The opposition of black and white in the heart of darknessIn Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad explores the psychological "heart of darkness" within all of humanity. The text examines the false illumination of the civilization of European societies, whose internal darkness it obscures, in relation to the psychological environment in which humans are placed. Conrad contrasts black and white to show the superficial pretension of light in European society and the true heart of darkness that is present within all humanity. From the beginning of Marlow's trip to the African Congo, it is obvious that he is a product of European colonialist society, where the first oppositions between black and white evolved. Marlow understands the premises of colonialism, but is unprepared for the savagery and wilderness of the Heart of Darkness. This is especially evident when Marlow encounters the "grove of death", where many natives are sick and dying, but Marlow, although confronted, is unable to cope with this foreign situation. He meets a young boy with a piece of white European thread around his neck. In this case, white is usually associated with purity and innocence, but Conrad challenges many of these assumptions, with the piece of white thread being used as a symbol of the evil of colonialist practices. The white thread remains a constant reminder that contrasts with the black child, it seems out of place and artificial, and is therefore symbolic of colonialist practices. Marlow responds to the situation with questions: “Why? Where did he get it? (27) - showed that he had not yet understood the effects of imperialism on the desert. This is further underlined when he gives...... in the middle of the article...... the false "light" of European society. Works cited and consulted Adelman, Gary. Heart of Darkness: In Search of the Unconscious. Boston: Little & Brown, 1987. Bradley, Candice. “Conrad’s Africa and Africans in the Heart of Darkness.” (January 24, 1996). Online Internet. October 3, 1998. Available: http://www.lawrence.edu/~johnson/heart.Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. 17th ed. New York: Norton, 1988. Levenson, Michael. “The value of facts in the heart of darkness.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction 40 (1985): 351-80. Rosmarin, Adena. “Darkening the Reader: Reader Response Criticism and Heart of Darkness.” Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. New York: St. Martin's, 1989. Watt, Ian. Conrad in the 19th century. San Diego: University of California P, 1979. 168-200, 249-53.