Narrating Time

Joseph Conrad's brief novel Heart of Darkness may not look like much at first glance, but with some further delving into the story, it becomes a fast paced journey through an unknown territory.

This story is about a seaman named Marlow who is narrating his previous journey through uncharted Africa in search of an ivory trader named Mr. Kutz to the men aboard the ship the Nellie alongside him. Marlow's journey is documented by an outside source and unknown narrator who occasionally brings information about Marlow himself or what's been going on as the story is being told. However, much of the journey is told by Marlow himself.

This anonymous narrator is quickly forgotten after the first few pages of the novel when Marlow takes over. One of the most clear turning points is when the narrator shifts to Marlow mid paragraph here,

"We looked on, waiting patiently- there was nothing else to do till the end of the flood; but it was only after a long silence, when he said, in a hesitating voice, "I suppose you fellows remember I did once turn fresh-water sailor for a bit," that we knew we were fated, before the ebb began to run, to hear about one of Marlow's inconclusive experiences."

This double narrative creates an interesting span in time. Marlow is taking the reader, as well as the men aboard the ship, on his journey with him. And as he's recounting the tale it's easy to get lost and forget that he's actually on board telling the tale, and not living it out at that moment.

As Marlow's journey progresses, there's an occasion quick shift back to the present time with the other seamen where something is clarified in the story or new information is presented by Marlow or the narrator. This jolt back to reality often feels strange and unprecedented as the reader is made to feel comfortable in the past, then suddenly is reminded of the harshness of the present.

In the end, Marlow says that after his timely journey, he was a changed man and had difficulty relating back into the world of civilization.

In today's evolving digital age, many people become engrossed in the digital world in the way the reader and the seamen become engrossed in Marlow's tale. They become lost.

While the internet is an engrossing place full of wonders and unknown territory, it's easy for someone to lose track of time while absorbed in the alternate world. As though taking a long journey, these people can lose themselves if they don't exercise caution. And when someone becomes lost on their journey through the internet, it's a difficult journey for them when they're jolted suddenly back into the realm of the real and immediate world.

Even when becoming lost in a good thing, such as spending hours on Amazon looking for a new book, or cyber stalking this killer new author you've found on Goodreads, it's important to remember the need to take a step back and not totally lose yourself while learning to navigate this strange new world.