In the seventh paragraph of his short novel Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad uses careful syntax and diction to show a change between the Thames appearance and the conclusion that it has become an empire. The first sentence has the narrator looking back on the Thames and showing that a shift has caused the serenity of it to become "more profound." In reflecting upon the river, Joseph Conrad has the narrator emphasizes the "good service done to the race that peopled its banks" and also its "dignity of a waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth." Conrad, in describing the Thames, does not specifically refer to the people of the Thames, but strictly to its accomplishments. Conrad places his point of emphasis on the river and how significant it is. His focus is how the river has done the people well, but now the people have functioned.
Conrad uses a unique writing style, which is more complex. The use of double dashes between connecting sentences is almost everywhere. While reading the novel, I almost get nervous when I see the double dashes, it slows down my reading, and thats exactly what Conrad wanted to do. He wanted to make sure you understand the idea and its importance by slowing your reading down. Also his diction has the same purpose. As Conrads diction is more complex words such as tidal current or errant of the sea his use of words form an image that feels real.
Conrad shows the importance of the river by making the Thames an "outlet" to the rest of the world rather than the world being an "outlet" to the Thames. The narrator's recollections upon the river show what the river has done to the people who surround it, in its unceasing service, crowded with the men and ships it had borne to..." Conrad continues his motif of the importance of the river by saying how the Thames has "served all men of whom the nation is proud...the great knights-errant of the sea." This quote shows that the mean being portrayed as knights of the sea are held in higher regard than if they were portrayed as knights of the nation. Subsequently, Conrad goes further to conclude "what greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river...The dreams of men, the seeds of commonwealths, the germs of empires." In this statement alone, Conrad is concluding that everything in the land that is great had flowed down the Thames, and if it "had not", then it surely could not be great.
Conrad uses light and darkness when referring to the Thames and Congo river, the skin color and hearts of the whites and blacks, and the black mistress and Conrads use of light and darkness is evident from the opening of the novel. The story opens on the tranquil Thames River aboard the cruising yawl called the Nellie. All is calm on the water as the lights of London twinkle around the boat. The Thames River, which is seen as calm, civil and bright, is an obvious contrast to the Congo River that Marlow navigates in Africa. The Congo is full of darkness and fractiousness.
The Significance of the Congo River For Marlow, the journey on the Congo River is one of the most difficult and ominous journeys he will ever take. The fact that it takes him around and not completely into the jungle is significant of Marlow's psychological journey as well. He never really goes on land but watches the shore from the outside. The only time he goes on shore he finds a wasteland. For Marlow the jungle of the Congo is representative of evil that man is capable of. In Heart of Darkness, it seems that the further Marlow travels into the jungle, the deeper he looks into himself. All this time is spent on the Congo River as he looks from the outside. This is symbolic as he is looking at his soul from the outside but never really sees himself until he goes on land to get Kurtz. When he arrives on land is symbolic of when he looks the deepest into himself. He goes to find Kurtz on his deathbed and is given he choice to take over for him as a god among an African tribe. Marlow is faced with the ultimate choice between good and evil. For a moment it is uncertain what choice Marlow will make. But, unlike Kurtz, Marlow picks the good over evil, as he rescues Kurtz back to the steamer. The fact that Marlow sailed along the Congo River, around the jungle, and not actually into the jungle is an important symbol also. Marlow never walks the path that Kurtz did to self-destruction. He went around the jungle to avoid getting captured by evil. Kurtz was a decent Englishman until he gave into the desires of his heart of darkness. Kurtz spent all his time in the jungle and eventually forgot all of his self-control, manners, and upbringing. He truly looked in the deepest part of himself and found that his evil desires would reign. This is symbolic because he was deep inside the jungle. In this respect Conrad uses to men to show the reader both the good and bad of humankind. He shows the true evil and good that man is capable of if proper restraints had been there would Kurtz have done things differently? The fact that no one was around to keep Kurtz in check helped him succeed in becoming capable of the immense evil he became.
Marlow had his shipmates there to keep him responsible. When he left the steamboat there wasn't anyone to restrain Marlow. He was face to face with himself and his human desires, but as he looked at Kurtz and what the evil had done to him he saw the consequences of choosing evil. If Marlow hadn't seen the consequences would he have acted differently? In the beginning of the novel, Marlow talks of things as if they are happening far away from him and not actually happening close by which represents that he is on the outside looking in. He also talks about a fog that settles over the river. This fog represents a distortion of what lies ahead. As he makes his decisions based on what he thinks is right but really he has no idea of what will happen to him or his crew.
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