The Novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is an autobiography of his journey in Congo. The autobiography is represented by the narrator listening to a story spoken by a third person. However, this meta-narrative also denotes the tapping into one's mind about a certain "darkness." This darkness is represented by the impenetrable wilderness and the people within this surrounding. .
In the beginning, Marlow, the actual narrator, sits on a boat like a Buddha in meditation. After the ship anchors itself securely in the middle of the river, he begins his story by claiming this place as "one of the dark places of the earth" (1959). Through the influence of his Aunt, he gets the position of Captain of one of a steamer in Africa. When he arrives to the interviewing site, he notices a map on the wall. The colorful map shows a big yellow continent which turns out to be the place where he will be exploring. The color yellow implies the hardship of the journey and the dreadful outcome that follows the exploration.
Also at the site, there are two ladies knitting black wool. They are described as the guards of the doors to the darkness. When Marlow catches the glance of the older lady, he bids farewell to her because there's foreshadowing of his doom within the stare, as though she already knows the outcome of his travel. He then arrives at the doctor's office for a physical examination, where the doctor asks if he is in good mental condition. The physician's question provides a certain preliminaries as to what the world is like in that wilderness. In this event, the doctor is also foreshadowing Marlow's later distasteful experience because no sane human will want to go into the depths of the wilderness. .
Upon the arrival at the Company's Station, Marlow notices the passing of natives in chains and shackles. The description of their conditions symbolizes the disruption of the nature and the colonization of the European countries.
