OPPapers.com

Darkness

CHAPTER SUMMARIES WITH NOTES
CHAPTER 1
Summary
This scene begins in the first-person voice of a man on board the cruising yawl, The Nellie, anchored on the Thames River outside of London at sunset. This unnamed narrator names the men on board the boat, the Director of Companies, the Lawyer, the Accountant, and Marlow. The frame narrator is proud of the accomplishments of English explorers such as Sir Francis Drake, whom he calls "the great knights-errant of the sea." He meditates complacently on the glory of imperialism, accomplished by those "bearing the sword, and often the torch." Marlow who looks over at London, regarded by Europeans as the height of civilization, and says, "this also has been one of the dark places of the earth" interrupts his thoughts. This statement serves as a foreshadowing to the evil (darkness) of the imperialism perpetrated on Africa and described in the book by Marlow.
The statement also refers to the title of the book and begins his discussion on the Roman conquest of England. He describes the struggles of the Romans with the weather, disease, savage inhabitants, and death while conquering the British Isles. He also states that the Roman explorers were "men enough to face the darkness." This reference to the early Romans' hardships and conquest in England is parallel to the hardships of the British in Africa. Marlow compares these ancient explorers to the modern European explorers, whom he regards as lesser men. For Marlow the only thing that "redeems" the "robbery" of imperialism is that there is a pure idea behind it.
These meditations prepare Marlow to launch into his story of his trip up the Congo. He describes his childhood fascination with maps and his special interest in the blank places on the maps. Although Africa is no longer a blank space on the map, to him it is still a place of mystery, darkness, and challenge. He is particularly interested in the mighty river (the Congo) that flows through the land. He describes...