In the novella Heart of Darkness, what was the symbolism of Marlow's 200 mile journey?

Answer 1

Two symbolic elements: At first, Marlow represents White Colonialism as he refers to all the Blacks in the Congo as "savages" (or worse) - implying they are in need of the White European influence and "civilization."

About 1/2 way through, Marlow changes his view, at one point wishing he could join the natives on shore and escape "civilization." This is symbolic of human nature to allow the ID to conquor the Superego and be primative. We still do this today by "heading into the woods" (in Michigan, it's called "heading Up North") to "commune with nature."