Heart of Darkness

In Heart of Darkness, there is a real contrast between what is light and what is dark. These contrasts work within the reality of what is considered civilized and uncivilized, the light representing civilization or the civilized side of the world, and the dark representing the uncivilized or savage side of the world. Throughout the novel, there are several references to these two contrasts. In Conrad's novel, black and white suggest evil and good. The …

…superior as they would like to be. "Left to itself, Africa has a 'greatness' that went 'home to one's very heart'," writes Sarvan. Conrad was certainly not completely free from prejudice. He lived in a time when some forms of racism seemed almost natural, but he was doing good when he wrote "Heart of Darkness" by giving emphasis to the bitter struggles of the Africans and the cruelty of the Europeans - their utter darkness.