Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1902) is a semi-
autobiographical novel in the form of a frame narrative (a story within a

story). And to grasp the true meaning and purpose of the novel, it must
be read not only as an adventure story, but also as a social critique of
imperialism and an exploration of the human spirit and human morality.
The novel explores the problematic of humanity’s inner savagery, hence
the title Heart of Darkness. To better convey his message to the reader,
Conrad creates a mode of narration in which the style and structure are
well organized. Heart of Darkness is an extremely complex novel that
comments on and highlights many of the major issues related to the
colonization of Africa. The narrative structure is usually described as the
structural framework that underlies the order and manner in which the
story is presented to the reader. Conrad’s particular narrative structure
allows him to make his messages clearly perceptible. My analysis will focus
on three main areas: Ifirst discuss the narrative structure of the novel, then
I talk about the narrative techniques in the novel and finally I analyze the
symbolism in the novel.
Keywords: Novel, Narrative, Narrative Style, Narrative Structure,
Symbolism