The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.In CliffsNotes on The Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer, you come to understand how each of these stories deals with the "dark side" of the human character. Heart of Darkness is a journey up the Congo River to where an ivory agent, Kurtz, has succumbed to human weakness and evil, and has disintegrated into a grotesque creature. The Secret Sharer is an allegorical examination of a timid man who struggles to stifle the more physical and dangerous part of himself. Eventually, he resolves this duality and becomes more daring — and, therefore, more complete.
