Context
The novel begins in London on board the British ship 'Nellie' which is anchored in the River Thames.
An anonymous narrator listens to Marlow's tale of his journey up the Congo River together with the Director of Companies, the Accountant, and the Lawyer.
What we read is the narrator's recollections of Marlow's tale.
From a very young age Marlow was always fascinated with maps and in particular Africa with its large areas of unexplored territory. Through his aunt who has contacts with a Belgian Company, he is able to secure a job as a Steamboat Captain to ferry supplies on the River Congo.
He eventually arrives at the Company's Outer Station in the Congo.
He witnesses a scene of desolation, waste, brutality and chaos.
While the local natives suffer under the yoke of colonialism, the dominant whites enjoy a comfortable existence apart from the rigors of disease and hot climate. At least they have plenty of food.
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