Marlow s Journeys The Progression of Heart of Darkness
... In Heart of Darkness, Conrad creates an allegory, an archetypal story of journeys: through hell, back in time, and to the core of the psyche—the heart of darkness. Marlow’s experiences in heart of darkness are very similar to the more literal journey Dante takes in The Inferno. This multifaceted journey through hell displays the destruction of man, and the depth of the s the “civilized” men must go through. ... When Marlow first arrives in Africa, he is a passenger on a boat that takes him to his destination. ... To further this allusion, Marlow must be ferried across this divider instead of navigating it himself. Also, Marlow notices the diminishing levels of light as he enters the jungle he calls the heart of darkness. ... According to Dante this represents God’s light which becomes less as one strays farther away from God into the recesses of hell. This idea is also shown by Marlow’s views of the jungle as savage and primal, much like the inner circles of hell. As this light diminishes and Marlow retreats further into the depths, the imagery becomes similar to Dante’s descriptions of the pain and the criminals in hell were facing. Marlow also encounters incidents where characters have to face s similar to those who were in the Inferno.