Heart of Darkness - Marlow's Lies-

A detailed Summary of Heart of Darkness - Marlow's Lies-

A lie is an untruth. It can be a false statement or a statement

left unsaid which causes someone to be misled. In life lies are told

for many different reasons. In fiction they thicken the plot. In

Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlow dislikes lies and therefore

only tells two, both in extraordinary circumstances, and the lies show

the following about Marlow: even though he has been touched by evil,

he is still a good man himself; that he never actually tells a lie, he

lets others continue to believe what they already believe; and that

this helps him justify the lies. Marlow, in the middle of his story,

interupts himself to say "You know I hate, detest, and can't bear a

lie." He does not think he is better than the rest of the world. Lies

simply appal him. Marlow feels there is a "taint of death, and a

flavor of mortality in lies." Lying makes him feel "miserable and

sick, like biting something rotten would do." Since he feels this way,

he would only tell a lie in extraordinary circumstances. The first lie

was told by Marlow in extraordinary circumstances. It was told becau

return from Africa, and now he is dead. During this time she has built

told to "the intended" so that the image of her dead fiance would not

has met a man with a "Heart of Darkness," and that even after facing

that all lies are not told with such noble purpose. The world would be

most part. He is still a good human being with feelings and a sense of

feels it would be "impossible not to love him." She was proud to have

had done. Marlow had to decide if he should tell her the truth about

better able to justify them to himself.

Company," and some were trying to find a reason to hang him. If Marlow

thus one in which Marlow could tell a lie. The significance of this

does not. Kurtz is dead and to tell the truth would only hurt an

be destroyed. She has waited at least two years for her lover to

lie is that it would serve no purpose to tell the truth, so Marlow

maker thought Marlow was more influential than he actually was, and

to allow the brick maker to think he had more influence in the company

Approximate Word count = 761
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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