Angel

"this pure brow, seemed surrounded by an ashy halo from which the dark eyes looked out at me. Their glance was guileless, profound, confident, and trustful." (69)

Kurtz's lover is producing light which shows that she is a symbol for an angel. She is clean and innocent like an angel, because she has never traveled like the men do in this novel, to tarnish her thoughts and belief in humanity. Marlow has been tarnished by his travels so he produces darkness instead of light, so when she looks at him this darkness is reflected in her eyes. She is confident that Kurtz died the same man as he was before he went into Africa. She is wrong about this, but Marlow lies to her to keep her pure.

Shadow

"a shadow darker than the shadow of night." (68)


Shadows are a common thread in this novel. They symbolize imperialism and its deceit. Marlow casts a shadow around him when he goes to Kurtz's lover's house. This shadow represents his knowledge of Kurtz, that would hurt the women. He knows that Kurtz wanted justice and to stay in Africa more than he wanted to go home to her.

Drum

"the beat of the drum, regular and muffled like the beating of a heart- the heart of a conquering darkness." (68)

Marlow now has the steady beat of the drum in his heart. This pulse symbolizes the change he has when he heard the drums at Kurtz's. He is forever enlightened and will always have the beat of a drum in his heart.

God

"Some of the pilgrims behind the stretcher carried his arms- two shotguns, a heavy rifle, and a light revolver carbine- the thunderbolts of that pitiful Jupiter. " (55)

Jupiter was a powerful god of the sky from Greek mythology, who had power over men and other gods. Jupiter used lightening as a weapon. Kurtz is a symbol for a god, because he has guns and is civilized. The guns seem like magic to the savages, so he seems mighty to them.

Fleet Street

"I went on along Fleet Street" (6)

Fleet Street is one of the main streets in England. It is named after the Fleet River, which is one of the rivers that now flows beneath London's streets to the Thames. The first newspaper, called The Daily Courant, was issued from this street in 1702. It was the center of London's publishing industry, so it has been mentioned in many literary figures.



~"Fleet Street" Streets of London. August 26, 2008. <http://www.touruk.co.uk/london_streets/fleet_street1.htm>

Snake

"a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea and, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land." (6)

The Congo River is being compared to a snake because snakes can be poisonous. Marlow is fascinated with the snake like a bird would be. It also symbolizes the snake in the Genesis, that convinces Eve to eat the forbidden fruit that causes original sin. The snake lures Marlow to go up the Congo, which is poisoned with deceiving imperialism.

Knights

"It had known and served all the men of whom the nation is proud, from Sir Francis Drake to Sir John Franklin." (2)


Sir Francis Drake (left) set out from England in 1577 on a great adventure known as the Golden Hind. They traveled south to Africa and South America. They traveled for nearly three years and went approximately 36,000 miles. Sir John Franklin (right) set out from England in 1756 and disappeared. His expedition was in northern Canada. The two left from the Thames river and went in different directions at different times. Joseph Conrad mentions these men because many great adventures have started at the mouth of the Thames and it foreshadows that Marlow's adventure is profound.

~Secoy, Diane. "Franklin, Sir John" The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. 2008. August 26 2008. <http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/franklin_sir_john_1786-1847.html>

~Seeler, Oliver."The Voyage" Sir Francis Drake. 2001. August 26, 2008. <http://www.mcn.org/2/oseeler/voy.htm>