1 A8CPL1?AL C8l1lClSM Anu Ll1L8A8? 1PLC8?

11 Carl CusLav !ung psychologlcal approach Lo arL

111 AnalyLlcal psychology and llLeraLure
112 sychologlcal Lheory and lndlvlduaLlon
1121 ArcheLype of Lhe Shadow
1122 ArcheLype of Lhe Anlma
1123 ArcheLype of Lhe Self
1124 ArcheLype of Lhe Pero's [ourney
121 ArcheLypal paLLerns ln Lraglc poeLry
122 8easonable recourse Lo poeLry
13 Mlrcea Lllade paradlgmaLlc repeLlLlon of dlvlne work
131 ManlfesLaLlons of Lhe sacred
132 PomogenelLy of space

2 A8CPL1?AL A11L8nS ln !CSLP CCn8Au'S PLA81 Cl uA8knLSS
21 1he archeLypal scheme of Lhe Pero's [ourney
211 1he [ungle as Lhe parallel of Lhe unconsclous
213 1he Self as reflecLed ln Lhe characLer of Lhe 8usslan
214 1he dual lmage of Lhe Anlma
22 MyLhopoeLlc pro[ecLlons of Lhe woman's lmage
221 1he flgure of Lhe aunL as Lhe represenLaLlon of Lhe MoLhergoddess
222 1he Wllderness vlewed as Lhe embodlmenL of Lhe archeLypal 1empLress
23 1he revelaLlon of sacred ln Lhe novella
231 1he paradlgmaLlc conquesL of Lhe [ungle Lhe profane elemenL
232 1he rellglous naLure of Lhe naLlve people

2 A8CPL1?AL A11L8nS ln !CSLP CCn8Au'S PLA81 Cl uA8knLSS

1he archeLypal paLLerns are woven lnLo Conrad's sLory 1he novella encompasses Lhe frames of
Lhe anclenL myLhs and Lhe Pero's myLh along wlLh Lhe archeLypes whlch reveal Lhe hero's lnner world
Cn Lhe myLhologlcal level Lhe paper wlll analyze Lhe archeLypal lmage of woman ln accordance wlLh
8odkln's analysls of Pomer's lllad and Lhe Lplc of Cllgamesh 1he auLhor wlll reveal Lhe myLhologlcal
paLLern suggesLed by Lhe scholar ln PearL of uarkness Moreover Lhe Pero's myLh and Lhe archeLypes of
Lhe Shadow Lhe Anlma and Lhe Self wlll be dlscussed ln accordance wlLh !ung's Lheory of lndlvlduaLlon
and Campbell's monomyLh llnally Lllade's proposed Lwo modes of Lhe belng ln Lhe world wlll be
applled Lo analyze Lhe Luropean and Afrlcan culLures as presenLed ln PearL of uarkness
21 1he archeLypal scheme of Lhe Pero's [ourney

Symbollcally Lhe Pero's [ourney represenLs Lhe descenL lnLo Lhe unconsclous ln PearL of uarkness
Lhe hero ls represenLed ln Marlow and hls personal unconsclous ls represenLed by Lhe [ungle or Lhe
foresL 1he foresL ls LradlLlonally dark labyrlnLhlne" enLlLy (lerber 1999 78) 1he mosL developed sLage
of Marlow's [ourney ls Lo reallze hls Shadow When he reaches Lhe [ungle he recognlzes lL ln Lhe sLory
Lhe Shadow characLer ls Mr kurLz 1he oLher archeLypes namely Anlma and Lhe Self are noL so well
developed neverLheless Lhelr meanlng ls very lmporLanL ln undersLandlng Lhe sLory 1he auLhor of Lhe
paper has chosen Lo presenL Marlow's [ourney ln accordance wlLh Campbell's paLLern of Pero's [ourney
and !ung's psychologlcal lnLerpreLaLlon of Lhe Shadow and Lhe Self Anlma

211 1he [ungle as Lhe parallel of Lhe unconsclous

As Campbell sLaLes Lhe Pero musL feel LhaL someLhlng ls mlsslng ln llfe" (Campbell) and lL should
evoke hls deslre Lo leave Lhe famlllar space and enLer Lhe unknown 1he famlllar and Lhe unknown
spaces represenL Lhe consclous and Lhe unconsclous respecLlvely lor Marlow a spur Lo go on a quesL
was hls le Lhe marlner's noL belng on a voyage for long enough and deslre Lo vlslL Lhe place he had
wanLed Lo go slnce chlldhood Pls cravlng Lo go Lo Congo was so sLrong LhaL havlng falled by hlmself
Marlow asked hls relaLlves Lo help hlm geL appolnLed for a [ob Lhere Lhough he was noL used Lo geLLlng
Lhlngs LhaL way" (Conrad 1986 139)24 Pe explalns LhaL Lhe noLlon drove hlm" (lbld 142) Marlow
was eager Lo go Lo Lhe [ungle because Lhere was a rlver whlch resembllng an lmmense snake uncolled
had charmed hlm" (lbld 139) A sLrong lmpacL of Lhe ldea on Marlow's consclous reveals LhaL lL
was caused by Lhe Self whlch Lyplcally creaLes elLher ouLward or lnward necesslLy for changes 8elng a
wonderer he could do wlLhouL Lravellng Moreover Lhe longlng for voyages lmplles LhaL Lhe hero goL
Llred of Lhe surroundlngs of Lhe land and needed an escape Lo Lhe sea or a rlver Powever Lhe need for
a change ln surroundlngs may be symbollcally vlewed as a need of a change ln one's mlnd

Marlow wenL Lo Lhe [ungle of Congo where he was sklpper of a rlver sLeamboaL 1he menLal changes
of Lhose who go Lo Lhe [ungle or archeLypally descend lnLo Lhe unconsclous were sLressed by Lhe
docLor whom Marlow meL before he wenL on a Lrlp 1he docLor who used ln Lhe lnLeresL of sclence Lo
measure Lhe cranla of Lhose golng ouL Lhere" remarked LhaL Lhe changes Lake place lnslde" Lhey are
noL observed exLernally and lL would be lnLeresLlng for sclence Lo waLch Lhe menLal changes on Lhe
spoL" (lbld 142) 1he docLor prepares Marlow for Lhe voyage lnsLrucLlng hlm Lo avold lrrlLaLlon more
Lhan exposure Lo Lhe sun" (lbld 143)

!ung's assoclaLe lranz who helped hlm Lo !ung's Lheory ln Man and hls Symbols sLaLes LhaL when a
chlld reaches Lhe school age and beglns Lo develop hls Lgo Lhe lmperfecLlons of Lhe world and Lhe evll
wlLhln oneself as well as ouLslde become consclous problems Lhe chlld musL Lry Lo cope wlLh urgenL
(buL noL yeL undersLood) lnner lmpulses as well as Lhe demands of Lhe ouLer world" (lranz 1977 p 168
169) 1hls sLage of psychlc growLh ls full of palnful shocks and a chlld may feel very dlfferenL from
oLhers whlch causes a feellng of sadness Some chlldren aL Lhls age begln Lo earnesLly seek for some
meanlng ln llfe LhaL could help Lhem Lo deal wlLh Lhe chaos boLh wlLhln and ouLslde Lhemselves" (lranz
1977 169) lL ls worLh noLlng LhaL Marlow was noL ln Lhe leasL Lyplcal" (Conrad 1986 143) Lngllshman
and he dld noL represenL hls class" (lbld 136) Lhe sallors Pe was a wonderer whlle oLher seamen lead
a sedenLary llfe" (lbld 136) Moreover lL ls sald ln Lhe sLory LhaL Marlow was noL Lyplcal and
Lo hlm Lhe meanlng of an eplsode was noL lnslde llke a kernel buL ouLslde enveloplng Lhe Lale whlch
broughL lL ouL only as a glow brlngs ouL a haze ln Lhe llkeness of one of Lhese mlsLy halos LhaL
someLlmes are made vlslble by Lhe specLral lllumlnaLlon of moonshlne" (lbld 137) 1he facL LhaL for
Marlow Lhe meanlng of evenLs was ouLslde Lhe kernel suggesLs hlm belng able Lo geL deLached from a
slLuaLlon and Lhus beLLer esLlmaLe how serlous lL was and whaL should be done A person usually
suppresses Lhe emoLlons and/or wlshes whlch are lncompaLlble wlLh Lhe soclal sysLem he/she llves ln
1hus lL may be sLaLed LhaL hero belng noL a Lyplcal person aL all had faced many dlfflculLles LhroughouL
hls llfe and had suppressed experlences Marlow Lold LhaL when he had been a chlld he used Lo plck a
place on a map and sald LhaL he would go Lhere as a grown up 1he [ungle of Congo was Lhe place whlch
he wlshed Lo vlslL mosL of all When he was a boy Lhe geographlcal space had noL yeL been explored and
Lhe reglon was marked as a blank space Powever aL Lhe momenL when he could go Lhere Lhere was no
blank space on Lhe map any more
lL had goL fllled slnce my chlldhood wlLh rlvers and lakes and names lL had ceased Lo be a blank
space of dellghLful mysLery a whlLe paLch for a boy Lo dream glorlously over lL had become a place of
darkness (Conrad 1986 139)
1he whlLe colour of Lhe reglon ln Marlow's chlldhood evokes a poslLlve connoLaLlon lL symbollzes
purlLy cleanness and lnnocence Whlle Lhe colour black ls auLhorlLaLlve and powerful as lL may evoke
sLrong emoLlons and Loo much of lL may be overwhelmlng 1he geographlcal space presenLed on a map
symbollcally represenLs Lhe hero's psyche When he was a chlld and dld noL have as much experlence as
an adulL hls unconsclous was a blank space Lo be fllled ln lL became a place of darkness when Marlow
was much older and had much more experlence slnce lL goL fllled wlLh rlvers and lakes and names"
symbollcally represenLlng experlence Comparlng Lo Lhe blank space when Lhere were nelLher rlvers nor
names lL had become black Pence hls unconsclous goL fllled wlLh suppressed emoLlons and hankerlngs
aLLlLudes supersLlLlons and pre[udlce 1he auLhorlLaLlve and overwhelmlng power of Lhe black also
reveals LhaL Lhe unconsclous conLrols Lhe consclousness Accordlng Lo !ung Lhe parL of Lhe unconsclous
conslsLs of a mulLlLude of Lemporarlly obscured LhoughLs lmpresslons and lmages LhaL ln splLe of
belng losL conLlnue Lo lnfluence our consclous mlnds" and someLlmes unconsclous conLenLs of Lhe
mlnd behave as lf Lhey were consclous" (!ung 1977 p 1819) 1he moLlf of darkness ls found LhroughouL
Lhe sLory 1he [ungle whlch symbollcally represenLs Lhe hero's unconsclous ls descrlbed as so dark
green as Lo be almosL black" (lbld 144) wlLh Lhe profound darkness of lLs hearL" (lbld 163) Moreover
Marlow feels as lf LransporLed lnLo some llghLless reglon of subLle horrors" (lbld 187) When Marlow
saw Mr kurLz who ls Lhe hero's archeLypal Shadow for Lhe flrsL Llme he found ouL Lhe followlng never
before dld Lhls land Lhls rlver Lhls [ungle Lhe very arch of Lhls blazlng sky appear Lo me so hopeless and
so dark so lmpeneLrable Lo human LhoughL so plLlless Lo human weakness" (lbld 184) 1he human
LhoughL" sLands here for Lhe consclous self whlch cannoL enLer Lhe unconsclous whlch manlfesLs lLself ln
dreams Marlow descrlbes Lhe [ungle as smlllng frownlng lnvlLlng grand mean lnslpld or savage and
always muLe wlLh an alr of whlsperlng Come and flnd ouL" (lbld 144) as lf Lhe unconsclous had
suggesLed hlm Lo sLarL Lhe lndlvlduaLlon Pence Marlow's unconsclous whlch had become a place of
darkness" galned much power over hls llfe and lnfluenced hlm Lo go Lo Congo
Accordlng Lo !ung because Lhere are lnnumerable Lhlngs beyond Lhe range of human
undersLandlng we consLanLly use symbollc Lerms Lo represenL concepLs LhaL we cannoL deflne or fully
comprehend" (!ung 1977 4) uue Lo Lhls facL all rellglons make a use of symbols and lmages Powever
Lhe consclous employmenL of symbols ln a language embraces only one aspecL of a psychologlcal facL
1he scholar clalms LhaL Lhe symbols are llkewlse produced unconsclously and sponLaneously ln Lhe form
of dreams lL ls worLh noLlng LhaL lL was Lhe sLudy of dreams LhaL flrsL enabled psychologlsLs Lo
lnvesLlgaLe Lhe unconsclous aspecL of consclous psychlc evenLs" (lbld 3) lL means LhaL a person's
dreams may reveal Lhe evenLs he/she was consclously lnvolved lnLo
l am speaklng here of Lhlngs we have consclously seen or heard and subsequenLly forgoLLen
8uL we all see hear smell and LasLe many Lhlngs wlLhouL noLlclng Lhem aL Lhe Llme elLher because our
aLLenLlon ls deflecLed or because Lhe sLlmulus Lo our senses ls Loo sllghL Lo leave a consclous lmpresslon
1he unconsclous however has Laken noLe of Lhem and such subllmlnal sense percepLlons play a
slgnlflcanL parL ln our everyday llves WlLhouL our reallzlng lL Lhey lnfluence Lhe way ln whlch we reacL
Lo boLh evenLs and people (!ung 1977 20)
1here ls a conslderable number of Lhe cases when Marlow referred Lo hls experlence ln Lhe [ungle as a
dream AlLhough Lhe reallLy of Lhe [ungle was real Lhe unconsclous symbols found Lhere manlfesLed
Lhemselves as lf a dream 1hus Marlow's experlence ln Congo may be paralleled Lo Lhe experlence of a
dream 1he hero sald LhaL Lhe beglnnlng of hls [ourney was llke a weary pllgrlmage amongsL hlnLs for
nlghLmares" (Conrad 1986 143) lurLhermore Lhere were momenLs when one's pasL came back Lo one
ln Lhe shape of unresLful and nolsy dream remembered wlLh wonder amongsL Lhe overwhelmlng
reallLles of Lhls sLrange word of planLs and waLer and sllence" (Conrad 1986 pp 163164) 1he hero
also spoke of Lhe cholce of Lhe nlghLmare" (lbld 190) when he chose Lo conLradlcL Lhe manager of Lhe
CenLral sLaLlon saylng LhaL Mr kurLz was a remarkable man Moreover Marlow sLresses LhaL he had Lo
be loyal Lo Lhe nlghLmares of hls cholce" (lbld 192) Marlow clalms LhaL whlle confronLlng kurLz Lhey
pronounced Lhe words whlch had Lhe Lerrlflc suggesLlveness of words heard ln dreams of phrases
spoken ln nlghLmares" (lbld 194) Pe also noLes LhaL lL seems Lo me l am Lrylng Lo Lell you a dream
maklng a valn aLLempL because no relaLlon of a dream can convey Lhe dream sensaLlon LhaL
commlngllng of absurdlLy surprlse and bewlldermenL ln a Lremor of sLruggllng revolL LhaL noLlon of
belng capLured by Lhe lncredlble whlch ls of Lhe very essence of dreams" (lbld 137) AlLhough Marlow
was rlghL by saylng LhaL lL was lmposslble Lo make anoLher person feel [usL llke he/she dld ln a dream
slnce we llve as we dream alone" (lbld) lL should be noLed LhaL archeLypes whlch are found ln
dreams are common Lo all humanlLy and can be recognlzed by any person who has some knowledge of
psychology 1he lncredlble" whlch capLures one ln dreams ls Lhe unconsclous whlch merges wlLh Lhe
consclous ln one's dreams As a resulL a person ls forced Lo face hls lnner psyche whlch may be
horrlfylng 1aklng lnLo conslderaLlon Lhe facLs LhaL dreams represenL Lhe unconsclous aspecLs of evenLs
and LhaL Marlow descrlbed hls experlence ln Lhe [ungle as a nlghLmare lL Lhe hero confesses LhaL ln hls
llfe he had seen Lhe devll of vlolence and Lhe devll of greed and Lhe devll of hoL deslre" (lbld 147)
8ecalllng !ung's sLaLemenL LhaL all Lhe evenLs a person has seen heard or experlenced hlmself reslde ln
Lhe unconsclous lL should be noLed LhaL Lhe devlls" Marlow menLlons reslde ln hls unconsclous ln
PearL of uarkness Lhe vlolence was represenLed when a grass shed burnL and Marlow saw LhaL a nlgger
was belng beaLen near by" (lbld 134) Marlow also Lells abouL Lhe body of a mlddleaged negro wlLh a
bulleLhole ln hls forehead" (lbld 131) 1he hero has also heard Lhe sLory when hls predecessor
whacked Lhe old nlgger mercllessly Llll some man made a LenLaLlve [ab wlLh a spear aL Lhe
whlLe man" (lbld 140) 1he devll of greed" may be symbollcally whlch are found ln dreams are
common Lo all humanlLy and can be recognlzed by any person who has some knowledge of psychology
1he lncredlble" whlch capLures one ln dreams ls Lhe unconsclous whlch merges wlLh Lhe consclous ln
one's dreams As a resulL a person ls forced Lo face hls lnner psyche whlch may be horrlfylng 1aklng
lnLo conslderaLlon Lhe facLs LhaL dreams represenL Lhe unconsclous aspecLs of evenLs and LhaL Marlow
descrlbed hls experlence ln Lhe [ungle as a nlghLmare lL Lhe hero confesses LhaL ln hls llfe he had seen
Lhe devll of vlolence and Lhe devll of greed and Lhe devll of hoL deslre" (lbld 147) 8ecalllng !ung's
sLaLemenL LhaL all Lhe evenLs a person has seen heard or experlenced hlmself reslde ln Lhe unconsclous
lL should be noLed LhaL Lhe devlls" Marlow menLlons reslde ln hls unconsclous ln PearL of uarkness Lhe
vlolence was represenLed when a grass shed burnL and Marlow saw LhaL a nlgger was belng beaLen
near by" (lbld 134) Marlow also Lells abouL Lhe body of a mlddleaged negro wlLh a bulleLhole ln hls
forehead" (lbld 131) 1he hero has also heard Lhe sLory when hls predecessor whacked Lhe old nlgger
mercllessly Llll some man made a LenLaLlve [ab wlLh a spear aL Lhe whlLe man" (lbld 140) 1he
devll of greed" may be symbollcally embodled ln Lhe deslre for lvory 1he hero remarked LhaL Lhe
word 'lvory' rang ln Lhe alr was whlspered was slghed and one could assume LhaL Lhey were praylng Lo
eaL" (lbld 133) 1he backward movemenL from Lhe loudness of Lhe sound ln rlnglng Lo slghlng lmplles
LhaL Lhe mass hankerlng afLer Lhe lvory deeply affecLed an lndlvldual 1he slghlng also lmplles passlon
1he devll of deslre" ls relaLed wlLh Lhe devll of greed" because Lo Lhe whlLes Lhe only real feellng was
a deslre Lo geL appolnLed Lo a LradlngposL where lvory was Lo be had so LhaL Lhey could earn
percenLages" (lbld 133) 1he appolnLmenL Lo a LradlngposL suggesLed easy lncome meanwhlle Marlow
was a sallor whlch ls a demandlng professlon ln Lhe [ungle Marlow dld noL crave for lvory alLhough he
hls relaLlons could have made hlm rlch Pls sole lnLeresL was Mr kurLz !ung clalms LhaL dreams
compensaLe for Lhe deflclencles Lhe personallLles" (!ung 1977 34) 1hus greed and deslre ln Lhls case
ls an lnner compensaLlon of Lhe ouLer reallLy slnce lL may be assumed LhaL Lhe hero was qulLe asceLlc
Meanwhlle Lhe vlolence ln Lhe [ungle symbollcally ln Lhe unconsclous represenLs Lhe unconsclous
resldua of Lhe consclous evenLs
When Marlow descrlbed Congo he polnLed ouL a mlghLy blg rlver LhaL you could see on Lhe map
resembllng an lmmense snake uncolled wlLh lLs head ln Lhe sea lLs body aL resL curvlng afar over a vasL
counLry and lLs Lall losL ln Lhe depLhs of Lhe land" (Conrad 1986 139) 1he rlver resembllng Lhe snake on
Lhe map fasclnaLed Marlow and evoked hls [ourney Lo LhaL reglon Powever Lhe rlver also provlded hlm
Lhe opporLunlLy Lo reach Lhe depLhs of Afrlca symbollcally Lhe depLhs of unconsclous Accordlng Lo
!ung snake ls Lhe embodlmenL of wlsdom" (!ung 1977 83) 1hus Lhe hero who had Lraveled along Lhe
snakellke rlver should have galned wlsdom whlch ls a parL of lndlvlduaLlon and an ouLcome of Lhe
Pero's [ourney
1he scholar also sLaLes LhaL human collecLlve consclousness was developed ln a process LhaL Look
unLold ages Lo reach Lhe clvlllzed sLaLe" however whaL we call Lhe 'psyche' ls by no means ldenLlcal
wlLh our consclousness and lLs conLenLs" (!ung 1977 6) 1hus Lhe unconsclous ls as old as Lhe human
race When Marlow was ln Congo he could feel LhaL Lhe smell of prlmeval mud was ln hls nosLrlls Lhe
hlgh sLlllness of prlmeval foresL was before hls eyes" (Conrad 1986 136) Pe also menLlons
seLLlemenLs some cenLurles old" (lbld 144) and LhaL he felL as lf he and hls crew were wonderers on a
prehlsLorlc earLh LhaL wore an aspecL of an unknown planeL we could have fancled ourselves Lhe flrsL
men Laklng possesslon of an accursed lnherlLance" (lbld 163) 1he accursed lnherlLance" ls represenLed
by Lhe lvory whlch awakened Lhe greed ln lLs uLmosL proporLlons lL would also be relevanL Lo sLress LhaL
Marlow dld noL Lhlnk LhaL Lhe naLlves had any clear ldea of Llme" (lbld 163) suggesLlng LhaL Lhere was
none 1hese examples provlde Lhe noLlon LhaL Lhe [ungle le Lhe unconsclous was formed ln Lhe
beglnnlng of Llme
AnoLher aspecL of Lhe unconsclous found ln Lhe lmage of Lhe [ungle ls LhaL fleshly lnsLlncLs comeL Lo
Lhe surface ln lLs surroundlngs !ung clalmed LhaL Lhe human lnsLlncLs are lgnored and denled by Lhe
raLlonal mlnd so Lhey are suppressed lnLo an unconsclous parL of psyche Pe furLher explalns LhaL Lhe
lnsLlncLs are noL mere blologlcal urges Conslder
8uL aL Lhe same Llme Lhey also manlfesL Lhemselves ln fanLasles and ofLen reveal Lhelr presence only by symbollc
lmages 1hese manlfesLaLlons are whaL l call Lhe archeLypes 1hey are wlLhouL known orlgln and Lhey reproduce Lhemselves ln
any Llme or ln any parL of Lhe world even where Lransmlsslon by dlrecL descenL or cross ferLlllzaLlon Lhrough mlgraLlon musL
be ruled ouL (!ung 1977 38)
1he scholar sLaLes LhaL Lhe consclousness of a clvlllzed man has separaLed lLself from Lhe baslc
lnsLlncLs Powever Lhey dld noL dlsappear and asserL Lhemselves ln an lndlrecL fashlon !ung suggesLs
LhaL lL may be done by means of physlcal sympLoms ln Lhe case of a neurosls or by means of lncldenLs
of varlous klnds llke unaccounLable moods unexpecLed forgeLfulness or mlsLakes ln speech" (!ung
1977 72)
In Heart oI Darkness such instincts may be Iound symbolically embodied in the natives oI the
jungle. Marlow described how 'they howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid Iaces; but
what thrilled you was just the thought oI their humanity like yours the thought oI your remote
kinship with this wild and passionate uproar (Conrad 1986, 165). The hero recognized these
instincts and admitted that there is a response to them within him. Thus, on the symbolical level,
the instincts were realized by consciousness and integrated into the conscious psyche. However,
some oI the instincts may be suppressed. Here the situation with the Iire oI the shed should be
considered. It was said that the black who was beaten caused the Iire and he was beaten Ior
punishment which had to prevent all transgressions. Archetypally, the Iire caused by the black
symbolizes an outburst oI instinctive part oI one`s conscious and the beating is a repression. The
example oI the suppressed instincts is illustrated in the characters oI cannibals who were
members oI Marlow`s crew. Their superb restriction reveals that they are under the strict control
oI the conscious selI, represented by the hero. He wonders why they did not attack and eat white
people although being hungry Ior weeks. Marlow points out that 'no Iear can stand up to hunger,
no patience can wear it out, disgust simply does not exist where hunger is; and as to superstitions
and belieIs, and what you may call principles, they are less than chaII in a breeze (ibid, 171).
The Iact that they were controlled by the conscious selI, symbolically embodied in Marlow,
reveals itselI when they hear the howl oI the natives on the bank. The chieI oI the cannibals
asked Marlow to catch and give those blacks to the cannibals as Iood. The Ieeding oI the
cannibals symbolically represented giving Ireedom to the hero`s instincts. Moreover, the Iact
they Ied on human meat suggests their instinctive nature which was improper Ior the civilized
conscious selI. Another instance oI Marlow`s control over the cannibals is noticed when the hero
threw out the body oI the Iireman who was killed during the attack on the steamboat. The
reaction oI the cannibals who could have eaten the body was 'a very ominous murmur on the
deck below (ibid, 180). It should be pointed out that the cannibals still did not though their
murmur was ominous, but there is also another Iact oI great importance. Marlow told that they
were on the deck below implying that his position was higher then their. Thus, the Iact that the
cannibals obeyed him shows that the instincts they represent are suppressed. Recalling Jung`s
statement that ignored instincts assert themselves in various ways one oI which is unaccountable
mood may be presented in Marlow`s behaviour when he told his mechanic that they would get
rivets they had been waiting Ior months to Iix the steamboat. The hero remarked that he did not
know they 'behaved like lunatics (ibid, 160). When the mechanic could not believe Marlow
'put the Iinger to the side oI |his| nose and nodded mysteriously aIterwards he 'tried a jig and
they 'capered on the iron deck at night (ibid.).
Campbell claims that the hero has to cross the threshold oI consciousness and adds that the
entrance is not Iree and is protected. The guardians 'mark the point oI no return (Campbell). In
Heart oI Darkness the symbolic threshold is the Continental Concern Marlow worked Ior. Here
Marlow`s Iirst entering the company should be considered. He entered the building oI the
Company through an 'immense double door ponderously ajar (ibid, 141). The door shares its
meaning with the threshold. It is a transitional point Irom one place to another, Irom lightness to
darkness and vice versa. The opened doors imply an invitation Ior great discovery and
investigation. What concerns Marlow`s situation, he was invited to move Irom the conscious to
the unconscious and discover the realms oI his unconscious psyche. Nevertheless, the manner oI
his entrance is oI great importance. The hero 'slipped through one oI these cracks (ibid.). The
paradox oI the 'immense double door ponderously ajar and 'the crack suggests that the
immense unconscious is entered through a narrow passage. The Iact that he 'slipped through
the door implies the secrecy which creates the Ieeling oI danger. It is noteworthy that Mircea
Eliade claims that the dangerous narrow passage 'Irequently occur in initiatory and Iunerary
rituals and mythologies (Eliade 1996, 181). The religious approach oI the scholar to initiatory
passage should be considered.
One does not become a complete man until one has passed beyond, and in some sense abolished, 'natural
humanity, Ior initiation is reducible to a paradoxical, supernatural experience oI death and resurrection or oI second birth;
initiation rites, entailing ordeals and symbolic death and resurrection, were instituted by gods, culture heroes, or mythical
ancestors. (Eliade 1996, 187)
The initiation described by Eliade may be paralleled to the process oI individuation. First oI in both
cases a person becomes a 'complete man or reaches the wholeness oI his psyche. Secondly, the abolition
oI natural humanity may compared to the entering the unconscious. The third common aspect is the
resurrection. Eliade assumes resurrection as a transIormation into someone new, e.g. Irom a child to an
adult. Jung oIIers that during individuation the Ego submerges into the unconscious, i.e. the conscious
selI temporally dies, and is born again when emerges Irom the unconscious.
Inside the building Marlow met the two women 'guarding the doors oI Darkness (ibid, 142). Their
witch-like appearance suggested that they had supernatural powers. On the symbolical level, they
represent the Fates oI Greek as well as the Norns oI the Norse and Parcaes oI Roman myths who were
present at birth and shaped the Iate oI the newly-born. The women, like Campbell suggests, mark the
point oI no return because which is shown Marlow`s symbolical act oI signing the employment contract
aIter having passed them