Revealing the Lies in the Heart of Darkness A lie is a falsehood. It may be a false statement or an unspoken statement that misleads someone. In life lies are told for many different reasons. In fiction, they thicken the plot. In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlow dislikes lies and so tells only two, both in extraordinary circumstances. The lies Marlow tells show several things about him. For example, even though he was touched by evil, he is still a good man. He never actually tells a lie, instead he lets others continue to believe what they already believe. This helps him justify his lies. Marlow, in the middle of his story, stops to say "You know I hate, detest, and cannot bear a lie." He doesn't think he's better than the rest of the world. Lies simply scare him. Marlow believes that there is "a taint of death and a taste of mortality in lies." Lying makes him feel "unhappy and sick, like biting into something rotten would." Since he feels this way, he would only tell a lie under extraordinary circumstances. The first lie Marlow told occurred in an extraordinary circumstance. It was said because it was thought that it would be helpful to Mr. Kurtz in some way. The lie was told to make the brick manufacturer believe that it had more influence in the company than it actually did. This lie would help Kurtz in two ways. First, he would help Marlow get the rivets he needed to repair the boat, and this would provide Kurtz with a means of communication or a way out of the jungle. Second, it would provide Kurtz with a perceived influential ally. Marlow knew that others were jealous of Mr. Kurtz's success. Some saw him as the next "company director" and others tried to find a reason to hang him. If Marlow was considered powerful, he might be able to help Mr. Kurtz. This was an extraordinary reason to tell a lie. The second lie was also told under extraordinary circumstances. It is told "as expected" so that the image of her dead fiancé is not destroyed. She had waited at least two years for her lover to return from Africa, and during this time she had built up his image in her mind..