A story that uses a decent amount of ambiguity is like reading half a story, in the sense that the reader can "fill in the blanks" . The author leaves out several details so that the reader can make their own interpretation. Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, expresses ambiguity in various ways. These include several details throughout the story, themes such as darkness and light, and characters like Marlow and Kurtz. Conrad was one of the first writers to use this technique and, in doing so, inspired many other 20th-century writers to do the same. The story unfolds when powerful European countries take over parts of Africa and imperialize every place they find. This novel is considered a bridge between 19th and 20th century writing styles due to its modern techniques and approach. The use of ambiguity in the themes and archetypal images of Heart of Darkness is Conrad's way of allowing his readers to connect to the story on a personal level. Several details from early in the novel that use ambiguity include "The Company", the town where the story takes place, and the four other people featured with Marlow. By not giving the real names of the company or city, Conrad leaves the reader seeing them ambiguously. They can be seen not as specific details that add to the plot, but rather as general organizations and locations that all contributed to African imperialism. This shows how involved everyone was in the actual invasion of the homeland. The four people introduced at the beginning of the novel other than Marlow include the accountant, the lawyer, the director, and the unnamed narrator. These characters are the men who are on board the Nellie with Marlow and to whom Marlow tells his story. B...... middle of paper ......s with the Russian. Marlow describes it as having bright spots of blue, red and yellow. In doing so, the reader gets the impression that the Russian is neither good nor bad. Heart of Darkness was a milestone in literary history because of the impeccable way Conrad used ambiguity to depict his story. He does this using archetypal symbols, themes and images. These include light and dark, the Congo River, colors, and not explaining everything to the reader. When reading the novel, the reader must actually interpret the text and really think about the meaning of certain details. The way Conrad wrote the novel is for the reader to look for clues and develop ideas. This is completely subjective and trying to find exact answers is not an option. This style of writing opened the eyes of many writers and changed the way literature was understood..