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In Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, the main character, Marlow, is aboard the ship "The Nellie" and tells his fellow passengers the story of his past voyage into the African Congo. In the Congo, Marlow was looking for Kurtz, one of his company's men. Kurtz was an ivory trader and had collected a lot of ivory for the company. Marlow had gone into the Congo for adventure but he ended up learning about the nature of man. Conrad used light/dark and white/black symbolism to contrast civilization with savagery.
One example of light and dark symbolism is the Thames and Congo rivers. Conrad described the Thames River as tranquil and full of light: "The old river in its broad reach rested unruffled at the decline of day…spread out in the tranquil dignity of a waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth…The sun set: the dusk fell on the stream, and lights began to appear along the shore." (Page 28, Conrad) In contrast, Conrad described the Congo River as dreary and......

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