_黑暗的心_中黑白颜色意象解读_英文_赵谦_PDF转换成word转换器

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异域文苑

《黑暗的心》中黑白颜色意象解读

赵 谦

（安徽商贸职业技术学院 安徽·芜湖 241003）

摘 要：约瑟夫·康拉德在小说《黑暗的心》中运用了大量的象征手法,在此试图分析作品中黑与白两个颜色词的使用, 探讨 其中丰富的象征意义,揭示康拉德对人类文明、人性本身以及两者之间的关系所作的思考。

关键词：约瑟夫·康拉德 《黑暗的心》 象征 黑色 白色

中图分类号：I106.4

文献标识码：A

The Symbolic Meaning of Black and White as in Heart of Darkness

ZHAO Qian

(Anhui Business College of Vocational Technology Anhui·Wuhu 241003)

Abstract: In Heart of Darkness,the writer Joseph Conrad employs a lot of symbolic metaphors. This paper aims to explore the rich

symbolic implications of the two colors—black and white, which differ from people’s conventional understanding. Through analysis, the paper also tries to reveal Conrad’s reflections on human civilization, human nature and the relationship between the two.

Key words: Joseph Conrad; Heart of Darkness; Symbol; Black; White Heart of darkness is a novelette written by the English novelist yawning black hole. Further more, Marlow overhears the manager’s Joseph Conrad in 1902. It is the tale of Charlie Marlow’s journey intrigue in black, and he chases Kurtz in black, and lastly Kurtz dies into the heart of the African Congo, where he encounters the also in the hopeless black. extraordinary Mr. Kurtz. It is an expedition that has a tremendous Marlow’s journey began at the office in Brussels. He was led impact on Marlow. Moreover, the novelette tells about the into the office by two women, who were knitting black wool. exploration of the Europeans deep into the African continent. This Obviously image of the black wool is what Conrad has designed work reflects Conrad’s ideas and thoughts about the value of human purposefully to suggest the dark fate and tragedy to follow. Marlow

civilization and the human nature. It is not difficult for us to notice signed the contract there, thus started his mission into the dark Africa. that, throughout the work the writer uses various colors as symbols, In the story, the savages represent the primitive reality undisturbed. among which black and white are the most remarkable. They are described as innocent, vibrant and warm-hearted. While the

In the novelette, Conrad seems to bear a special understanding white people from Europe, who have claimed to bring enlightenment about the two colors, which is somewhat contradictory to the to the primitive Africa, compete cruelly with each other for more common views of the public. As traditionally, black signifies danger, benefits, even persecute their companions in order to be favored by evil and crime; while white represents morality, purity and the Belgian headquarters. So the actions of the white men in Africa perfectness. While reading the story, the readers may come to find actually show the darkness of the western civilization.

that Conrad doesn’t seem to think the traditional way. His Ⅱ. Conrad’s Understanding of White

interpretation surprises as well as attracts the readers, thus it leads the What is sharply contrasted with black is white. As is mentioned readers to read between the lines and to think more deeply about the above, white usually signifies purity, morality and perfectness. But in implication or theme of the story. this novelette, Conrad has attached to it something different. We can

witness many images in the story with the color of white. Brussels is Ⅰ. Conrad’s Understanding of Black

referred to as a city like a white grave; the chief accountant’s white Just as the title of his novelette suggests, black is the major tone

collars and cuffs, white hands, the ivory, the white bones and throughout the story. Conrad sets many images in the color of black

or in darkness. The savages in Africa are black; the primitive jungles skeletons in the "death grove" and the white fog, which all bear some

implications beyond the surfaces of the images. Through these white are black; Marlow’s predecessor dies in a quarrel over two black

hens; the heads on Kurtz’s fence stakes are black; the background of images Conrad hints that the white people from Europe are very

Kurtz’s oil painting is black; the peak of Kurtz’s broken roof is a hypocritical in the core.

作者简介：赵谦（1982.1—），男，汉族，安徽芜湖人，南京师范大学硕士研究生，安徽商贸职业技术学院外语系讲师，主要 研究方向：英美文学及加拿大文学。

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The first white man Marlow meets at the station is the valuable and respectable, at the same time it can be very brutal and company’s chief accountant, who keeps the books for the whole hypocritical if used for evil purposes. operation. In contrast with the dirty and messy surroundings, it is Beside the direct contrast of the colors, Conrad also compares considered as a miracle that the accountant’s clothes can still remain other objects by black and white. For example, the Thames River

neat and clean. But the real motivation of his coming to Africa is to and the Congo rive; the civilized Europe and the primitive Africa; find more ivories and make a fortune. All he cares is the accounts of the white grave-like streets in Brussels and the muddy road through the company; he is focusing himself on avoiding any mistakes; and a the dark jungles. It suggests to us that darkness and brightness, dying black slave beside is just an interference of his job in his mind. brutalities and civilization are indispensable, even interchangeable. I So Conrad is comparing the cleanness of his exterior with the think Conrad tries to tell us that good and evil exist at the same time darkness and vileness of his interior. Just like the central station of in everyone. Although Conrad explodes and criticizes fiercely the the company; it is white outside, but inside are the images of the evil side of human nature, he may not be totally depressed by it. ill-treatment of the black people. Conrad tries to indicate that the What is important is for everyone to battle with the evil self. In this white colonists try to hide the dark sides of their souls by civilization. sense, the novelette may be seen as a call for morality. Another instance of this idea is that Marlow’s upriver journey is all Ⅳ. Conclusion

the time accompanied by the thick white fog, which makes the Black and white has the usual connotations of evil and good. journey more dangerous and horrible, as they have no idea what is Throughout the book the white souls of the black people are behind the fog and what will be confronted in the front. The fog is contrasted with the black souls of the white people. The symbolisms just like a veil, behind which people can do something evil and cruel of black and white can prove to be very efficient and powerful and without being known. can convey the author’s ideas properly. Besides, other symbols of

colors can also be detected in the novelette. For instance, yellow Ⅲ. The Contrast of Black and White

One important role in the story is Kurtz. The writer reveals the symbolizes cowardice, corruption, and also decay. Yellow marks the complex structure of the darkness of the western civilization through Congo area on the map in the Brussels office. It also symbolizes the the portrayal of Kurtz. Kurtz is a hero in the eyes of the Europeans, yellow ivory. The multicolored patches and trims on the harlequin and he comes to Africa with the belief that each station of the Russian’s clothes symbolize his changing moods and his company should stand like a beacon light offering a better way of light-hearted and foolish gaiety. The pale look of the ivory life to the natives. But unfortunately after he has been persecuted by company’s manager denotes death. The Bible uses the pale symbol the company manager, he loses his direction in Africa and is in Rev. 6:8, the "pale horse" and his rider, "Death". Near the end of transformed by the barbarism of the natives. Later in the story when the story, after being informed of Kurtz’s death, the "Intended" looks

pale too. She is dying of her grief until Marlow saves her with a lie. Marlow at last finds him, he already allows himself to be worshipped

as a god. He succeed in conquering the natives through fear and

adoration. As is told in the story, Kurtz has a half-English mother and Bibliography:

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nature. So Conrad is indicating that what Kurtz displays in the [4] Vinson,James and D.L.Kirkpatrick,eds.20th-Century Fiction[M].London:The jungles is just the true nature of the human kind without restraint. Yet Macmillan Press Ltd,1983.

all these are done under the name of civilization. Here the writer [5]李文婕.《黑暗的心》的象征手法[J].重庆交通学院学报:社会科学版.2003(9): displays his skeptical attitude towards civilization. The colonists are 42-45. totally obsessed in the profits and power of civilization. They even take it as the standard of belief and value. But they neglect the 责任编辑：琰 柽 improvement of human ethics and morality. Civilization can be

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