In Heart of Darkness, when Marlow starts to tell his story, the narrator says: “His remark did not seem at all surprising. It was just like Marlow. It was …show more content…
Conrad uses repetition to describe the scenery of the Congo as “silent” for most of the novel. He went from a place considered to be civil to a land where he has now come face to face with little to no sound. There are sounds in the Congo that Marlow is able to find relief in and there are also sounds which creates fear for him as well. Conrad uses irony through Marlow as he describes the jungle as “impenetrable” or unable to pass through yet Marlow and his men are there for this “fantastic invasion”. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow is exposed to a new world of utter silence when he journeys into the African Congo. He finds that the silence that is revealed to him is actually anything but soundless. Silence frequently generates fear for Marlow, which was seen by his inability to comprehend the land and as a result had difficulty in describing the landscape. According to Marlow, silence can be depicted as pleasing and familiar but also intimidating and