What
might the title represent—the heart of darkness—what is this referring to?
‘The
Heart of Darkness’ is such an appropriate title not because it means one thing
but the fact that it can be representative of many ideas and themes presented
in the novella. As Marlow remarks near the beginning of the novella “It had
ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery—a white patch for a boy to
dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness.” ‘The Heart of Darkness’,
the actual place, was a location that no longer maintained its shroud of
mystery to the white man. No, now, as is always the case, the place is being
extorted; manipulated; raped of its natural self and an imposed stamp of corruption
is forever branded into its very existence. This interpretation seems to be
more focused on the decency of the affair rather than the reality that Conrad
seemed to be getting at that the place is no longer foreign to learned men and
is forever changed for that reason. Another plausible interpretation of the ‘Heart
of Darkness’ title is an idea; it is the idea that man cannot possibly degrade
into his primal state if he had been previously exposed to civility without
extinguishing parts of his previous self. The fact that man will give up
knowledge and civility for blissful ignorance displays a hollowness of one’s
character and soul which inevitably breeds a heart of darkness. Either one of
these interpretations along with many others could possibly represent what
Conrad meant by naming the novella as he did.
I agree with you that the title cannot be said to have only one meaning. The entire novel is filled with different ways in which darkness affects the characters--whether it be the physical darkness of their surroundings or the figurative darkness of corruption, loss, or any of a number of possible interpretations. The ambiguity of the title along with the many instances of dark themes and actions arising within the story make it to where no single concrete answer can be given as to the title's meaning. Regardless, your possible interpretation of the heart of darkness as the result of the void in a civilized man's heart after reverting to his primal state has to be the most interesting of the interpretations I've heard or thought of myself.
ReplyDeleteI particularly find your final possible interpretation the most interesting. While reading through it, it clicked and seemed to make perfect sense. "The hollowness of one's character and soul...breeds a heart of darkness," is an eloquent way of articulating what I was unable to articulate, which is the main reason I didn't choose this specific prompt. Marlow frequently describes characters as hollow, or more specifically, a "paper-mâché Mephistopheles." This reveals the hearts of darkness amongst all of the characterS
ReplyDelete