ed or similar in appearance the Blacks become, they are still seen as being beneath the Whites. The natives are not given any personal traits or uniqueness unless they possess a similarity to the Whites. Even then we see no glimpse of humanity in their characters through Conrad's writing.From racism, the idea of civilization is brought about in terms of "darkness". Conrad uses the contrast of light and dark with relation to the civilized and the uncivilized. The light of course, represents civilization or the civilized side of the world and the dark, more importantly represents the uncivilized or savage side of the world. From the passages quoted earlier, when Marlow calls the workers "black shadows of disease and starvation" (35), Conrad is reinforcing the idea that Blacks and the dark images they project are uncivilized and they are nothing to be wishing for. However, through Conrad's reiteration of Marlow's experience, there was an interesting aspect of the slaves seen. The reality is that these Blacks are what created the civilized life for the Whites. The Blacks are being used by the civilized, in turn making them uncivilized. But, the fact remains that the Whites may be considered the savages for working these Blacks to death. However, as ironic as it may seem, their view was that the natives were there to be conquered.All in all, Conrad writes about civilization versus savagery. Through the novel, he implies that the setting of laws and codes that would encourage men to achieve higher standards is what creates civilization. It prevents men from reverting back to their darker tendencies. Civilization, however, must be learned. London itself, in the book is a symbol of enlightenment, was once "one of the darker places of the earth" before the Romans forced civilization upon Lai 3them (18). While society seems to restrain these savage lifestyles, it does not get rid of them. These primitive tendencies will always be like ...
