![]() As a young man, Marlow spent approximately six years sailing in the Pacific before returning to London - where he then saw, in a shop window, a map of Africa and the Congo River. Conrad's novel is thus a frame story, or story-within-a-story.Īs a boy, Marlow was fascinated by maps and yearned to become a seaman or explorer who could visit the most remote parts of the earth. The remainder of the novel becomes (with a few exceptions) the narrator's report of what Marlow tells him and the others on board the Nellie. The other men remain silent while Marlow collects his ideas, after which he begins the story proper. As the sun sets, the four men become contemplative and brooding eventually, Marlow breaks the spell of silence by beginning his tale about his voyage to the Congo. With him are the Director of Companies (their Captain), a lawyer, an accountant, and Marlow, the novel's protagonist. After describing the river and its slow-moving traffic, the unnamed narrator offers short descriptions of London's history to his companions who, with him, lazily lounge on the deck, waiting for the tide to turn. Heart of Darkness begins on board the Nellie, a small ship moored on the Thames River in London. ![]()
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