“I believed it in the same way one of you might believe there are inhabitants in the planet Mars” (64)

In the late 1800s, William Whewell popularized the theory that there was life on Mars, leading to the writing and eventual publication of H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. This novel was published around the time Conrad began his novella, making the statement a likely reference to Wells’ tome. This statement of belief is also a way of saying that Marlow was very strong in this specific conviction as, at the time of the novella’s writing and publication, all indications suggested life on the Red Planet.

Source:

"Life on Mars." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 24 Aug. 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Mars.

Picture Credits:

Snyder, Dave. Mars. Digital image. An Observational History of Mars. University of Michigan. Web. 24 Aug. 2009.

http://www.umich.edu/~lowbrows/reflections/2001/mars-HST.jpg.