Ivory has very much meaning to the novel, literal and figurative. In the sense it's literal meaning, the ivory itself is extracted from dentine, which is found in the teeth and tusks of multiple animals. This includes animals such as elephants, hippos, rhinos, etc... This showing how important the actual resource was, it was used to make many items. Moving onto the figurative meaning, ivory represents evil and greed that revolves around the white men. The natives also valued ivory very much simply because it was considered to be one of the purest things in nature. They even valued it to the point of actually praying to it, as if it were a God. Ivory is also noted to be the only companion that Kurtz consistently has. Marlow says, "The wilderness had patted him on the head, and, behold, it was like a ball-an ivory ball." By this time Kurtz is being carried on a stretcher. This shows how ivory is related to the evil that has taken over Kurtz himself. In The Heart of Darkness ivory plays a role in significance in representing the good, the evil, and the dehumanization mission.
Ivory is a central theme in Conrad's novel because it is constantly being searched for and the symbols it stands for. Like you said, the ivory represents evil and greed in the story but it also symbolizes the destructive nature of man. The Company is so obsessed with obtaining the copious amounts of ivory in the region that they forget their morals and their attempts to civilize the area. The constant search for ivory is what brings Kurtz to Africa and ultimately what ends up driving him to insanity. Throughout the story Kurtz becomes synonymous with ivory as he is the leading producer of ivory in the region due to his thirst to succeed and his band of natives that view him as a god. Overall ivory represents the white man's greed in the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe ivory could also be looked at as a racist thing in the novel. Ivory is precious, a luxury, and it is also white. The selfishness that comes along with it is vial and savage. The ivory can be seen as the white Europeans...the white upperclass, not only because of the color but because of the high quality of the product. The selfishness can be seen as the native because of its vial and savage actions...not necesaarily because that's how all the natives are, but the sailors assume that for quite some time. This is just another instance where Conrad uses comparisons in the novel.
ReplyDelete