Conrad uses the image of the snake several times. Cite the
passages and discuss the possible symbolism.
The image of the snake in Heart of Darkness contributes
to the ongoing theme of good verses evil. In the novel, the Congo River
resembles a snake saying, "But there was in it one river especially, a mighty big river, that
you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head
in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail
lost in the depths of the land. And as I looked at the map of it in a
shop-window, it fascinated me as a snake would a bird - a silly little
bird." The snake is a symbol of evil and deception yet Marlow becomes
fascinated by its resemblance rather than turned away. This shows human
weakness to evil and helplessness to temptation further contributing the t
“darkness” of the book. Marlow struggles to maintain his mortality when put
in such an environment as evil exists all around him. He constantly has
to chose between two evils rather than have a good outlet. The snake
represents the temptation he faces and the difficulty to avoid it.
The snake appears to be a representation of Evil and its role in the creation of man. Adam and Eve were tempted in the garden by a snake. It is a lesser of beings. It is forced to crawl on the ground yet it has some power over man kind or at least at our feet. Snake's uncoil as they strike delivering toxins into the blood stream. Perhaps the illustration of a snake "with its head in the sea" is an example of a snake infecting the world with venom or warfare. This may be an allusion to the need for other countries to prevent the bloodshed in the Congo. Marlow can not take his gaze off this mighty body of water twisting its way over central Africa. The snake may be infecting the Western World with savagery or Primal instincts. The Western World might be "a silly little bird." We could be that bird being sucked down a snake's throat to the Heart of Darkness.
ReplyDeleteKelsie, I’d like to offer another possibility as to what the snake could symbolize. After analyzing the text you provided, I finally allowed the imagery to seep in. What I eventually drew up in my mind, is not the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve, but the leviathan. The leviathan is a giant sea serpent of grandiose strength. I do agree that the snake imagery pertains to evil, but if you associate it with the leviathan, I believe it refers to a great and terrible evil. Possibly the snake imagery is a symbol for both. The serpent from biblical times displaying the temptation that goes with evil and darkness and the leviathan to show the true magnitude of evil.
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