Symbolism

“These round knobs were not ornamental but symbolic…those heads on stakes…” (pg. 71)

Conrad uses these decapitated heads as symbols to represent the gruesome nature of not only the Congo and its people but of Kurtz. These heads, which belonged to so-called rebels, signify how Kurtz has lost his own sense of restraint and has allowed the darkness to consume him. In addition to this, it shows how the effects of colonization can work both ways; although settlers often have a modifying effect toward natives, the natives can have the same effect on outsiders, in this case altering Kurtz to uphold some of their own savage customs.