Heart of Darkness #1

            Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a story told from multiple perspectives at multiple points in time, allowing for different interpretations of events that the reader must consider. The novel begins with the narrator describing his present situation and company. He is aboard a ship anchored on the Thames River along with the Director of Companies, the Lawyer, the Accountant, and Marlow. The narrator himself, however, is not identified in any way nor does he describe any interactions he has with his fellow companions. Since the reader does not have any impression of him whatsoever, it is easy to simply take his observations and interpretations of character at face value. Conrad introduces the reader to the protagonist, Marlow, through the presumably unbiased and perhaps unenlightened eyes of the narrator. The narrator explains that, unlike the straightforward thinking of typical seamen, to Marlow “the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze” (Conrad 68). The reader has now been primed with the assumption that Marlow thinks beyond the obvious and has a deeper understanding than the average person; he may be considered an enlightened character. Conrad has facilitated the formation of these assumptions by presenting them through the narrator, yet the reader actually has no evidence that confirms or contradicts the narrator’s reliability. The story shifts into the past as Marlow begins to describe his experience in the Congo. Marlow is telling the story to his companions, so it is written in dialogue form. This serves as a constant reminder to the reader that Marlow is relaying his experiences from a future perspective. Memories are invariably colored by current knowledge, and this is an important point that the reader must consider. The inner thoughts Marlow presents may or may not reflect his actual feelings at the time. Marlow describes how he was drawn to the idea of exploring the Congo River: “it fascinated me as a snake would a bird—a silly little bird” (Conrad 71). At the time, he clearly did not think of his desire as “silly,” or he would not have put so much effort into getting on the ship. He felt, as he said, “fascinated” by it. Looking back now, with a different understanding, he sees his wish to explore the Congo as a bit trivial and uninformed. Although he seems to tell most of the story from his perspective in the past, there is no way to be sure that he does not edit his feelings or recall them differently. This causes the reader to question whether Marlow honestly “foresaw that in the blinding sunshine of that land [he] would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly” on the first day when he sees the chain gang (Conrad 82). Marlow may present himself in a better light when he tells his story, so it is important to weigh his words against other evidence in the story. Thus far, the complex narrative story is being told by the narrator, present-day Marlow, past Marlow, and other characters Marlow interacts with. Each perspective provides a different view of Marlow, forcing the reader to truly analyze his actions.