Heart of Darkness By Joseph Conrad

Running head: HEART OF DARKNESS BY JOSEPH CONRAD
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
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Author Note

HEART OF DARKNESS BY JOSEPH CONRAD1
Heart of Darkness is a well-known novel written by British – Polish author Joseph
Conrad. The novel tells the story of a voyage undertaken by the protagonist and his friends up
the Congo River into the heart of Africa. The novel is known for its accurate description of
the themes of imperialism and racism as well as the fact that there are little differences
between the civilized people and the savages (Conrad:17). The book is also known for its use
of framed narrative in the story.
The thesis of the essay is to analyse the framed narrative in the novel. Heart of
Darkness. It also aims to understand the reasons how the framed narrative has been used by
the author and why the framed narrative is important for the novel.
Framed Narrative is commonly defined as the setting of a story within the original
story. It is a literary technique which is mainly used to discover the unconscious behind the
various repressive narratives presented by the conscious mind. The concept of the framed
narrative plays a very important role in the novel Heart of Darkness. It is through the use of
thus narrative technique that the narrator of the story learns the lies of the European
Imperialism which are wholeheartedly believed by the people.
"The old river in its broad reach rested unruffled at the decline of day, after ages of good
service done to the race that peopled its banks, spread out in the tranquil dignity of a
waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth."
In the novel, The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the concept of framed
narrative, is seen in the story when the narrator hears Marlowe climbing the boat in The
Thames (Conrad:18). The use of the framed narrative in The Heart of Darkness helps the
readers of the novel follow the journey of Marlowe along with that of the narrator of the
story. The way Marlow starts his story is the best example of the framed narrative technique