In the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Marlow, the captain of the steamboat, frequently personifies the surrounding environment, and uses phrases that create the illusion that the environment is alive. In one instance of this, Marlow describes the Congo River as being "deadly - like a snake" and another instance the river bank is described to have been invaded by "mangroves that seemed to writhe at us in... impotent despair." Despair is clearly a human emotion, yet Marlow describes the mangroves to express this emotion, successfully personifying the surrounding environment into something that shocks the readers.

These personifications are critically important because they allow the reader to understand the state of mind Marlow is in when he journeys through the Congo. As the reader, we get a clear idea at the immense delusions that must have taken a hold in Marlow's mind. There is also such...