In Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" the idea of epistemology plays a major role in understanding the plot and character development. It is this philosophical study that prompts Marlow to go off in search of the infamous Kurtz and then recount his story, and it is what compels the audience to read further into the book. However, to understand the presence of epistemology in "Heart of Darkness" it is crucial to know exactly what epistemology …showed first 75 words of 1298 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1298 total…what he was doing while composing Heart of Darkness. He wanted to lead the reader on a journey into their on consciousness so that they might come across the same epiphany that Marlow did. Had Conrad defined everything as they wanted it to be, it would take away from the reader's own interpretation of things. Conrad himself once wrote, 'The thinker plunges into ideas, the scientist into facts.' He left it too vague purposely.