Marlow's Lie in the Heart of Darkness In Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, it is generally accepted that Marlow told a lie to the Fated One - the reasons for that lie are questionable. Through his lie, Marlow gives Kurtz a kind of forgiveness. In doing so, perhaps Marlow errs on the side of moderation, while maintaining the belief that Faustian wisdom is of little value. One of the main themes of Faust is that knowledge can be demoralizing and, in the end, it is best left alone. From the beginning of the book, Marlow remarks on the futility of civilized knowledge about the African native: "He was an improved specimen; he could light a vertical boiler. He was there beneath me, and, upon my word, it was as edifying to him to watch as to see a dog with a travesty of breeches and a feather hat, walking on his hind legs. A few months of training had done for that good boy... He should have clapped his hands and stamped his feet on the shore, instead of working hard, slave. of strange sorceries, full of improving knowledge” (Conrad 33)In this quote he shows how foolish European ideas are when applied to everyone. It is obvious that this native was not helped by his "improved knowledge". This revelation comes to him only after he has been on the river for some time. This is because, as Marlow goes back "in time", the ideas of Europe become more and more out of place. Although the fact that knowledge, and by proxy truth, was shown to be out of place in the Congo does not fully explain why it would lie to Kurtz's intentions in Europe, where normal rules of truth should apply. Marlow tries to explain why he didn't tell Kurtz's intentions at the end of the book:......middle of paper......Marlow lied. But it wasn't wrong. What he learned indirectly through Kurtz was that his knowledge was "strange", "not interesting in any way", and "disappointing". He didn't need to share it with her. Just like the Europeans in Africa, he has the chance to bring his "horrific light" to a new place, but unlike the explorers, missionaries, and traders he was part of, he decides it is best to leave the natives alone. .Works Cited:Boyle, Ted E. "Marlow's 'Lie' in 'Heart of Darkness'." Studies in Short Fiction 1 (1964): 159-163.Bruffee, Kenneth A. "The Lesser Nightmare: Marlow's Lie in Heart of The Darkness." Modern Language Quarterly 25 (1964): 322-29.Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Norton, 1988.Maud, Ralph. "Criticism and Conrad." Literary criticism, ed. Richard P. Suggest. Evanston, IL: NW UP, 1992.