"Heart of Darkness" is a complex tale built through the dichotomies of light versus darkness, a core of faith and belief versus emptiness, civilization versus wilderness. Conrad, while purposefully introducing these contrasting binaries, ultimately dismantles them, eliciting parallels between the civilized and the primordial, bringing the duplicity of colonial rhetoric to the fore. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The biblical allusion to a “whitewashed tomb” in Passage 1 serves as an allegory for the colonial enterprise. Outwardly, civilization offers the appearance of a “real work [in progress]”; the decadent and extravagant nature of the "frock coat" is symbolic of the rhetoric of imperialism and colonialism: it offers noble and splendid ideas of being "a beacon on the way to better things" and a "forerunner of change". However, inside the "sepulchre", behind the duplicity of colonial rhetoric, a "deadly silence" is hidden. The juxtaposition between outside and inside evokes a sense of emptiness within the colonial enterprise; the deceptive outward spectacle of running an “overseas empire” is made palpable when Marlow reveals the motive behind the enlightening and civilizing mission as “making[ing]…money”; the colonial discourse, as an apparatus of power, disavows its own motivations. In fact, the light of the 'whitewashed tomb' fills the 'narrow and deserted street, in the deep shadow. By incorporating darkness with light, Conrad alludes to the shortcomings of colonial rhetoric, subtly exposing the deep-rooted greed and baser instincts that lie beneath its facade. The most salient irony in "Heart of Darkness" revolves around the figure of Kurtz. Kurtz, “a man all of Europe helped create,” serves as an embodiment of colonial rhetoric with promises of “eloquence,” intelligence, and charm. However, Kurtz's metamorphosis reveals only a critical and inevitable relationship between imperial decadence and savagery. Its “pulsating flow of light” is accompanied by “impenetrable darkness”; this dichotomy of light and darkness is once again incorporated into one another, ironically suggesting an interconnectivity between the civilized and the primordial. Thus, Conrad exemplifies the barbarity of colonialism, describing Belgian exploitation of the Congolese as man's inhumanity towards other men, rather than towards "criminals" or "savages". Outside of his "speech", Kurtz reveals himself to be little more than a 'voice' offering ideas about enlightenment and progress. Nonetheless, Kurtz's “ability to speak” exerts an inevitable and alluring attraction on Marlow, symbolic of the attraction that colonial rhetoric exerts on the rest of Europe. This sense of blind faith, the willingness to listen and follow without asking questions, is summed up in the description of the woman in the Company's office as a "sleepwalker" as she sits outside, essentially guarding the door of colonial rhetoric. Likewise, for Marlow, despite being faced with images of wanton destruction and suffrage as a direct result of the colonial process ("slaves left to die alone"), he is still mesmerized by the promises of a "talk with Kurtz." ', although once placed outside the confines of civilisation, the realm of European cognition, Kurtz, and by extension colonial rhetoric, loses all power, affirmed by the repetition of bass in 'he is very low, very low'. The Eurocentric vision, made palpable by its contemptuous indifference towards Kurtz “[stealing]…ivory,” highlights once again the duplicity of colonial rhetoric. The repetition of the "point" in "That wasn't the point, the point was..." encapsulates the false sense.