To the outside world white is good and black is evil; it is as simple as that. This philosophy is embodied in Marlow's aunt, who believes that his job is to bring light into the land of darkness and to enlighten the savages. This idea, however, becomes corrupted when white objects symbolize suffering and greed instead of good, and light images hide the presence of darkness. Symbols such as, a white rag, white imperialists and ivory, no longer represent the good will of the imperialists, on the other hand they represent the exploitation and chaos that the Europeans have brought to the Congo.
             The main character Marlow is faced with this confusion as he voyages through the jungle, and he must reevaluate his former opinions, which no longer hold true. The European philosophy is shown through the conversation that Marlow has with his aunt before commencing his adventure. According to her, his job seems clear: to bring civilization and light to the "heart of darkness." Instead of focusing on the horrors of imperialism she is disillusioned to believe that it is all for the better. The Europeans, especially the British have no respect for other cultures or other ways of life, and they truly believe that they are helping the Africans.
             He begins to realize that it is not the black savages who represent evil, but rather the selfish whites. This corruption is further shown through the novel with symbols that reveal that perversity of the jungle. None of Marlow's previous beliefs hold true in the Congo and he must reevaluate what is light and what is dark. He is confronted with the distortion of images and confusion at the first station. He sees a group of natives in the shade and immediately compares it to hell. As he states: "Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees, leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all the attitudes of pain, abandonm...