Ivory, the central profit motive for much of the colonial actors in the era of imperialism in Africa. This raw material from Africa was considered an ornate material, fit only for the ritziest of settings in the western world, ironically, the whitest. This is the ultimate yet simplest symbol within the novella, which certainly extends into the real world of imperial Afro-commerce. In Conrad’s real world, it was a precious, exotic material (produced as a direct result of exploitation of the life of an animal unique to Africa and other exotic empires) that only the most civilized could afford, and represented a refined taste and curiosity for foreign, savage lands. In Heart of Darkness the same is true, but there is an added literary layer to the ivory. It is white. It is good. It is pure. It is out of place. It deserves better. It does not belong in a heart of “darkness.” It does not belong among the black. it is unlike the earthen tones and people that populate the land. In fact, when meeting Kurtz, Marlow takes notice not of his white, but his “ivory” skin.