Colonization: The Bringing of Light Into the Darkness

The theme of civilization versus savagery is central to Heart of Darkness. It is also closely related to the theme of light versus dark, or white versus black. Light and dark traditionally represent good and evil respectively, and civilization is generally viewed as good while savagery is normally seen as evil. This symbolism is not new however, these connotations have been present in society for centuries. We refer to the Middle Ages, when science and knowledge was suppressed, as the Dark Ages. According to Christianity, in the beginning of time all was dark and God created light. C…