It is also worth mentioning that the story, told by the person who went it through, is very personal. The narration is very interesting for the storyteller always addresses to his listeners, thus, the reader is evolved in a kind of conversation, where appears the illusion of possibility to put some questions to the narrator. But still the way Marlow recounts his story makes it realistic. Even the first narrator is not sure in Marlow’s truthfulness pointing out that the listeners had “to hear about one of Marlow’s inconclusive experiences” (Conrad 14).

But, on the other, like all wanderers and seamen, he could have that characteristic feature to add some details, which could be not quite realistic. On the one hand, he really experienced a lot things, he saw so many different places and met numerous interesting people. In few moments the reader finds himself in the darkness, in front of the story-teller Marlow.īeing a seaman makes Marlow reliable and unreliable at the same time. This unknown narrator reveals the enigmatic atmosphere of that night, which makes the reader the hostage of the predominating mood of mystery. Using the first person singular Conrad makes us a part of the group of listeners. But the first anonymous narrator makes us feel as if we were on a board as well. Marlow can be called the main narrator for he tells the story, the story of his adventures in Congo, “one of the dark places of the earth” (Conrad 7).

The novel opens up with the description of the people on a boat, among which we find the second narrator Marlow.

Heart of darkness by joseph conrad