Ivory may usually be found on elephants, as it is the main component of their tusks. In effect, in Africa there are a lot of elephants and at the time this novel was written, the ivory was quite important. In the passage we have read, Marlow compares the ivory to a religion that the white people are worshiping. He describes the men as: “faithless pilgrims bewitched inside a rotten fence. (…) You would think they were
praying to it [Ivory].” In fact we can say that Ivory represents the white men’s desire to come to Africa and take everything precious they have, everything that has some value in Europe or elsewhere. It somewhat represents the avarice of the white men. I think Ivory is a strong symbol as for Marlow; it represents the God most men are worshipping at the Company. It may have another meaning later in the books as Ivory may have different signification or a stronger one than just the desire of wealth.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Ivory
Here is my short response on the symbol of Ivory in Heart of Darkness:
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I agree with Nicolas in the sense that ivory is representing the desire of wealth that is showing in colonizers at the time, but I also feel that it is already starting to portray its importance for the men at Central Station as well as Marlow's disgust, and critique on colonization.
ReplyDeleteThe quote “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! I’ve never seen anything so unreal in my life. And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion.”(p.27) really brings more to the meaning of Marlow's perception of Ivory in this passage. Like Nicolas said, ivory is becoming these colonizer's religion -- which is truly ironic as they are there to spread their religion and virtues, not to replace it with an element of greed that they are pumping from the country. Marlow is criticizing what ivory has become for these men, relating it to "imbecile rapacity" and "death". This metaphor is striking as the colonizers are not only working the natives to death for their own desires, but are fighting each other in order to fulfill their desires of wealth and recognition.
This comes back to Marlow's criticism of the idea of colonizing: it appears as ineffective and reveals it for what it truly is--greed. It seems as though the colonizers are becoming primitive; the concept of bringing their virtues has no foundation left to it.
Furthermore, Marlow continues in his thoughts, describing the surrounding land as "something great and invincible". This image reduces the colonizers as they face a country, a continent. Again Marlow is denouncing colonization as pointless. When Marlow says that this immensity was like "evil or truth", he is making a connection between the two, stating them as if they were synonyms. The evil present at this station was the truth about colonization. He finishes through strong sarcasm : "this fantastic invasion", evidently ironic as it clashes with what he has just described.
To the men at these stations, ivory represents hierarchy, social and economic superiority. It has become their object of worship but Marlow reduces them and their "religion" to nothing face to face with the immensity of nature and the culture that belongs to that country.
Good evening everyone :)
ReplyDeleteAlthough the last couple of posts have focused on Ivory and its meaning, i would like to raise an important point that Claire makes in her comment. When you say that Marlow denounces colonization as pointless, and that he sincerely believes colonizing is evil and condemnable, I think we should still take into account what has been said at the beginning of the book, as well as Marlow's ambiguous position and tone throughout the novel.
In the very beginning of "Heart of Darkness", Marlow makes a distinction between conquerers and colonizers. Whereas conquering is "robbery with violence", (p.7), colonizing is redeemable: "What redeems it is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretence but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea - something you can set up, bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to..." (p.7). Here, it seems Marlow is supportive of the colonizers' cause: it is noble and admirable, and justifies the actions taken in the Congo.
The ambiguity in Marlow's opinion is recurrent throughout the book. Claire's comment highlights a side of the character that seems to be doubtful and unconvinced by colonialism, yet other examples in the text suggest that he still acknowledges being a part of this mission. He is at time disgusted by the death that surrounds him, and at times excited by his journey and the "work" that is accomplished in the Congo.
It is always hard to tell wether Marlow is ironic or sincere, which contributes to his unclear stance when it comes to the question of colonialism. Many racist remarks let us believe that Marlow is still yet just another European who came to Africa to get rich and benefit from colonizing missions, yet expressions like the ones Claire has picked up: "fantastic invasion" (which is supposed to be ironic) create a real debate for the reader: where does Marlow stand?
Aloha chicos,
ReplyDeleteI think that the symbol of ivory is an essential one. Marlow, who does not seem to harbor any idea of the purpose of this nightmarish expedition, relates the white men, the natives held captive, the animals of the Company, vanishing ominously into the darkness, with only a "precious trickle of ivory" returning. The ivory almost seems to possess some dark, bloodthirst that demands mass human sacrifice in payment. But why do the colonizers particularly yearn for ivory, the only armor of dangerous elephants, rather than diamonds or gold?
For one thing, the grandeur of the elephant, the world's largest animal on land, gives the precious material of its tusks a mystical and powerful attribute, and the fact that procuring the ivory includes killing such a majestic animal, a symbol of the African continent, is also obviously symbolic. Another thing that struck me is the valor of the ivory. Do people not worship it, as Nicolas put it, "pray" to it, as a religion, for its bright shining WHITE color? The soft, pure, gleam of the snow-colored bone is perhaps so searched for and venerated due to its color, the very adoration of which we know is the colonizers' first reason for "conquering" and oppressing the natives of the land. Is the "sacred" color of the ivory the real motive for the colonizers wanting it? Because they would like to find another justification for their own skin color's- which if it were a crayon would be labeled not white but"Awkward Peach"- supremacy?
As we all know, Kurtz, who almost kills the "Russian" for want of his ivory, and all the rest of the colonizers, will stop at nothing to ransack the ivory from the territory, "ripping the treasure from the land's bowels" till all is shadowed in darkness and devastation.