The setting, symbols, and the characters each contain light and dark images create the center theme of the novel. ... The river is the first of these symbols to appear in the story. ... The novel is densely composed with much symbolism. The title is just one example of a piece of symbolism, which contains many different meanings: "The heart of darkness' serves both as an image of the interior workings of the mind of a man, which are dark and foreign to all observers. The literal journey into the jungle is a metaphor, or a symbol, for the journey into the uncharted human soul. ...

• Word Count: 4389
• Approx Pages: 18
• Grade Level: High School

Heart of Darkness opens on a boat called "Nellie." Marlow and his shipmates, including the narrator whose descriptions of the scene fill the few breaks in Marlow's stories, loll on the deck waiting for the tides of the Thames River to change. To entertain his compatriots, Marlow begins to tal...

• Word Count: 4309
• Approx Pages: 17
• Grade Level: High School

The Condition of Man in The Heart of Darkness and The Lord of the Flies "Man is a fallen being. He is gripped by original sin. His nature is sinful and his state perilous-(Golding, "Fable-, The Hot Gates and Other Occasional Pieces, Harcourt, Brace & World, New York, 1965, page 61). This quote by William Golding sums up his view of the soul of mankind. This feeling is shared by many authors, especially modern ones. ...

• Word Count: 4223
• Approx Pages: 17
• Grade Level: High School