分析《黑暗的心》黑色的象征意义.docx

分析《黑暗的心》黑色的象征意义.docx

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分析《黑暗的心》黑色的象征意义

Introduction

A.AboutJosephConrad

Theauthor,JosephConrad（1857---1942）isagreatEnglishwriter,butheisn’taBritish,heisaPolish.Hedidn’tstartlearningEnglishuntilhewasinhisthirtiesbecausehejoinedthegroupofEnglishship.Andinhisearlylife,hedidn’tplantodoawriterandhespenthismosttimeinseabecauseheisasailor.Andhebegantowriteworksinhismid-life,sohehisgeniussurpassesnationalboundariesandlinguisticbarriers.

JosephConradoriginallywasnamedJosephTeodorKonradKorzeniowski.Hisfatherwasarrestedbecauseofpoliticalactions,hestayedwithhismother.Buthismotherdiedafterthreeyears.Sohischildhoodinfluenceshislifedeeply.AfterhereceivedgoodeducationinCracow,Poland,herealizesthathehasnogoodfutureinPolandoccupiedbyEuropeanpowers,sohebegantohissailorlife.Themostimportantly,hespendshisnext16yearstravellinginSingapore,BorneoandtheEastIndiaetc.Andhehasmoreandmoreinformationabouttheworld,healsohasmoreandmoreinformationaboutcolonialismandhumannature.In1890,hebecameacaptainofasteamerRoidesBelgesandbeganhistravelintheBelgianCongoinsixmonths.IntheBelgianCongo,hesawmanybrutalactionsfortheBlackandthemysteriousandfertilelandbecauseofimperialistrivalry.Afterthat,hewroteHeartofDarkness.AndheknewthatitisanageofEuropeanpowerrivalryandhishomelandbecameavictimforthisreason.ButhestayedinBritainforalongtimeandhewasinfluencedbyBritishcultureandsociety,healsotreatedhimselfasoneoftheupperclassnotoneofthepoorincompletely,sohewrotemanyworksfrompointofacontradictoryview,whichwascomposedofpityandanger.AndhewroteHeartofDarknesstobecomposedofthiskindofcontradictoryview.Themoreimportantly,HeartofDarknessishisgreatestworkaboutthiscontrarycolonialismview.

AfterHeartofDarkness,hewroteTheSecretAgent（1906）,UnderWesternEyes（1910）TheSecretShare（1912）,TheShadowLine（1917）etc.ConradisasmuchasapessimistasHardy,butheprojectshispessimisminsubtleways.Forexample,inUnderWesternEyes,heshowsastoryofaRussianstudentwhobecomesinvoluntarilyassociatedwithantigovernmentviolenceinCzaristRussia.Althoughthisstudentisagovernmentspy,hehastopretendtobearevolutionaryamongrevolutionaries.Thisisatragedybecauseapersonmustconsistentlypretendtobetheoppositeofwhatheis.ThisworkshowsadifferentJosephConradfromasea-dreamerpicturedbytheearliercity.Heisnotacompleteseawriterbecausehismanyworkshowsaboutpersonalrelationship（NostromosetinanimaginarySouthAmericanrepublic,anothergreatestwork）.

AboutConrad,manypeopletreathimasavoyagerandawriter,butheonlytreatshimselfasanordinarysailorandhecanwritethetrueexperienceinabook.Hecanusethetrueexperiencetoreflecthistoryinthattime.ThereadercanreadhisworksincludingHeartofDarkness,whichcanshowthepanoramaofVictorianEra,eveninthesametime,colonialactionsoftheworld.

B.AboutHeartofDarkness

HeartofDarknessisderivedfromConrad’spersonalexperienceintheCongoin1890.LikeConrad,Marlow,theprotagonistofthisstory,hasadreamforgoingtotheheartofAfricaandlifeofexploration---“NowwhenIwasalittlechapIhadapassionformaps.IwouldlookforhoursatSouthAmerica,orAfrica,orAustralia,andlosemyselfinallthegloriesofexploration…andwhenIsawonethatlookedparticularlyinvitingonamap…Iwouldputmyfingeronitandsay,whenIgrowupIwillgothere.”1ThispartofnarrationisenoughtoshowMarlow’smind,whichisthesameasConrad’s.Inthisbook,Marlowisoriginallyacommonsailor,butoneday,withhelpofhisaunt,hebecomesacaptainofanoldsteamerandbeginshistravelintheCongoRiver.Healsohasanothermission---tosaveapersoncalledKurtz.Atbeginningofthistravel,hehasheardsomethingsaboutKurtzwhoisafirst-classagentandaveryremarkableperson---

“Heisaprodigy…”2

“Heisanemissaryofpity,andscienceandprogress,anddevilknowswhatelse…”3

“WhenMrKurtzisGeneralManager,youwon’thavetheopportunity…”4

Astimegoesby,MarlowhasseentheconditionsoftheBlack’slifeandallkindsofpeopleintradingstation,hehasrecognizedcolonist’struenatureandhumannature,andabandonedthegoalandthedream---tobecomeapersonlikeKurtz.Atlast,Marlowraiseshisconsciousness:

“Marlowceased,andsatapart,indistinctandsilent,intheposeofameditatingBuddha.Nobodymovedforatime.”5Conradfocusesonanotherpeople---Kurtz.Atbeginningofthisstory,KurtzisveryimportantforMarlow,butatlast,Kurtzbecomes“thechoiceofnightmare”forMarlowbecausehehasfoundthatthereareonlymoneyandpower,evenKurtzlosethespiritofexploration---toexplorehumannature.AndherecognizesthatthemoralhorrorofhishavingsuccumbedtothedarkorblacktemptationwhichAfricanlifeposedforthewhiteman.Forthispoint,KurtzisatragedycostarandarepresentativeofEuropeanemotionsofextremejoybegettingsorrow.Soblackisobviouslyonhisbody.

HeartofDarknessislikeConrad’sautobiographyandMarlowislikeConrad’sspokesman.Inthisbook,therearemanyothercolors.Forexample,thesunshineisfromwhitetodullred;theskyandseaiscolorofsmoke;flameisgreen,white,andblack;mapisinallkindsofcolorsetc.Butthesearenotcommon.However,blackcanbeseeneverywhereandthroughanalyzingthesymbolicmeaningofblack,itcanshowmanyaspectslaterperiodofVictorianEra,especiallyincolonialcultureatthattime.Forthisbook,especiallytoanalyzethesymbolicmeaningofblack,notonlydoesitshowcolonialcultureinVictorianEra,butalsoitisanepitomeforEuropeancolonialismsocietyandarepresentativeofcolonialculture.Themoreimportantly,Westerncivilizationcan’timpactonAfrica,butthestoryhasotherlevelsofmeaning---WesterncivilizationhasdoneinAfrica.Thisisthesignificanceforwritingthisthesis.

Forthisbook,althoughtwopeoplenarratetheexperience,thereisalmostthesamesnout.Andsomespecialistssaythathewantstomakehisviewsstronger.ItisaphenomenonthatConradwantsotherpeopletosupporthim,butintherealsociety,therearealittlepeopletosupporthim.Fromsomepoints,heislikecombiningtherealsocietyandthedreamoritisforcedtodothiskindofthingbecausehewantsmorepeopleawakenfromthefallenandhypocriticalsociety.

ChapterI.Blackthatsymbolizesgreediness

IntheBible,therearesevenkindsofcrimes.Greedinessisthemostseriouscrime.Inthehell,Mammonistherepresentativeofthiscrime.InChristian,mostofNazarenecanchoosethemonasticlife,butintheendof19thcentury,withdevelopingofcapitalismandimperialism,moneysandwealthismoreimportant.Peoplegraduallydeviatetherigorouslife.Conradwantstoshowthetruelifetothereaderandmakesmorepeopleawakenfromgreediness,eventosavethereligiousdoctrine.Thehellisblackincommonpeople’smind.

Inthisbook,therearetwowomenwhoarecalled“thegatekeeperofthegreedinessofthehell”;Kurtzistheinitialimpressionforthehero,Marlow,eveninhismind,heiscalledthemostgreediesthero;theriver,thejungleandnaturallightislikebeingcoveredwithgreedyblack.Blacksymbolizesgreedinessandmakesthepeople“fallinloveit”.

A.TwowomenwhoareseenbyMarlowinthefirsttime

“…Twowomen…knittingblackwool.Theslimone…walkedstraightatme---stillknittingwithdowncasteye…Herdresswasasplain…”6

“…twowomenknittedblackwool…”7

“Sheglancedatme…Theswiftandindifferentplacidity…troubledme…shethrewatthemthesamequickglanceofunconcernedwisdom…uncannyandfateful…guardingthedoorofDarkness,knittingblackwoolasforawarmpall…introducingcontinuouslytotheunknown…unconcernedoldeyes.”8

Atthebeginningofthisbook,Marlowjoinstheinterviewaboutcaptainofthatsteamer,heseesthosetwowomen.Thatyoungwoman’sactionshaveconnectionswithinertia,mechanicalmovement,whichlooksnolinkwithblack.Infact,fromthiswoman’sactions,itshowsthatblacksymbolizesgreediness.Firstly,“Somnambulist”isconnectedwithblackandnight.Secondly,withchangeofsociety,atthattime,especialinthelaterperiodofVictorianEra,mostcolonialistswanttohavemoreandmoremoneyandpowertoconsolidatetheirforceincolonies.Themoreimportantly,colonialistslikeusingwaysofforceandcheatbecauseitisconvenientandthriftyforcolonialist,these“vampire”.Theywanttoknowthatcolonies’peoplearenotwillingtoresistandarewillingtobeconquered.AndMarlowistherepresentativeofcolonialistinthelaterstageandforunknown“Africanlife”,itismysterious..Ontheonehand,sheistheguidanceofMarlow’sexplorationlife,shecanbringwealthtoMarlow;ontheotherhand,sheistherepresentativeofpeopleconquered.Themoreimportantly,inherrearworld,forcolonialist,itiswhiteandlight;forpeopleconquered,itisblackanddark.

Fortheoldwoman,ontheonehand,heractionsarelikethedoormanofAfricancolonies,sheismysteriousandfateful.ForMarlow,heholdsinaweandvenerationforthisoldwoman,evenhewantstogetbenefitsfrompeoplelikethisoldwoman.Inherrearworld,thesecolonialistsneedmanypeoplelikethiswomantoleadthemtogetmoreandmorebenefits.SowhenConradnarratesthiswoman,heusesmanywordsandphraseslikeuncanny,fateful,guardingthedoorofDarkness.Forthispoint,theoldwomansymbolizesblack,soblacksymbolizesgreediness.Onth