the increase of resources and land nations increased the weight of their decisions and gambles. So does Ivory possessing men’s heart as a resource of great monetary value perhaps parallel power invading the desires of countries?
ReplyDeleteI had never thought about how the men justified their actions in the novel. That's a great point! When one commits to an action they are usually aware of how good or bad it is. However, like you mentioned, they were doing something evil but thought of it as positive for the sake of civilization and humanity. I also find it ironic, as many other ideas within this novella, that they are searching for ivory, a substance that is pure and beautiful, while their journey to get the ivory is tainted and evil. While the beginning of their journey may have genuinely been as pure and innocent as the ivory they desired, that desire tainted their motives to become as dark and worthless as the dirt they walked on.
ReplyDeleteAudrey, I definitely agree with you on this prompt and I wrote about somewhat of the same ideas. I liked your thought about the fact that the souls were already blackened before the start of this whole entire process. I do feel like the greed of power and wealth were huge factors and made them blind about the things that were really happening in the world around them. It seems as if they had nothing else on their mind other than reaching that goal of achieving the find of the ivory.
ReplyDelete