In the opening scene of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad readers are introduced to the river of Thames. Conrad writes, “The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway. In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint, and in the luminous space the tanned sails of the barges drifting up with the tide seemed to stand still in red clusters of canvas sharply peaked, with gleams of varnished sprits” (Conrad I). The importance of the river to the story is essentially the setting; the three unnamed listeners of Marlow’s tale are riding on the boat named, Nellie, on the Thames throughout the entirety of the novella. It is important to note that the river Thames flows through London and southern England and is the quintessential symbol of London, England. The river is 215 miles long and is the longest river in England (“River Thames”). The river is a massive source of trade and transport for the city, described in the novella by Conrad. The river Thames can be seen as a parallel to the Congo River in Africa, the entire reason why Marlow begins telling his story of his time in the Congo (Conrad).

Works Cited

“River Thames.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thames.

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Blackwood, 1902.