For many novels an author's choice of title has an impact on the reader's understanding or reaction to the story because it ties in with the key events, characters or places in the novel. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad creates an allegory, an archetypal story of journeys: through hell, back in time, and to the core of the psyche--the heart of darkness.

Joseph Conrad, like many authors, uses words as a means of transportation. His transportation is not completely physical or literal, but it still follows the same basic ideas and concepts of the use of words in this manner. Marlow's experiences in heart of darkness are very similar to the more literal journey Dante takes in The Inferno. This multifaceted journey through hell exhibit the destruction of man and the depth "civilized" men must go through. Conrad creates this allegory through a combination of allusions and imagery...