Marlow uses the first images of light verses the dark or the civilized verses the uncivilized when he imagines what the past must have been like on the Thames Estuary: Light came out of this river since- you say Knights? Yes; but it was like a running blaze on a plain, like a flash of lightning in the clouds
We live in a flicker-may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling! But darkness was here yesterday. (Conrad 7) Within this narrative paragraph Marlow sets the tone for the rest of the novel. He speaks of what culture of people brought civilization or light to Europe, as he describes it, "Light came out of this river -. Within this paragraph Marlow reveals one of his greatest fears. This is the thought of how uncivilized man could survive in the dark time when there was no technology or sophisticated people. Marlow then goes on to discuss how short and meaningless our lives really are compared to the light of all life and history. Another important aspect of the paragraph is the use of the word, "knight- representing nobility accomplished during the flicker of civilization. It is not only what Marlow says that makes him fit in with the solemn setting but it is also his appearance: Marlow is pointedly described as sitting in the pose of Buddha, suggesting that he has been the recipient of a weird Enlightenment, which he is impelled to share with his listeners. (Bennett 76) Within the story Marlow narrates to the crew and the reader by taking "his listeners- back into the darkness of yesterday. As Marlow approaches the African coast, the reader is able to visualize the dusting of colonies left behind by great explorers. These colonies barely survive; they neither expand nor retract as the years continue to pass by. The light of civilization obviously does not belong in a place as blackened with uncivilized cultures as in Africa. The light has been unable to penetrate the darkness.