What is the importance of the frame story in Heart of Darkness?

The
frame story of is important in a couple of ways. Conrad tells us the story
of the novel through his created middleman, . In the frame story, Marlow is telling of his
voyage up the Congo to a group of sailors, all safely anchored on the calm water of the Thames.

First, the frame narrative creates the minor dramaticof the reader being
aware of Marlow's fate. After all, we see here that Marlow is alive to tell his tale, so we know
that, regardless of what horrors may ensue over the course of the journey, Marlow will emerge
relatively unscathed, at least in a physical sense.

More importantly, it
allows the reader to question the reliable nature of the narrator. From the onset of the story,
the reader is quick to notice that Marlow has an extreme fascination withthat sometimes seems to
border on an obsession. Because of the knowledge that we are hearing the story not only from
Marlow's perspective, but as his account, we are forced to distance ourselves from...